Embattled Councilor Steps Down From Ethics Committee

INDIANAPOLIS -- A City-County councilor with ties to a charity under investigation for missing money said he will step down from his post on the council’s ethics committee until his innocence has been proved.

Democrat Paul Bateman released a statement Thursday evening saying he would voluntarily resign his position in order to maintain the integrity of the ethics committee.

“Due to the recent allegations erroneously leveled against me, I feel that it is in the best interest of me, my family and the Investigative Committee that I remove myself from serving on the committee until my innocence has been proven,” Bateman said.

It comes after calls from council Republicans for Bateman to recuse himself from the committee ahead of Thursday night’s scheduled meeting.

"I have grave concerns that Councilor Bateman's judgment will be clouded by the situation in which he is involved," said GOP Chair Tom John. "No elected official should be in a position to pass judgment on a peer when it is possible that same elected official will be in a similar situation in the very near future."

Earlier this month, Marion County grand jury investigators served search warrants on the headquarters of the Indianapolis-based Russell Foundation, which lists Bateman as chief operating officer.

The Christian-based nonprofit has declared bankruptcy, and authorities are also investigating missing funds that could total as much as $1.5 million, according to court records.

Bateman has not publicly addressed the investigation into the Russell Foundation, but told Rinehart last week from behind his front door that he had done nothing wrong.