Originally from South Bend Indiana, Eric attended and graduated St. Matthew Cathedral Elementary School and Mishawaka Marian High School. Eric obtained a Bachelor of Science from Ball State University. He then graduated Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis. Eric joined the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office in 2001 as a law clerk. In 2003, he was hired as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. In 2012, Eric was appointed Chief Trial Deputy. On November 6, 2018, Eric was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Delaware County to succeed Jeff Arnold. Eric is licensed to practice law in every trial court in Indiana, the Indiana Court of Appeals, the Indiana Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He currently prosecutes homicide cases and other selected crimes of violence. He also defends all of Delaware County’s criminal convictions in post-conviction relief actions. As Prosecuting Attorney, Eric is responsible for training and supervising the criminal division as well as the child support division of the Prosecutor’s Office.

In the past, Eric lectured at seminars providing continuing legal education for prosecutors. Some of the topics include the Indiana Rules of Evidence, child abuse and neglect, the insanity defense, and cross-examination. In recent years, Eric has become active in both enforcing and improving Indiana's failure to report child abuse and neglect statute. Eric currently serves as President of the Ball State University Advisory Board for the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology and as a member of the Delaware County Community Corrections Advisory Board. In the past, Eric has served on the advisory boards for the Delaware County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program, Delaware County Mental Health Association, and the Ball Memorial Hospice Program. Eric lives in Muncie Indiana with his three children.

Chronological list of Delaware County's Prosecuting Attorneys

	Prosecuting Attorney
1	Cyrus Fitch 1827 - 1828
2	Martin M. Ray 1829
3	James Perry 1830 - 1831
4	William J. Brown 1832 - 1836
5	Samuel Parker 1837 - 1838
6	Jehu T. Elliott 1839
7	John Brownlee 1839
8	Jeremiah Smith 1840 - 1840
9	John Wallace (W) 1842 - 1843
10	John Davis 1844 - 1843
11	Joseph S. Buckles 1846 - 1847
12	James H. Swarr 1848 - 1849
13	William Garver 1850 - 1852
14	Silas Colgrove 1853 - 1854
15	Andrew J. Neff 1855
16	William Brotherton 1856 - 1857
17	David Nation 1858 - 1859
18	David Moss 1860 - 1861
19	John H. Harrison 1862 - 1865
20	L.W. Gooding 1866 - 1867
21	D.W. Chambers 1868 - 1872
22	John W. Ryan 1873 - 1874
23	Alexander Gullett 1875 - 1876
24	Albert O Marsh 1877 - 1878
25	Josiah E. Mellett 1879 - 1882
26	T.A. Spence 1883 - 1884
27	C.L. Medsker 1885 - 1886
28	1887 - 1888
29	George W. Cromer (R) 1889 - 1890
30	Joseph G. Leffler (R) 1891 - 1894
31	Henry L. Hopping (R) 1895 - 1898
32	Edward M. White (R) 1899 - 1900
33	C.W. Dearth (R) 1901 - 1904
34	Albert E. Needham 1905 - 1906
35	Albert W. Monroe (R) 1907 - 1908
36	Harry Long (R) 1909 - 1912
37	J. Frank Mann (D) 1913 - 1916
38	Horace G. Murphy (R) 1917 - 1920
39	Clarence E. Benadum (R) 1921 - 1922
40	Van L. Ogle (R) 1923 - 1926
41	Joseph H. Davis (R) 1927 - 1930
42	Paul E. Leffler (R) 1931 - 1934
43	Clarence G. Higi (D) 1935 - 1938
44	Fred Davis (R) 1939 - 1940
45	Thomas A. Cannon (D) 1941 - 1942
46	Ralph E. Rector (R) 1943 - 1944
47	Guy M. Ogle (D) 1945 - 1946
48	Ralph E. Rector (R) 1947 - 1948
49	Guy M. Ogle (D) 1949-1950
50	Bernell Mitchell (R) 1951 - 1958
51	Gene Willliams (D) 1959 - 1962
52	Hugh T. Schulhof (R) 1963 - 1966
53	Robert E. Robinson (R) 1967 - 1970
54	David Casterline (D) 1971 - 1974 Chief Deputy: Steven R. Caldemeyer Chief Deputy: Robert L. Barnet
55	James B. Jordan (R) 1975 - 1978
56	Michael Alexander (D) 1979 -1986 Chief Deputy: Richard W. Reed
57	Raymond Brassart (D) 1987 - 1990 Chief Deputy: Eric Evans
58	Richard W. Reed (D) 1991 - 2006 Chief Deputy: J.A. Cummins
59	Mark R. McKinney (D) 2007 - 2010 Chief Deputy: Jeffrey L. Arnold
60	Jeffrey L. Arnold (R) 2011 - 2018 Chief Deputy: Judi L. Calhoun 2011-2015 Chief Deputy: Eric M. Hoffman 2015-2018
61	Eric M. Hoffman (D) 2019 - Present Chief Deputy: Zachary Q. Craig

