Attorney appointed to replace Indiana judge who resigned

Gov. Eric Holcomb has appointed a southern Indiana attorney to replace a judge who resigned in July, two months after she was charged with domestic battery.

Holcomb's office announced Justin Brandt Mills' appointment to the Crawford County Circuit Court on Wednesday. His swearing to succeed former Judge Sabrina Bell has not yet been scheduled.

Mills has worked in private practice in Crawford County since 2014. He previously served as a deputy prosecutor in the county, which is located along the Ohio River about 25 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky.

Mills, who is running for the judge post in the Nov. 8 election, wrote on his campaign's Facebook page that “it is a great honor to finish out this term for the remainder of the year," the News and Tribune reported.

Bell resigned from the bench on July 15, after the Indiana Supreme Court suspended her in May when a special prosecutor filed felony charges against her related to a domestic dispute.

Bell was charged with domestic battery in the presence of a child less than 16 years old. The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in April. Police did not say who Bell allegedly battered.

She also served a 30-day suspension in 2019 for her involvement in a downtown Indianapolis fight and double-shooting that followed a night of bar-hopping.