Two Tippecanoe County judges have stepped aside from the theft cases against former Indiana state Sen. Ron Alting. In a joint order issued Thursday, November 12, 2026, Tippecanoe Superior Court 5 Judge Kristen McVey recused herself from Alting's case and Superior Court 7 Judge Dan Moore recused himself from the case of Pam Krammes, and both asked the Indiana Supreme Court to appoint a special judge, Based in Lafayette reported.

Source: Based in Lafayette

The judges gave their reason in writing: a special judge is needed “to avoid any appearance of impropriety and/or impartiality given said Senator's longstanding interactions with the local community, local community leaders, and local political institutions and subdivisions including the Courts.” The order described the cases as involving co-defendants including a local, soon-to-be-former state senator “well known in the community and by the local bench and said Senator's paramour,” and noted that “a special prosecutor has already been sought and assigned to both cases.”

The charges filed on Tuesday

The recusals came two days after the charges themselves. On Tuesday, November 10, Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker — appointed in early October as special prosecutor by Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Patrick Harrington — filed six misdemeanor theft counts against Alting in Tippecanoe Superior Court and four counts against Pamela Gay Krammes, 64, of Mulberry, according to court records reported by The Indiana Lawyer, FOX 59/CBS 4 and Based in Lafayette. The charges follow Alting's November 3 election loss and his earlier public statements that he would step down from the seat he had held for 28 years.

What the probable cause affidavit alleges

According to the probable cause affidavit, investigators say Alting and Krammes followed a repeated pattern at the Walmart at 4205 Commerce Drive on Lafayette's east side: they entered with empty Walmart plastic bags, placed merchandise into the bags before reaching a self-checkout lane, scanned and paid for only a few items, and left the rest unpaid in the cart. In one instance described in the documents, Alting paid for a bag of chips at self-checkout, Krammes placed the chips back into the cart with the unpaid items, and the pair tried to leave. Confronted by a loss-prevention officer, Alting allegedly said, “Oh, I am just going to go pay for these.” The affidavit says the two then refused to go to an office for paperwork and fled, and the officer contacted Lafayette police. Investigators say surveillance footage documented six separate incidents between August 5 and September 22 — on August 5, 20 and 22 and September 6, 18 and 22 — with Alting allegedly acting alone on two visits and with Krammes on four. These are allegations in a charging affidavit, not findings of guilt, and both defendants are presumed innocent.

Source: The Indiana Lawyer

Why a special prosecutor, and now a special judge

The case has been moved outside the usual local hands at both levels. Because Alting was the sitting senator for District 22, covering most of Tippecanoe County, the county prosecutor brought in Becker from Elkhart County as special prosecutor in October to review four Lafayette Police Department cases. This week's joint order extends the same logic to the bench: two local judges who would ordinarily hear misdemeanor cases in the county where Alting represented constituents since 1998 concluded that his longstanding ties to local institutions, including the courts themselves, required an outside judge appointed by the state Supreme Court.

A 28-year career ending in a month

Alting, 70, a Republican, was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 1998 after three years on the Lafayette City Council, and held District 22 for 28 years. The shoplifting allegations first broke publicly on October 7 in Lafayette Journal & Courier reporting about a September 22 incident at the Commerce Drive Walmart and a reported October 1 incident in Monticello, where he lives; no charges have been filed over the Monticello report. In an October statement, Alting said he had been experiencing “concerning changes in my judgment and cognitive functioning,” had sought medical help and was undergoing further evaluation, testing and treatment, and added: “During this time, I did things that were wrong and completely out of character for me. I take responsibility for my actions and apologize to my family, my constituents and the store employees involved.” He said he would resign his seat and stepped back from campaigning. On November 3, Democrat Natasha Baker won the seat. In a short Election Night speech, Alting congratulated Baker and asked his audience to “just keep me in your prayers as I continue through my life,” Based in Lafayette reported.

Neither Alting nor Krammes immediately responded on Wednesday to emailed requests for comment from The Indiana Lawyer. The value of the merchandise alleged to have been taken has not been published in the reporting.