Prosecutor Declines Charges in False Child Welfare Claim Against Former Mayor Buttigieg
A county prosecutor in Indiana has decided not to file criminal charges against a woman who allegedly made a false child welfare complaint against former South Bend mayor and U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg. The false claim led to police and child welfare investigators visiting Buttigieg’s home in Traverse City, Michigan, in June. During the investigation, Buttigieg was not permitted to be alone with his two children until forensic interviews were completed. Investigators traced the call to Marshall County, Indiana. Marshall County Prosecutor Nelson Chipman acknowledged in an email to Indiana State Police investigators in July that the false report resulted in a "brief but intrusive investigation of an innocent individual and his family." However, Chipman stated he could not conclude that the 50-year-old caller was "capable of forming the requisite intent to support a criminal conviction," citing her history of alcohol abuse and mental illness, including hallucinations and delusional thinking,...