A man facing criminal charges had looked up the address of the local judge handling his case days before Greenwood police found a gun, ammunition, a makeshift silencer, bleach and ammonia inside his vehicle, according to court records.
Now, Christopher Byrne, 31, of Indianapolis, is facing a federal gun charge. And the judge handling his local criminal cases has recused herself.
Byrne was arrested most recently in August, after a Greenwood police officer stopped his vehicle near the Greenwood Park Mall because Byrne was not wearing a seat belt. Byrne refused to identify himself, did not have a valid license plate, told the officer he was a sovereign national and did not cooperate with police.
At the time, Byrne was arrested on a charge of being a habitual traffic violator. Law enforcement officials raised concerns he could be planning “something bad” based on what was found in his car, and federal officials began an investigation.
Earlier this week, a federal charge of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon was filed against Byrne in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana, according to court records.
The charge stems from the gun found in Byrne’s car during the August traffic stop in Greenwood. Byrne had previously been convicted of felonies in Marion and Hendricks counties, including operating while intoxicated and theft, court records said. The theft conviction was from 2015, after an investigation showed Byrne had stolen weapons from the vehicles of both Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Greenwood Police Department officers. The Greenwood officer’s vehicle was set on fire, court records said.
Byrne also had a pending case in Johnson County from 2015 on charges of carrying a handgun without a license and being a habitual traffic violator. The case was being handled by Johnson County Superior Court 2 Judge Cynthia Emkes.
Since Byrne’s August arrest, federal officials found he had used his computer to look up Emkes’ home address days before he was arrested in Greenwood, according to court records.
Byrne’s attorney filed a motion asking that Emkes recuse herself from his cases, saying she may not be able to render a fair sentence. Emkes agreed, also saying that due to the close professional relationship Johnson County judges have, it may be difficult for any of them to be fair. A special judge, Shelby County Circuit Judge Charles O’Connor, was named to the case.
A sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 10 on the local criminal cases, court records said.
