Johnson County Coroner Mike Pruitt Turns Himself in
JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind.–Johnson County Coroner Michael Pruitt turned himself in to the Johnson County Jail on Tuesday. A warrant for his arrest was issued Tuesday morning.
“Michael D. Pruitt turned himself in to the Johnson County Jail on warrant 41D032510CM001341. He was taken into custody without incident and booked with no bond. The Sheriff’s Office has no further comments at this time. Please refer any questions to the Indiana State Police, who are handling the criminal case,” said Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Andrew Barnhart.
Barnhart later confirmed that Pruitt was transferred to the Brown County Jail for safety and security reasons.
“This is standard procedure for inmates where there members of the jail staff may be family or close acquaintances, to ensure complete transparency with regards to treatment and procedures,” said Barnhart.
Pruitt is charged with seven counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and seven counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor – all misdemeanor charges
Police say that, at least seven times between May 2024 and July 2025, Pruitt gave two teenage girls alcohol. Incidents listed in the filings include:
- Pruitt meeting the girls at the Bargersville firehouse and giving them Surfside vodka seltzers for their prom night
- Pruitt putting Busch Light in the refrigerator of a local poolhouse and texting the girls where to find it
- Pruitt allowing the girls to grab Bud Light from his truck bed while parked at the Johnson County Fairgrounds
Pruitt is also accused of buying alcohol for one of the girls and telling her to “destroy texts” of him buying her alcohol. The girl’s mother says she was concerned with how much time she was spending with Pruitt and that Pruitt gave advice to the girl on how to hide beer cans from the girl’s mother.
A protective order was eventually ordered banning any contact between Pruitt and the girl.
Five deputy coroners resigned. 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.
