IndyStar’s Kayla Dwyer talks about the Indiana Senate’s decision not to redistrict.
IndyStar’s Kayla Dwyer reports on the Indiana Senate’s decision not to redistrict, despite President Donald Trump’s push to do so.
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana state senator and his family were the victims of a swatting scandal on Nov. 16, authorities said, hours after they publicly criticized President Donald Trump on social media for not supporting redistricting in the middle of the decade.
Around 5 p.m. local time on Nov. 16, the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office received an email that someone had been harmed inside the home of Republican state Sen. Greg Good of Terre Haute. Sheriff Derek Fell said authorities were initially unable to make contact with anyone inside the home, but “we were eventually able to make contact with the individuals inside.”
The sheriff confirmed everyone inside the home was “safe, secure and unharmed.” He said the email was a false report known as swatting.
“Lies and prank calls like this are never acceptable,” Fell said in a statement. “Such calls not only waste and reduce the resources of our deputies who serve and protect the rest of the county, but they also have a negative impact on victims and their families.”
In a statement shared with X, Good said she and her family were “victims of a swatting incident” and thanked Fell and Terre Haute Police Chief Kevin Barrett for their “professionalism.”
“While this entire incident is unfortunate and reflects the volatile nature of the current political climate, I thank God that my family and I are safe,” Goode said in a statement.
President Trump criticizes Indiana Republican senator
Earlier in the day, President Trump posted on Truth Social criticizing Gov. Mike Braun and Indiana’s Republican senators for the failure of Indiana’s redistricting plan, and singled out Senate President pro tempore Roderick Bray, R-Martinsville, by name.
“I am extremely disappointed that the Indiana Senate Republicans, led by RINO Sens. Rod Bray and Greg Good, are unwilling to redistrict the state and allow the U.S. Congress to pick up two more Republican seats,” he wrote on Nov. 16.
On November 14, Bray announced that the state Senate would not convene in December to vote on a new congressional map due to a lack of votes in the chamber. Good, one of the Senate holdouts, previously told IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network, that he would not make a decision until after the final floor vote.
Good is also the only councilor to hold a city council meeting on the topic to gauge public opinion. Everyone who spoke at the Terre Haute event expressed opposition to this year’s redistricting.
Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakubun (D) responded to the Nov. 16 incident on social media. Fall said his office and federal authorities are conducting an investigation “with every intention of identifying those responsible.”
“Rezoning has gone from an annoying distraction to a real problem,” Sakubun said in a post on X. “To those who engage in swatting and waste tax dollars, we will find you and you will face legal consequences. Stop the BS.”
Terre Haute is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, near the Indiana-Illinois border. The city is approximately 122 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
Contact IndyStar Government and Politics Editor Kaitlin Lange or follow her at Kaitlin.Lange@indystar.com @Kaitlin_Lange.
