Former Columbus Township trustee to serve 26 years in theft, misconduct case

A former Columbus Township Trustee has been sentenced to 26 years in prison, two years on probation and to repay $1.1 million dollars stolen from Bartholomew County taxpayers.

Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden announced Wednesday that the sentence had been handed down by Special Judge Matthew Bailey. That comes after 57-year-old Ben Jackson pleaded guilty in November to 18 felony charges of theft and official misconduct.

A State Board of Accounts audit was sparked after an anonymous tip about improper purchases including travel involving Jackson and his family members. The audit, released in May, found $1.1 million of Jackson’s personal expenses were paid through a township credit card and nearly another $40 thousand in expenses were questionable.

Jackson resigned from the office in the fall of 2024 after Indiana State Police began a criminal investigation. Charges were filed against him in July.

The largest category of improper spending was nearly $658,000 in travel expenses unrelated to township business that included Jackson, his wife and their three adult children. The report also documents more than $150,000 in personal retail spending, just under $91,000 in spending for university expenses for the three children and almost $40,000 in personal utilities.

In a statement released today, Holden said that the sentence “reflects the extraordinary scope of the defendant’s greed and the devastating breach of trust he committed against the taxpayers he was elected to serve.”

She went on to say the sentence “sends a clear and unmistakable message that corruption at any level of government will be met with serious consequences, and that the taxpayers of Bartholomew County deserve honest, accountability, and respect.”