Johnson County Coroner Charged with 14 Misdemeanors
JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. — Johnson County Coroner Mike Pruitt was charged Friday with 14 misdemeanors after State Police investigated texts between him and a 17-year-old girl.
Pruitt worked at multiple agencies, including deputy chief at the Bargersville Fire Department, an officer at the Wayne Township Fire Department, and a member of the elite Indiana Task Force 1.
Pruitt was accused of giving alcohol to two girls, who were 16 and 17 years old, in Johnson County. Investigators say it happened at least seven times between May of 2024 to July of 2025.
One time, Pruitt met the girls at the Bargersville firehouse and gave them vodka seltzers. Another time, he put a Busch light in the fridge of a poolhouse, and texted the girls where to find it. There was also a time where Pruitt let the girls grab Bud Light from his truck bed at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.
One of the girls’ mother had to get police involved to stop Pruitt from reaching out to her daughter.
Investigators say these messages included Pruitt telling the girl how to hide beer from her mom and asking her to ‘destroy texts.’
Five deputy coroner’s resigned, and Brown County Prosecuting Attorney Ted Adams was appointed as a special prosecutor to handle Pruitt’s case.
“We went through the evidence, we went through a couple of iterations probable cause affidavits, and then we submitted to the court what we had,” Adams said.
