A new lawsuit filed in Marion County is seeking to remove Center Township Constable Kenneth Allen from office, alleging he primarily lives outside the township at his wife's home rather than at the residence he listed on his campaign filings. The suit accuses Allen of violating Indiana law governing where township constables must live, reopening a residency dispute that has trailed him since he took the seat.
According to IndyStar, the lawsuit alleges Allen is accused of breaking state law by not actually residing in Center Township, the district he was appointed to serve. Under Indiana Code § 3-8-1-31 and § 3-8-1-1, small claims court constable candidates must have lived in their township for at least a year before taking office and must be registered voters in that district, according to the Allen County Election Board's candidate guide, which lays out the statutory framework at issue.
Earlier complaints against Allen, reported in February 2025 by the Hoosier Enquirer, alleged he listed an apartment at Piccadilly Apartments on East 16th Street in Center Township on his campaign filings, but that apartment management confirmed he did not move in until December 2024, after he had already taken office. Those same complaints alleged he instead resided at his wife's home in Lawrence Township, outside Center Township's boundaries — the same core allegation now driving the new ouster lawsuit.
How Allen Landed in the Constable's Office
Allen's path to the constable post began with turmoil in the office itself. Former Constable Denise Hatch was automatically removed from the position on October 8, 2024, after pleading guilty to felony official misconduct and a misdemeanor gun charge, the outlet's earlier reporting noted. That left the seat vacant just weeks before Allen would claim it.
Allen won the vacant seat during a Democratic precinct caucus at the Julia Carson Government Center on November 8, 2024, breaking a 21-21 tie with rival candidate William “Duke” Oliver in a second round of voting, according to WFYI. The win came just days after Allen had lost his bid for reelection to the Indianapolis Public Schools board. Immediately after taking the oath as constable that same day, he resigned as vice president and at-large commissioner of the IPS board, as Chalkbeat reported, complying with state prohibitions against holding two public offices at once even though two months remained on his school board term.
Criminal Complaint and Court Assignment Preceded the Lawsuit
The residency questions did not stay confined to civil court. In February 2025, Hoosier Enquirer CEO Gabe Whitley submitted a criminal complaint to law enforcement alleging Allen committed perjury, official misconduct, and election fraud — all Level 6 felonies under Indiana law — by falsely claiming township residency during his candidacy, the outlet reported. Marion County Superior Court Judge Gary Miller was assigned that same month to oversee judicial proceedings on a formal complaint seeking Allen's removal, according to the same report.
The stakes attached to the constable's office are significant locally. Marion County is unique among Indiana counties in maintaining separate small claims courts in each of its nine townships, where elected constables serve as bailiffs handling personal service of process for evictions and court summonses, according to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. That process volume is part of why residency requirements for the office carry legal weight beyond a simple technicality.
Allen Says He Has Lived in the Township for Years
Allen has pushed back publicly on the allegations. In a statement posted to Facebook, he asserted that he has continuously lived in Center Township for more than a decade, is a registered voter there, and fully meets all statutory eligibility requirements under Indiana law. That defense stands directly opposed to the lease and marriage-license records cited in the earlier Hoosier Enquirer reporting, and the dossier underlying this story does not resolve which account Indiana courts will ultimately credit.
Before his constable tenure, Allen held civic leadership roles including chair of the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males, and he received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden in 2023, according to state records. That public profile has helped keep the residency fight in the local spotlight as the new lawsuit moves through Marion County's court system.
