Basso
SHELBY COUNTY — A master trooper with the Indiana State Police has been accused of one count of perjury and one count of official misconduct in regard to a sentencing hearing in a Shelby County court.
Master Trooper Jeremy Basso, 44, Fairland, who has served as a trooper for 18 years, is accused of conveying false information during the sentencing hearing that could have potentially benefited him in a pending civil suit in the case, according to the state police.
The sentencing hearing was held March 16 for a suspect identified as Mason Durrett, who was previously found guilty of driving while intoxicated and crashing into Basso’s parked police car in a construction zone on Interstate 74 near Shelbyville on June 18, 2021.
During the onset of the investigation, a special prosecutor was requested by the Shelby County Prosecutor’s Office to oversee this case.
Ripley County Prosecutor Richard Hertel was selected and has been engaged with Indiana State Police investigators throughout this process, state police said.
On Wednesday, Hertel requested an arrest warrant through the Shelby County Court for one count of perjury, a Level 6 felony and one count of official misconduct, a Level 6 felony.
Those arrest warrants were subsequently granted by a judge and have been served. Basso was arrested earlier Wednesday night and booked into the Shelby County Jail, and then released, according to jail records.
Basso has been placed on administrative leave without pay, state police said.
A probable cause affidavit filed in the case said Basso’s police vehicle was struck by another vehicle driven by Mason Durrett on June 18, 2021. That accident led to criminal proceedings against Durrett, the affidavit states.
On Oct. 25, 2021, during a deposition in that case, Basso was asked, “Do you have thoughts on Mason (Durrett) and what you would like to see in terms of potential sentence with him?” the affidavit states.
The trooper replied, “Do I think he deserves jail time? I do,” the affidavit states.
In a clarification followup question, Basso told attorneys in the deposition, “I do think he deserves jail time,” according to the affidavits.
On March 16, Durrett was being sentenced and Basso testified during the hearing, the affidavit states. During questioning, when asked to tell the judge what sentence he would like to see happen in the case, Basso replied, “… me, personally, I would like, you know, as much home detention and probation, house arrest as everything, no jail time,” the affidavit states.
During cross-examination, Basso was questioned about his deposition testimony when he said the defendant should do jail time and was asked, “You changed your thinking?” Basso testified that he had, according to the affidavit.
He was then asked if his opinion wouldn’t change if there was a positive or negative resolution in a civil matter, and Basso responded, “No, it wouldn’t, to be honest,” the affidavit states. Basso then told the court, “… I wouldn’t want him (Durrett) having any jail time,” the affidavit states.
Another Indiana State Police trooper spoke with prosecutors after the sentencing hearing, telling investigators that on March 16 he spoke with Basso at the courthouse, the affidavit states. Sgt. Jon Haugh said that Basso said to him, “he didn’t want Mason (Durrett) to go to jail … it would be better on his pending civil trial,” the affidavit states.
State Police Lt. Terry Watson called Basso on March 16 and during that conversation, Basso told him, “the reason he didn’t want Mason (Durrett) to go to jail was because his attorneys said it would benefit his civil suit if Mason (Durrett) didn’t go to jail,” the affidavit states.
On March 17, Indiana State Police Sgt. Jacob Wildauer said Basso told him,”by Mason Durrett not going to jail, it would benefit his civil suit that he had pending …” the affidavit states.
A plea agreement was filed in Durrett’s case on Jan. 4, which called for him to plead guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated while causing serious bodily injury. In exchange, four counts of reckless operation of a vehicle in a highway work zone and an additional charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated while causing serious bodily injury with an ACE of .08 were dismissed, according to court documents.
On March 16, Durett was sentenced to three years in the Indiana Department of Correction (one day jail credit) according to court records, with two years and 364 days suspended, meaning no jail time was ordered, court records state.
Durett filed a verified a verified petition for specialized driving privileges in May, which was denied by the judge, according to court records.
