Court of Appeals of Indiana to hear oral arguments at USI
Judges of the Indiana Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals of Indiana will hear oral arguments in Cowans v. State at the University of Southern Indiana at 1 p.m. Monday, April 4. The hearing will take place in Carter Hall, and is free and open to the public.
The case, being heard on appeal from Marion Superior Court, concerns Christopher Cowans, who was arrested in Indianapolis and convicted of resisting law enforcement by fleeing after continuing to drive after a police officer signaled him to pull over on suspicion of being purposefully evasive. The issue is whether the jury should have received a "mistake of fact" instruction because of Cowans' claim that he heard on the news that drivers had the right to drive to a well-lit area before stopping.
Presiding on the panel of judges are the Honorable Melissa S. May, the Honorable John G. Baker and the Honorable Elaine B. Brown. Ellen O'Connor is the attorney for the appellant and Lyubov Gore is the attorney for the appellee. A question and answer period will follow the oral arguments. Refreshments will be served.
The hearing will take place during USI's sixth annual Law Day, which also features a keynote address from Posey County Prosecutor and USI alumnus Travis Clowers. For more information, contact Dr. Nick LaRowe, USI pre-law program coordinator, at nllarowe@usi.edu or 812-464-1727.