Victim Advocacy

The Prosecutor’s message to victims of crime

With compassion and respect, we assist and guide victims of crime and their families through the often confusing and unfamiliar world of the criminal justice system. We provide awareness and education to victims and their families, as well as the general community, and support legislative and social reforms beneficial to victims.

Victim advocacy

At the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, we recognize that being a victim in the criminal justice system can be a difficult journey. As such, we offer a Victim Assistance Program.

The goal of our Victim Assistance Program is to provide services to crime victims so that victims have a “voice” in the criminal justice system. We provide information concerning resource referral, crime victim rights, court hearings, compensation, restitution, and victim impact statements. Also, our Victim Advocates can accompany victims to court proceedings and provide emotional support. We encourage you to read this booklet so that you will have an idea of what to expect regarding your case and how our victim advocates might help.

We believe any questions or concerns you may have about your case are important and we are willing to talk to you about them. You are welcome to call or make an appointment to come speak with us about these questions or concerns.

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention

Pinwheels

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan formally declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Every year since, the nation has come together to bring awareness to the child abuse epidemic plaguing our country. The vast majority of child abuse and neglect cases result from conditions that can be prevented through community programs, support, and interventions. Child abuse prevention is possible through partnerships among families, social service and healthcare organizations, schools, religious and civic groups, law enforcement agencies, and the entire community devoted to the safety of our children.

April is a great opportunity to remind the public that each and every one of us have an absolute legal duty to immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect. Failure to do so, may subject you to arrest, prosecution, and up to 180 days imprisonment in jail. If you suspect that a child is or has been the victim of child abuse or neglect you must immediately call the child abuse hotline at 1-800-800-5556, or make a report through your local law enforcement agency. Pick the phone, make a report. Not only are you legally required to do so, but you just might save a child’s life.

How can you help prevent abuse and neglect?

If you suspect abuse or neglect, immediately call the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800- 800-5556 or make a report through your local law enforcement agency.
Reach out to parents that you know and offer a hand or emotional support.
Volunteer time to programs that help parents.
Let all of the children in your life know that that they can depend on you.
Advocate for community services to help families.
Consider becoming a foster parent.

On March 31, 2019, The Star Press published a guest editorial written by Prosecutor Hoffman, you can read it here.

Below you will find links to various documents and web pages devoted to child abuse and neglect prevention:

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Guide

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Resources

Prevent Child Abuse

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana

Prevent Child Abuse Delaware County

Indiana Department of Child Services

National Child Welfare Information Gateway

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Criminal Justice Information

In this section you will find helpful information regarding the criminal justice system. I hope you find this information helpful and informative.

