West Baden assistant police chief arrested on felony misconduct charges

The arrest of West Baden Assistant Police Chief Thomas Burkhardt has turned a local criminal case into a test of public trust for one of Orange County’s law-enforcement departments. Indiana State Police said the 60-year-old Dubois resident was taken into custody on May 19 after a Special Investigation Division probe, and was booked into the Orange County Jail without incident.

Detective Tim Denby opened the investigation on April 22 after receiving criminal allegations involving official misconduct and battery from alleged victims who were cooperating with investigators. State police said Burkhardt was arrested on three felony charges. Later reporting on the same case described the filing more specifically as two Level 6 felony counts of official misconduct, one Level 6 felony count of battery and one Class A misdemeanor count of battery.

The case was routed through outside prosecutorial and judicial review. Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter was assigned as special prosecutor, and the matter was presented to an Orange County court special judge on May 19. In Indiana, Level 6 felonies are the lowest felony level, but they still carry criminal penalties and place the conduct of a sworn officer under serious scrutiny.

A probable cause affidavit filed in Orange County Circuit Court said two female first responders accused Burkhardt, who is also identified in some coverage as Andy Burkhardt, of inappropriately touching them while they were working. Another report said a separate victim later came forward about an October 2024 incident, expanding the allegations beyond a single complaint.

West Baden Springs, in Orange County, maintains a municipal police department serving the town and surrounding areas, which makes the arrest especially significant for residents who rely on that agency for daily public safety. Burkhardt’s position as assistant chief puts the focus not only on the allegations themselves, but on the chain of oversight inside the department and the outside mechanisms used when misconduct claims involve a police supervisor.

The arrest now leaves West Baden Springs facing the harder questions that follow any allegation against a law-enforcement leader: who is handling command duties, what town officials knew, and how quickly the department and county authorities moved once the complaints were made. For a small community, the case is a reminder that police accountability is not abstract. It is measured in how swiftly allegations are investigated, how transparently officials respond and whether the public can still trust the badge.