A candidate running for a seat on the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township school board is facing a felony charge after police say she struck an adult male during an argument at her home, yet she remains on the November 3 ballot alongside three incumbents. Sherie Scott, 41, was arrested after officers responded to a reported domestic disturbance, and prosecutors have since filed two charges against her in Marion Superior Court.
According to WFYI, police officers responded to the Pike Township house at 4:15 p.m. on October 2 following a report of a domestic disturbance. Per the affidavit described in that report, Scott allegedly struck an adult male during the argument. The station reports that the man was not arrested in connection with the incident, and WFYI is not naming the alleged victim of domestic violence.
Prosecutors filed charges against Scott on October 3 in Marion Superior Court, where Magistrate Peter Haughan found probable cause the same day, per the station's reporting. She faces one count of domestic battery committed in the presence of a child younger than 16, a Level 6 felony, along with a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. Scott had an initial hearing on October 6 and was released from the Marion County jail on bond, the outlet notes. She did not respond to the station's messages requesting comment, per the same account.
Ballot Status Unaffected by Pending Charges
Despite the arrest, Scott remains a legally eligible candidate. Under Indiana Code § 3-8-1-5, a candidate for school board office is disqualified from running or taking office only upon a formal felony conviction through a court verdict or guilty plea, according to the Indiana School Boards Association. Pending criminal accusations, in other words, do not automatically remove a name from the ballot — meaning Scott remains an active candidate on the November 3 ballot while her case proceeds through the courts.
Early voting for Marion County's school board elections was scheduled to begin October 6 at the Indianapolis City-County Building; Scott's initial hearing was held that same day. That leaves voters weighing a pending criminal case against a candidate even as they begin casting ballots.
If convicted of the Level 6 felony, Scott would face a statutory sentence ranging from six months to 2.5 years in prison, with an advisory sentence of one year and fines up to $10,000, under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-7 and § 35-42-2-1.3, according to Justia Law. The misdemeanor domestic battery count alone carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine, along with mandatory intervention programs and federal restrictions on firearm ownership, according to guidance from Hessler Law.
A Longtime Educator Entering a Crowded, Tense Race
Scott is one of four candidates competing for three at-large seats on the Pike Township school board this fall, running against three sitting board members: Alonzo Anderson, Wayne Moore, and board president Terry A. Webster Sr., according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. She is described as a longtime educator who worked in Pike Township schools and previously served as director of schools for the Indiana Charter School Board, per WFYI's report, authored by the station's education editor Eric Weddle.
She enters the race as the only non-incumbent challenger at a turbulent moment for the district. The Metropolitan School District of Pike Township enrolls roughly 10,640 students, a population that is 60% Black, 27% Hispanic, and 47% qualified for free or reduced-price meals, according to Chalkbeat.
Governance Friction Predates the Arrest
The district has faced its own turmoil in recent months. On September 9, the school board released a letter revealing an internal staff survey in which 93% of respondents characterized district leadership as autocratic and dictatorial, per reporting from WFYI. That followed a July incident in which Webster's home mailbox was vandalized amid community backlash over a controversial hiring process for a new co-director of athletics, with board members publicly stating they would not be intimidated from performing their duties.
Incoming board members will also inherit new fiscal responsibilities tied to an eight-year, $14.5 million annual property tax referendum that Pike Township voters approved in May 2024 to support teacher compensation — a measure that, under state law, requires the district to share revenue with area charter schools, Chalkbeat reports. In September, all three incumbent board members running for re-election declined to participate in a public candidate forum organized by local parent and educator groups, according to a post on Facebook.
For now, the criminal case against Scott remains unresolved, and no trial date or plea has been reported. Voters casting early ballots in Marion County will do so without knowing how the charges will ultimately be resolved, even as the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township school board navigates leadership questions of its own heading into November 3.
