A Scott County woman is suing the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, claiming it stood by while a deputy stalked and harassed her, then took his own life inside her home. The civil complaint, filed April 23, names Hannah Miles and her minor child as plaintiffs and describes what it calls years of unchecked conduct by the deputy. The filing says the child is still anxious and continues to ask questions about the death.
Allegations in the suit
According to the lawsuit, Miles and Deputy Donovan McCutcheon had been in a relationship that she tried to end. The court papers say McCutcheon refused to accept the breakup and allegedly harassed Miles and her child by repeatedly driving past her home in a marked department vehicle, calling her from his department-issued phone and other devices, and showing up at her child’s sports practices in uniform.
The complaint states that after Miles rejected another attempt by McCutcheon to restart the relationship, he arrived at her home in uniform and used his department-issued firearm to kill himself in front of her. The suit says he knew her child was inside the home at the time. As reported by The Indiana Lawyer, the filing argues the sheriff’s department failed to reasonably supervise him.
Deputy McCutcheon and department records
Donovan "Donnie" Wayne McCutcheon, 32, had been employed with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office for about three years and is identified as a detective in department materials. His obituary lists his date of death as June 29, 2025, and provides funeral details, according to Scott Funeral Home. Prior press releases from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office show McCutcheon serving as a deputy and working investigations, and those internal posts refer to him as Deputy/Detective Donovan McCutcheon.
The lawsuit and where it’s filed
Miles filed her civil action April 23 in Clark County Circuit Court under the caption Hannah Miles v. Scott County Sheriff’s Department, 10C06-2604-CT-000067, according to court documents referenced in media reports. The complaint seeks damages based on allegations of negligent supervision and for emotional harm to the child that it links to McCutcheon’s conduct. The Indiana Lawyer reports that Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin and Miles’s attorney did not immediately return requests for comment.
Legal theory and what it could mean
The suit rests on a negligent training, supervision and retention theory, a form of negligence that under Indiana law typically requires a plaintiff to show a duty, a breach of that duty and proximate causation. Indiana courts have taken up similar claims where plaintiffs argue an employer knew or should have known that an employee posed a danger, yet failed to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. For a look at how Indiana courts analyze negligent supervision and related theories, see Community Health Network v. McKenzie.
What to watch next
The case will now work its way through the civil docket. Scott County can file an answer, move to dismiss or take other steps to challenge the complaint, and those filings will determine whether the lawsuit survives the early stages. Plaintiffs in negligent supervision suits generally have to show that supervisors had notice or obvious warning signs that an employee posed a risk and failed to act on that information. Future filings in Hannah Miles v. Scott County Sheriff’s Department will reveal how the sheriff’s office responds and whether the case moves toward discovery or an early exit.
