Franklin Man Pleads Guilty to Crashing Truck into Justice Center

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind.–A man from Franklin was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday for crashing his truck into the Johnson County Juvenile Justice Center on May 11, 2025.

Police say Jacob Dhondt spray-painted “fathers matter” on the back of his truck and crashed it into the lobby of the center because he disagreed with the decision of Judge Michael Bohn that denied him parental time with his 13-year-old son.

Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said in a Monday news release that Dhondt drove past the building and looked into the lobby through the windows before crashing his truck into it “in the safest way possible.”

Deputy Prosecutor Stephanie Caraway argued that there is no safe way to crash your truck into a public building and that it was only by the grace of God that nobody was seriously injured or even killed. 

Dhondt was on home detention at the time of the crimes for a Shelby County conviction for Possession of Methamphetamine as a level 4 felony. He received 467 days incarceration for that in October of last year.

For this incident, he pled guilty to criminal mischief and criminal recklessness. Both of those are level 6 felonies. After his three-year prison sentence is up, he will have one year of work release.

“We are pleased that Judge Riggins imposed a prison sentence for this attack on our taxpayers’ property and the integrity of our legal system. We cannot tolerate anarchist behavior from individuals who choose to lash out simply because they dislike the outcome of their cases. The General Assembly should take a serious look at strengthening the penalties in this area—attacks on public buildings ought to carry significantly harsher consequences. Judge Riggins did what he could to protect our community under the law as it currently stands,” said Hamner.