Indiana State Police officials announced charges against a second person accused of helping Austin Schepers elude law enforcement after police identified him as a suspect in the shooting of an Orange County sheriff’s deputy earlier this month.
James Adams, 37, of Commiskey, Indiana, is charged with felony criminal assistance and misdemeanor false informing, according to court records. He was charged in Floyd County in connection with the case on Tuesday, though his arrest warrant was served to him in Scott County, where he was booked in jail Jan. 4 for unrelated drug charges, ISP spokesperson Philip Hensley said in a news release Friday.
Investigators believe Adams came to an apartment in the 1800 block of East Market Street in New Albany — the residence of Victoria Howard, who was arrested last week on the same charges — to help Schepers. Investigators believe Adams was “instrumental” in helping Schepers get across state lines to Louisville despite knowing the accusations against him, Hensley said.
A police vehicle sits Friday night outside a warehouse in New Albany in the 1800 block of East Market where Indiana State Police are following a tip that a man suspected in a Friday morning shooting of an Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy may be in the area Jan. 3, 2025.
Adams allegedly helped Schepers make his way to Craig Street in Louisville, one block west of Wheeler Avenue where he was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police on Jan. 4. LMPD released bodycam footage of that altercation Friday.
The search for Schepers began around 1 a.m. on Jan. 3 when Orange County deputy Zach Andry stopped to check on a disabled vehicle with two people inside on the roadway near US Highway 150 and State Road 56.
After he stopped and approached the vehicle, Andry asked its occupants to step outside. Shortly after, Schepers allegedly shot the deputy multiple times before leaving the scene.
“Deputy Andry was never able to unholster his weapon. He simply was ambushed,” Hensley said previously.
Police eventually received a tip later on Jan. 3 that sparked a large law enforcement operation at Howard’s New Albany apartment. No one was found at the residence, but Howard was arrested last week for allegedly housing Schepers and buying him a ride to Louisville on the ride-sharing app Lyft.
Howard is set to go to trial on May 12. A court date for Adams has not been scheduled as of Friday afternoon.
Andry remains in critical condition, LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said during a news conference Friday.
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Orange County, Indiana deputy shooting: Second individual arrested