Judge sentences former Evansville school board member Amy Word

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Judge sentences former Evansville school board member Amy Word

EVANSVILLE — A judge reduced former Evansville school board member Amy Word’s felony conviction for maintaining a common nuisance to a misdemeanor Monday and sentenced Word to serve nine months of probation after she was found guilty in June of allowing a bar she previously owned to host illicit ***** activity.

Vanderburgh County Circuit Court Judge David Kiely issued the sentence during a 2 p.m. hearing, saying at one point that Word, 48, had been “crucified” in the media and in the community she served. He reduced the Level 6 felony to a Class A misdemeanor after noting that the court had not found any “statutory aggravating factors.”

At the conclusion of the hearing, Word’s defense attorney, Bob Canada, said he and Word were “relieved.” According to legal filings, Canada formally asked the court to enter judgment as a misdemeanor rather than a felony based on Word’s lack of any prior felony conviction.

Word formerly owned the popular Lamasco Bar & Grill on Franklin Street, which became entangled in a wide-ranging narcotics investigation and later the subject of her June ********* trial. She was arrested and charged with maintaining a common nuisance in July 2022 after detectives alleged that she knew about ***** use and dealing at Lamasco Bar & Grill and allowed such activity to flourish.

Word pleaded not guilty and publicly proclaimed her innocence.

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Amy Word

According to Canada, Word turned down an earlier offer by prosecutors to be placed in a pretrial diversion program that would have ultimately seen the case against her dismissed, instead opting to ****** the charge at trial – a fact Kiely said he took into consideration when issuing Word’s sentence.

In late June, Word went before a jury in Sullivan County, a venue chosen due to extensive media coverage of the case in Evansville and heated discussion of Word’s arrest on social media, according to court records. Kiely presided over the proceedings.

Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor James Doyle led the state’s case. He and Canada painted starkly different portraits of Word during the three-day trial, which saw several accused and convicted ***** dealers testifying to Word’s knowledge of illicit activities inside Lamasco.

Canada repeatedly took aim at the credibility of those witnesses, including accused ******** dealer Demario Holman. Holman was granted a limited form of immunity to testify against Word.

Under questioning from Doyle, Holman said that he sold ******** to Word “a lot” at Lamasco Bar & Grill, telling jurors that he gave her drugs “directly.” Other witnesses testified that they knew of, or were involved in, a “bathroom business” whereby drugs were sold out of view inside Lamasco Bar & Grill’s restrooms.

The jury found Word guilty on June 28.

“We disagree with the jury’s verdict, but we accept it,” Canada said at the time. “We had a fair trial. She (Word) feels like it’s time to move on with her life.”

Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers said the evidence against Word was “overwhelming,” but Kiely seemed to question the veracity of that evidence during Word’s sentencing hearing. The judge said he gave little weight to statements made by Holman.

Moers could not immediately be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

Misdemeanor judgment does not impact Word’s removal from EVSC school board, attorney says

Word told the court in a written statement that she took “full responsibility for the ******** behavior that occurred at my business.”

“I deeply regret that such actions took place on my premises, and I understand the gravity of the situation,” the statement reads, in part. Word went on to claim that “not all of the testimony presented in this case was entirely accurate,” writing that she believed some of the witnesses’ statements were “exaggerated” or based on “misinterpretations.”

At least 12 people wrote letters on Word’s behalf, many of which noted Word’s involvement in numerous community projects and in the local business community.

Word ceased to be a member of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation school board the moment she was found guilty of maintaining a common nuisance in June because the offense was charged as a felony, according to the board’s attorney, Pat Shoulders.

Shoulders said on Monday afternoon that under state statute, Word’s removal is not impacted by the misdemeanor judgment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press:

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