Every Indianapolis council Republican is calling on Jeff Miller to resign

Indianapolis Republicans are raising pressure on Jeff Miller to step down from the City-County Council while he fights child molestation charges.

Ten council Republicans on Tuesday issued a statement urging Miller, a Republican, to "immediately resign from the Council in the best interest of the citizens of District 16, the institution of the City-County Council, and all the people of Indianapolis." The statement includes all of Miller's Republican colleagues on the council.

The move comes one day after GOP leaders said they expected to receive a letter of resignation from Miller. Marion County Republican Chairman Jim Merritt reiterated in a separate statement that Miller told him during a Friday phone call that he intended to resign Monday. So far, Miller has not submitted the letter.

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"Jeff Miller has been investigated and charged with deplorable acts that should immediately disqualify anyone from public office," Merritt said Tuesday in a statement.

Miller, 50, has been charged with three level 4 felony counts of child molestation. He was arrested and released Friday after posting a $10,000 surety bond.

Miller is accused of fondling two young girls at his Fletcher Place house, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Friday in Marion Superior Court. One girl told investigators that Miller gave her massages and would "accidentally" touch her skin under her shirt and "where the legs meet the groin," according to the document. Another 10-year-old girl told police that Miller grabbed her butt while he gave her a piggy-back ride.

Neither Miller, nor his attorney, Jennifer Lukemeyer, have responded to repeated requests for comment.

Although Miller so far has opted to remain on the council, he has not attended any council functions since Thursday. Miller was absent Monday night for a Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee meeting.

Michael McQuillen, the council's Republican minority leader, said during an interview Monday that Miller should step aside so the party can appoint a successor. If Miller were to resign, the party would hold a special election of precinct committee members within 30 days.

"He does not need to be on the council while he is going through this process," McQuillen said. "My position is that this is going to be a distraction for the council. It's certainly a distraction for his life. We need to get a new Republican councilor in that district who can serve out that term and serve the people beyond 2019 as we move forward."

Democrats so far have been silent on Miller. A spokeswoman for Council President Maggie Lewis has referred questions about Miller to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Mayor Joe Hogsett has yet to comment on the matter.

Miller has two years remaining in his second term on the City-County Council. He represents a Downtown district that includes Fountain Square, Mars Hill, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the White River State Park.

Mmiller was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015, defeating Democrat Emily Shrock by more than 13 percentage points.

Miller's colleagues have no power to expel him unless he is convicted. The City-County Council's only mechanism for removing members from office narrowly pertains to a "violation of an official duty," said Fred Biesecker, the general counsel for the City-County Council. That does not apply to Miller's circumstances.

Call IndyStar reporter James Briggs at (317) 444-6307. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.