Film crew to shoot documentary scenes in Boone County Courthouse
Nov. 8—A film crew from London will shoot footage in the Boone County Courthouse for a documentary on child sexual abuse.
Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood received Boone County Commissioners' permission recently for the crew to film B-roll, also called supplemental footage, here beginning this month and again in July.
They may capture footage in Boone Circuit Court on the third floor of the courthouse, where cameras are normally prohibited. The crew will capture images that may include the judge's bench or jury box in an empty courtroom and not of children or families who may be present in the courthouse.
A filmmaker will be imbedded with the Boone County Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation (CASE) Task Force, which was formed in 2023.
The task force team includes members from the Boone County Prosecutor's Office, Boone County Sheriff's Office, and Zionsville, Whitestown, and Lebanon police departments and works from a collaborative office space and forensic cyber lab dedicated to the task force at the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department.
Detectives work with Indiana State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other police agencies to solve cases that range from physical to sexual abuse of children. Much of their work centers on solicitation and distribution or exploitation of children and involves cybercrime and electronic devices and files.
Indiana's first electronics sniffing dog Hunter and his handler, Darin Odier, joined Eastwood's office and the task force in the spring. The pair previously worked for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department until Odier's retirement as a detective.
Electronics sniffing dogs single out chemical compounds found in electronics. Hunter's nose finds thumb drives, hard drives, tablets, and even microSD cards. He's so good that he once found a phone hidden in a creek.
The film is not just about Boone County, and it will largely use victims' perspectives.
"They're taking a more trauma informed approach and looking at the breadth of the problems in England and all around the world," Eastwood said.
The film will also touch on the Jared Fogle case.
Fogle, 47, of Zionsville, was a spokesperson for Subway restaurants when he was charged with child pornography distribution and engaging in commercial sex acts with minors in 2015. Fogle pleaded guilty in federal court and was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison.
Odier worked on the Fogle case.
Commissioner Jeff Wolfe said the film crew's interest in Boone County is a testament to the good work Eastwood, the task force investigators, and Odier and Hunter do.
