Meet the staff of Clark Circuit Court No. 1


		Gelsena Smith Chief Court Reporter Ms. Smith oversees office personnel and is the manager of the office for internal operations. She has worked in the Clark County Courts for some 15 years and has worked in local government for more than 20 years. She is liaison with other county government offices and is responsible for purchasing managing public inquiries concerning case scheduling. Ms. Smith is primarily responsible for staff training and maintaining accurate records from the Indiana Supreme Court, of both an administrative and judicial (court decision) nature.

		Adrianne Fuller Court Reporter Ms. Fuller is the manager of civil motion practice files for the court and also serves as Deputy Bailiff. She is the IT liaison for attorneys in anticipation of jury trials and evidentiary presentation using high tech equipment. Ms. Fuller also serves as media contact in high profile trials and assists media representatives in reviewing exhibits admitted during trial.

		Sherry Peacock Court Reporter Ms. Peacock assists in Probation Revocation, filings and is primarily responsible for preparation of documents involving self-represented litigants in dissolution cases, child support matters and other filing that have been historically known as Pro Se cases. Ms. Peacock alternates in courtroom responsibility for trials and hearings in the general docket of the Circuit Court.

		Sherry Routh Probate Administrator Ms. Routh assigns case numbers. processes, handles and open new estates, guardianships, trusts, receiverships, adoptions and cases involving minors. The Probate Administrator will also collect filing fees in the name of the Clerk when such cases are newly filed.

		Debbie Davis-Fetz Court Reporter/Bailiff Jury Administrator Jury Duty Phone #812-285-6311 Ms. Davis-Fetz is the Court appointed Bailiff. She manages jury notices and summons. She is responsible for assisting in preparation in Court’s annual budget, and budget monitoring throughout the year. She has worked in the Clark County Courts for some 17 years. Ms. Davis-Fetz also keeps the calendar of the criminal docket and assists in processing a variety of pretrial orders in all cases. Ms. Davis-Fetz prepares annual statistical reports for the Department of State Court Administration and the Indiana Judicial Center.

		Leah James Room Clerk Ms. James is the Room Clerk for Circuit Court No. 1. She is recent graduate of Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis. She is responsible for meeting with Self-Represented Litigants before a trial begins to identify issues that can be agreed upon and those that will need the Judge’s decision. She is custodian of trial evidence after a jury’s work is complete and in anticipation of transmitting the evidence to the Indiana Court of Appeals. She sometimes works as a Deputy Bailiff and as Assistant Court Reporter. Ms. James is also IT Coordinator for the Clark Legal Self help Center. She has attended Board of Planners meetings and has assisted in carrying out the Board’s decisions. Ms. James’ work has resulted in bringing several components of basic legal information online for those that utilize the Center for guidance and information purposes. She has coordinated presentations of the Center’s capability and facilities to several community officials and groups. The Center has been fortunate, for two years in a row (20111 and 2012) to receive grants from the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana in order to facilitate the informational mission it serves. Judge Moore attributes much of the success of the Self Help Center to Ms. James and her internal project management skills.

		Kristine Ragan CIT Director and Court Assistant Ms. Ragan was recently admitted to the Indiana Bar as a lawyer. Since 2010 she has coordinated the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) which incorporates the professional work of area police departments and county behavioral health hospitals. This service provides training to police officers to recognize mental health symptoms in a person they encounter in their work. The CIT training better equip the officer to determine whether that person, involving a minor criminal offense, is transported to a mental treatment facility in lieu of the jail. This program has been funded by a state grant and is expected to continue through 2012. Ms. Ragan also performs assigned legal tasks for the court and occasionally sits as Judge Pro Tempore when the Regular Judge is unavailable due to conflicts or work in other counties.
	Each of the above persons, on a rotating basis, accompanies the Judge into Court for formal Court sessions. They operate recording machinery and mark all exhibits admitted into evidence. All hearings and trials must be recorded and preserved for possible review and appeal.
	Circuit Court No 1 Probation Staff	David Munden and Denise Poukish serve as the Probation Officers in the Clark Circuit Court. They bring together over 50 years of experience in Criminal Justice. Laura Brown, the Administrative Assistant for the probation department has over eight years experience in management.
		David Munden, Chief Probation Officer Starting in 2012, Mr. Munden will serve as supervisor for the Intensive Supervision Division in the newly unified Clark County Probation Supervision Department. Mr. Munden is also the County Interstate Compact Administrator. Prior to taking his position in Clark Circuit Probation he was employed for 20 years with the Kentucky Department of Corrections and retired as a District Supervisor in the Division of Probation and Parole. Mr. Munden holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Corrections and a Master’s Degree in Justice Administration from the University of Louisville. In addition he has served in our nation’s Armed Forces for 30 years and currently holds the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the Kentucky National Guard. He is also an adjunct instructor at University of Louisville.

		Denise Poukish Probation Officer Denise returned to the Clark Circuit Court Staff in 2010 having previously worked as a probation officer in Clark County from 1984 until 2000. In 2000 she took a position as a District Coordinator with Liberty Behavioral Health the contractual agent for the Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program for the Indiana Department of Correction where she gained expertise in the of Sex Offender Supervision and Management. Ms. Poukish holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University and a Master Degree in Counseling for Indiana University. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor. She has served as vice-chair of the Indiana Probation Officers Advisory Board and received the highest honor as a probation officer in Indiana, the “John Augustus Award” in 2000. In 2011 she was appointed as the Regional Field Coordinator for the National Institute of Corrections representing Indiana and providing training throughout the Central Region of the United States in the area of Criminal Justice.