Crystal Hill | IndyStar

Dwight Adams, dwight.adams@indystar.com

Three Indiana judges are facing disciplinary charges in connection with an altercation at a Downtown Indianapolis White Castle that began with one judge giving two suspects the middle finger, and ended in two of the judges being shot and seriously injured, according to court documents.

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications on Friday announced charges against Clark Circuit Court Judges Andrew Adams and Bradley Jacobs and Crawford Circuit Court Judge Sabrina Bell, according to a spokeswoman for the Indiana Supreme Court.

IndyStar has reached out to attorneys for Adams and Jacobs for comment.

A message was left for Bell, whom court records indicate is representing herself.

Jacobs' attorney, Larry Wilder, declined to comment, telling IndyStar "it would be inappropriate" to do so at this time.

The panel alleges misconduct related to the judges' behavior on May 1, when authorities say Adams and Jacobs, who were in town for a judicial conference, got involved in a fight outside the White Castle on 55 W. South St.

The judges, according to the panel, had been bar-hopping on the night of April 30 into May 1, and were consuming alcoholic beverages throughout the night.

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They tried to enter the Red Garter Gentleman's Club, police said, but it was closed. They went to the nearby White Castle instead.

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Charging documents released Friday from the commission shed light on each judge's role in the violent encounter.

Adams, Jacobs and Bell were standing outside the restaurant when Alfredo Vazquez and Brandon Kaiser drove past the trio in a blue SUV. Either Kaiser or Vazquez yelled something out the window that prompted Bell, court documents said, to give the middle finger to the men.

Vazquez, according to the charges, then parked his SUV. After he and Kaiser exited the vehicle, a verbal altercation ensued, court documents said. It then turned violent when Adams and Jacobs moved toward Vazquez and Kaiser, the panel said.

Adams and Vazquez both hit and kicked each other, according to court documents, while Jacobs and Kaiser mostly wrestled on the ground. "At one point, Judge Jacobs was on top of Kaiser and had him contained on the ground," the charging documents said.

Vazquez then tried to get Jacobs off of Kaiser, the panel said. As Jacobs began to get up, Vazquez started fighting him, court documents said.

After Kaiser began to sit up, Adams kicked him in the back, the panel said. Kaiser then pulled out a gun and shot Adams in the stomach, according to court documents. The panel says Kaiser then "went over to Judge Jacobs and Vazquez and fired two more shots at Judge Jacobs in the chest." Kaiser and Vazquez then allegedly fled the scene.

A fourth judge who had been with Adams, Jacobs and Bell went inside the White Castle before the fight, police said at the time. The Indiana Supreme Court later identified him as Clark County Magistrate William Dawkins.

When medics arrived to treat Adams and Jacobs, Adams told them he drank “a lot of Pabst Blue Ribbon” that night, the panel said, adding that Adams' blood alcohol level was .213.

Kaiser, 41, was charged with 14 crimes, including eight felony charges — four of which are Level 3 felony aggravated assault. Alfredo Vazquez, Kaiser's 24-year-old nephew, faces six counts of low-level felony and misdemeanor charges, including two counts of Level 6 felony battery.

A grand jury later indicted Adams for his role in the shooting. Adams, who admitted to kicking Kaiser, pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor count of battery but avoided jail time. Two days later, the Judicial Qualifications Commission announced an investigation of Adams and the other judges who were present during the incident.

Marion County Sheriff's Office

Adams was the only judge charged in the criminal case.

Now, Adams faces charges of three counts of misconduct from the commission. The charges allege he violated the Code of Judicial Conduct, which requires him to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary; to not engage in extrajudicial activity that undermines a judge’s integrity; and to comply with the law.

Jacobs and Bell are charged with two counts each of misconduct. Each judge has 20 days to file an answer to the charges.

The Indiana Supreme Court has the final say on whether judicial misconduct occurred. It has the authority to dismiss the charges, accept or reject a disciplinary agreement between the commission and each of the judges, conduct a public hearing, and impose sanctions against the judges. The court can also ban the judges from holding a judicial office in Indiana.

IndyStar reporter Elizabeth DePompei contributed to this report.