Useful links

The following links have been suggested by the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office for further information and related topics:

Indiana State Police

Delaware County Sheriff's Office

Muncie Police Department

Ball State University Police Department

Yorktown Police Department

Albany Police Department

Eaton Police Department

Gaston Police Department

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Muncie Police Department's Victim Advocate Program

Indiana Violent Crime Victim's Compensation Fund

Indiana Attorney General Victim Assistance Program

Indiana Department of Corrections Victim Services Program

A better way - victim services

Delaware County Clerk's Office

City of Muncie Clerk's Office

Mycase.gov Indiana's online court record search

Indiana Appellate Case Search

Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry

Indiana Department of Corrections Offender Search

U.S. Supreme Court

I ndiana Supreme Court

Indiana Court of Appeals

Delaware County Circuit Courts

Muncie City Court

Indiana Attorney General

Indiana Attorney General Consumer Complaint Division

Indiana Prosecuting Attorney's Council

Indiana General Assembly

Find your Indiana State legislator

Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana

Duties of the Coroner

What are the duties of a County Coroner?

Duties of the Coroner include:

1: IDENTIFICATION of the deceased;

2: Determination of the CAUSE of death; and

3: Determination of the MANNER of death.

IDENTIFICATION may be as easy as having a family member at the scene when you get there or as difficult as having only a few bones to work with and having to utilize one of the many experts available to your Coroner.

CAUSE of death is the final factor or event that happened to the deceased. If this had not happened, the individual would still be alive. This may be a cascade of factors or events one following the other and this will be reflected on the death certificate that your Coroner files with the County Health Department.

As an example:

A. asphyxia (inability to breath), due to

B. chest compression, due to

C. settling of automobile, due to

D. failure of jacking apparatus.

This group of factors is referred to the mechanism, which lead to the asphyxia, which is the cause of death.

MANNER of death is a descriptive grouping. It is however, a firmly set, universally accepted acknowledgement of how people die. These possibilities are:

A. Homicide;

B. Suicide;

C. Accident;

D. Natural; and

E. Undetermined.

Request for Public Records or Documents

Requests for public records are governed by Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA) which has been codified at Indiana Code § 5-14-3 et seq.

General Rule: Records of a public agency are public records and must be disclosed upon request, unless the request falls under an exception provided the law. A public agency must state that a record falls under an identified APRA exception in order to withhold a specific record. Some exceptions include:

Records deemed confidential by law.
Investigatory records of a law enforcement agency.
Grand jury documents.
Attorney and client communications.
The work product of an attorney.
Materials relating to the deliberative process.
Personnel files.
Criminal intelligence information

All Requests: A request for inspection or copying must identify with reasonable particularity the record being requested. See IC § 5-14-3-3(a)(1). This means a request must include a description of the record or document with enough detail to allow agency staff to locate and produce the requested record or document. A request for inspection or copying must be in writing on a form provided by the agency. See IC § 5-14-3-3(a)(2). The Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office requires that all requests for public records be made on the “Request Form” provided by the Prosecutor’s Office. The Request Form can be downloaded here. The Request Form must completed in its entirety and returned by mail or in person to the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office c/o Public Records Request 100 W. Main Street Suite 312, Muncie, IN 47305.

Response by Agency: The APRA requires a public agency to respond to requests within a specified time.

Important Note: This response does not mean that the requested record must be produced at that time. First, the agency must, at a minimum, acknowledge receipt of a request. Second, the record(s), if disclosable, must be produced within a “reasonable time” after the request is received.

Records That Do Not Exist: Under the APRA, an agency is not required to create any record(s) in response to a public record request. An agency is only required to disclose existing records.

Fees: Public agencies may charge fees for copies.

Pursuant to I.C. § 5-14-3-8, the Fee Schedule for copying or printing records is as follows:

$.10 per one-sided page for standard sized 8.5" x 11" paper records.
$5.00 per compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD) or diskette for copying of records onto an electronic storage medium; and.

Important Note: The fees set forth above are pursuant to Indiana Code § 5-14-3-8. The Prosecutor’s Office requires payment for fees in advance. Acceptable forms of payment are: certified check, money order, or Visa and MasterCard. The fee is to be paid to the Delaware County Clerk’s Office. You will be notified in advance if there is a fee to fulfill your public record request.

Office Hours: The Prosecutor’s Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Crimes Against Women

Domestic violence, sexual assault, and violence against women are crimes that devastate communities across this country. Much like substance abuse, we all know someone who has been affected by domestic violence. Please feel free to review the information on the following pages regarding education, prevention, and resources.