Will Hogsett’s mugshot. (Rushville Police Department)
The 18-year-old son of the mayor of Indianapolis was arrested on July 1 and accused of drug possession. William Hogsett, whose father Joe Hogsett has been the Democratic mayor of Indiana’s largest city since November 2015, was taken into custody for possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia. He posted bail soon after he was processed at Rush County Jail and was released.
A statement from the mayor’s office read, “Of the many things Joe Hogsett is responsible for, the most important is serving as a father to his family. And as a former prosecutor with a deep respect for the rule of law, he appreciates the seriousness of this matter. Obviously, Joe will continue to spend the coming days with his teenage son as he and his family address this disappointing incident.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Was Pulled Over for a Traffic Violation When an Officer Noticed the Drugs
(Facebook)
ABC Indianapolis reporter Paris Lewbel tweeted that Hogsett was pulled over on the night of July 1 for “failure to signal and crossing the centerline.” It was then that a police officer noticed the drugs in the car. The Indy Channel reports that the incident occurred along the 1000 block of West Old State Road 44 at around 10:45 p.m.
Kara Kenney, with ABC Indianapolis, tweeted that 39 percent of Rushville Police Department arrested in 2015 were drug or alcohol related.
2. Will Hogsett Will Begin Studying at Indiana University in the Fall
(Facebook)
On December 1, Hogsett posted to his Facebook page that he’d been accepted to Indiana University. According to that page, Hogsett was a student at Rushville Consolidated High School, his father’s alma mater. Hogsett was a tennis star at the school.
3. Mayor Hogsett Has 3 Kids With His Wife Stephanie
A pre-election profile of Mayor Hogsett details that he has three children with his wife, Steph Connolly Hogsett. She works as an underwriting analyst at PNC Bank, according to her Facebook page.
The family and their home were featured in a prominent campaign ad during Mayor Hogsett’s run for office.
When asked by WTHR in April 2015 about why he was running for mayor, Mayor Hogsett emphasized how good the city had been for his family. He told the network, ”
I love Indianapolis. It’s been my home and place of work for 35 years and it has given my family and me a wonderful place to live, to work, to raise a family, to play.”
4. Mayor Hogsett Platform Includes Trying to Reform Indiana’s Drug Punishment Statutes
Mayor Hogsett, a former U.S. Attorney, has been known in his political career for his tough stances on crime, according to one Indianapolis Star profile. His Facebook profile reads in part, “Under Joe’s leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office broke all-time records for the number of defendants charged, the number of criminal convictions, and the average length of sentences imposed.”
In his May 2016 State of the City address, Mayor Hogsett talked about his plans to make sure that drug addicts go to treatment facilities.
5. The News of the Arrest Comes on the Same Day That Mayor Hogsett’s Press Secretary Took Administrative Leave After He Was Accused of Kicking a Woman’s Car
Mayor Hogsett’s press secretary Dan Goldblatt pictured on his LinkedIn page.
The news of Mayor Hogsett’s son’s arrest comes on the same day that the Dan Goldblatt, press secretary to the mayor’s office has been placed on administrative leave. WISH-TV reports that a woman is accused Goldblatt of kicking her car and walking away. The woman says Goldblatt was walking in front of her car as he crossed a street in the downtown area of Indianapolis. She then took photos of her car after the kicking and attempted to follow Goldblatt into the City County building.