INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A Marion County deputy prosecutor has been disciplined for mocking a public defender during a trial.
Deputy prosecutor Peter Beyel was suspended and later placed on probation and Prosecutor Terry Curry personally called attorney Mark Nicholson to apologize for the incident.
Nicholson says he was cross-examining a witness in a DUI case on Jan. 18 in Indianapolis when Beyel projected evidence onto a video screen for the judge and jury to see.
Nicholson says a Skype message apparently written by Beyel appeared on the screen calling him by a profane and derogatory term. Nicholson says when he noted the message, Beyel tapped his computer, again revealing the Skype message to the courtroom.
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Nicholson tells The Indianapolis Star the incident was “a travesty” and prompted the judge to declare a mistrial.
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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com