Indianapolis, IN
Carmel woman cleared of aiding murder suspect accidentally released from Indy jail
3 things to know if you share information with Crime Stoppers
Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana allows Indianapolis residents to share anonymous tips with law enforcement.
A Carmel woman had no idea her then-boyfriend was released from jail accidentally when she picked him up from Marion County’s Adult Detention Center last year, her attorney said.
Prosecutors have now dropped the criminal charge brought against 29-year-old Desiree Oliver.
“I’m glad the prosecutor’s office looked at the case again and dismissed it,” said defense attorney Scott DeVries. “It was the right thing to do.”
Oliver had been facing one count of assisting a criminal. The charge was brought against her during a saga involving the Marion County Sheriff’s Office accidentally releasing a murder suspect.
Kevin Mason, 29, was arrested in Indianapolis and being held to face charges in a 2021 murder case in Minnesota. He is accused of killing a 29-year-old man in a shooting after the funeral of a mutual friend, according to The Star Tribune in Minneapolis.
Mason was mistakenly released from the Adult Detention Center in Indianapolis on Sept. 13, 2023. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said a records-keeping error was to blame for his release.
Officials waited six days before informing the public of Mason’s release to use the time as a “tactical advantage” in keeping him from running underground, the sheriff’s office said.
Previous coverage: Murder suspect mistakenly released from Indianapolis jail captured by US Marshals
He had been picked up by Oliver shortly after his release. Investigators kept covert tabs on Oliver in hopes she would lead them to Mason, but later announced they believed Mason had left Indianapolis.
After Oliver picked Mason up, she brought him to a Walmart and purchased him a few items then dropped him off on the north side of Indianapolis at his request, Oliver’s attorney said.
“She didn’t let him go back to her house because she didn’t want trouble with someone who had just been arrested,” DeVries said. “It wasn’t until days later the sheriff’s office publicized the guy had been released by mistake. She had no idea he was a fugitive.”
More than a week after Mason was released, the sheriff’s office announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture as the manhunt continued.
Mason was eventually apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sept. 27, 2023. He is currently in custody at the Hennepin County Jail in Minnesota with the murder charge brought against him pending, Hennepin County court records show.
The charge brought against Oliver was dismissed on April 4, with prosecutors citing “evidentiary problems” in their motion.
“I respect them for doing that, and they rightfully dismissed the case,” DeVries said.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect on South Harding Street
Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a pursuit ended near I-70 on May 28, 2026. The suspect is in stable condition.
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Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a vehicle pursuit that ended west of downtown near Interstate 70.
Just before 8:30 p.m. May 28, 2026 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to a shooting in the first block of North Rural Street. Arriving officers found Patricia Wieber, 65, with gunshot wounds. Wieber was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
Witnesses were able to give police information about the shooter and officers tracked the suspect to the 7500 block of Bullock Court on the city’s south side. The suspect, identified by police as Ronald Cross, 75, got into a different vehicle with another man. While tracking that vehicle officers attempted a traffic stop near West Southport and Bluff roads. The driver, who is not implicated in the homicide, got out of the vehicle without incident and was taken into custody.
Police said Cross then slid into the vehicle’s driver seat and fled. Officers used stop sticks and then in the 1000 block of South Harding Street near I-70 a SWAT officer used a vehicle to perform a PIT maneuver to stop the SUV, said Kendale Adams, IMPD deputy chief of criminal investigations.
After the vehicle was stopped officers shot the suspect, Adams said. Cross was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No officers were injured.
Adams said two firearms were located at the scene.
During a news conference at the scene, Indianapolis police chief Tanya Terry extended her thoughts to the family of Wieber who was killed in what police believe was a domestic violence situation. She also praised her officers’ handling of the situation.
“[Our officers] did exactly what our community expects them do to in situations like this,” Terry said. “Our officers worked with bravery, coordination and precision in their attempts to safely bring the suspect into custody. I’m extremely proud of them for the work that they’ve done.”
The chief added that Cross would be facing charges in the case and police confirmed hours later that Cross was arrested on a murder charge.
The shooting involving police was among a string of shootings across the city, including one downtown roughly two hours before that left a man in critical condition.
“It’s been a difficult night for our city,” Terry said.
The officers involved in shooting Cross have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy. The Civilian Use of Force Review Board will have a hearing on the shooting and body and dash cameras were activated during the shooting, Adams said.
It is unclear whether Cross fired at officers and what makes and models of firearms were found by police.
Asked those questions by IndyStar, an unnamed IMPD spokesperson did not provide additional information and instead referred to a press release that did not contain the answers.
This is the fourth shooting involving Indianapolis police since the start of the year.
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Get more information of shootings involving Indianapolis police here.
After an IMPD officer-involved shooting, what comes next?
From investigations and reviews to public updates and department procedures, this is what happens after an IMPD officer-involved shooting.
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José Plasencia brings Cuban cuisine to Fountain Square’s Inferno Room
Cuban food never got the opportunity to evolve. Now at the Inferno Room, José Plasencia is giving his homeland cuisine a second chance.
A standout burger can come from unexpected places, as evidenced by one Indianapolis restaurant whose unconventional take on the American classic has earned it a spot on a national USA Today list.
There’s only one burger on the menu at the recently reimagined Inferno Room in Fountain Square, but it’s a good one.
Chef José Plasencia’s rendition of the Cuban frita, a beef-chorizo burger defined by a topping of fried shoestring potatoes, joined heavy hitters from across the country on USA TODAY’s pantheon of patties.
The USA Today list included places like Mr. Bartley’s Burgers, a veritable institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as Jay’s Burgers in Louisville and Sacred Beast in Cincinnati.
Indianapolis’ best-known burger spot, the more than century-old Workingman’s Friend, did not make the national list but appeared alongside the Inferno Room on USA TODAY’s roundup of exemplary Midwest burgers. Both were featured on IndyStar’s list of 10 burgers to try around town.
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