SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. — Amy Word, an Evansville school board member and former owner of Lamasco Bar and Grill, was found guilty Friday of maintaining a common nuisance after a three-day trial in Sullivan, Indiana.

Word, 48, took a gamble taking her case to trial because according to her attorney, prosecutors had offered to place Word in a pretrial diversion program that could have seen the case against her dismissed.

Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Ellora Daily confirmed the verdict to the Courier & Press just before 12:30 p.m. A reporter was also on scene at the Sullivan County courthouse, where Word’s trial was held due to extensive media coverage of her case in Evansville.

More: Accused dealer said he sold cocaine at Lamasco with Word’s knowledge

Word was charged with the Level 6 felony in July 2022 after detectives claimed she knew about drug use and dealing at Lamasco Bar & Grill, one of several popular bars along Franklin Street in Evansville.

Word’s arrest came after a sweeping investigation into alleged drug dealing and use along Franklin Street’s nightlife district and at Lamasco Bar & Grill. Investigators claimed that Word knew several men sold cocaine to her bar’s patrons and employees on a near-daily basis, effectively turning the bar into a public nuisance and a hub for criminal activity.

Earlier this year, Word sold Lamasco Bar & Grill, and the upscale restaurant she owned, Amy’s on Franklin, to new owners.

“Amy Word, who is still an inactive member of our school board, allowed drug dealers and users alike to proliferate cocaine into the community of Evansville through her bar,” Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers wrote in a statement. “But no more. The defendant’s businesses are no longer in operation and she will no longer be eligible to serve on the school board as a convicted felon.”

The Sullivan County jury returned with its verdict, guilty as charged, just after 12:15 p.m. Evansville time on Friday.

“We disagree with the jury’s verdict, but we accept it, “Canada said. “We had a fair trial. She (Word) feels like it’s time to move on with her life.”

Canada said Word had not decided if she would appeal her conviction.

Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp. attorney Pat Shoulders confirmed that Word could no longer serve as a school board member, leaving her District 3 seat vacant.

Word took a leave of absence from the elected position shortly after her arrest on July 30, 2022, and maintained her innocence during a two-year slog through the courts. In repeated public comments, Word claimed the case against her was unfounded.

State witnesses tied Word to drug scene at Lamasco

Last week, Canada told the newspaper that Word hoped to “clear her name” at trial. In a statement on Friday, Moers said Word had attempted to “try her case in the media.”

The two sides painted diverging portraits of Word’s time running Lamasco Bar & Grill for jurors in a case that predominantly featured witness testimony. Prosecutors said those witnesses, including accused and convicted drug dealers, were credible and had intimate knowledge of Word’s involvement in a drug scene at her bar.

Word’s lawyer, during interviews and in the courtroom, implied that the state’s key witnesses had a litany of credibility issues and motives to lie about his client.

“The prosecution hinges on a drug dealer who’s facing 30 years in prison and is testifying to get lenience,” Canada told the Courier & Press, referring to a key state key witness, Demario Montez Holman, who testified on Wednesday that he personally sold cocaine to Word and distributed the drug at Lamasco Bar & Grill.

More: What to know about Amy Word’s pending criminal trial

Canada said that Word was confident enough in her prospects that she turned down the pretrial diversion offer early on in the legal process. After her conviction, Canada said that Word had “no regrets” about turning down the deal.

According to court records, prosecutors extended “use immunity” to Holman in order to secure his testimony. Barry Blackard, an Evansville-based criminal defense attorney who is not affiliated with the case, said use immunity is a legal protection for witnesses whose testimony could expose them to criminal legal liabilities.

“It means that information or testimony provided by the individual cannot be used against them in any subsequent criminal prosecution,” Blackard said. “The protection encourages individuals to come forward with information and cooperate with law enforcement without fear of incriminating themselves.

Canada told jurors that Holman was nonetheless an unreliable narrator who had a motive to lie about Word in the hopes that prosecutors offered him leniency in his ongoing Level 2 felony drug case.

“Do you feel that you are being compelled to testify?” Canada asked Holman during a lengthy cross-examination.

“No,” Holman replied.

“But during your deposition, you said, ‘I mean s–t, I don’t have a choice man,” Canada retorted.

Holman was steadfast in his claim that he and others sold cocaine at Lamasco Bar & Grill and that Word knew about it: “I saw it with my own eyes,” Holman told Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor, James Doyle, referring to Word’s involvement with a drug scene at her bar.

“Did you ever sell to her directly?” Doyle asked Holman on Wednesday.

“I’ve given her stuff directly,” Holman replied.

During the two-day evidentiary portion of the trial, jurors also heard testimony from law enforcement officers and others who claimed to have witnessed drug sales on Lamasco property, including 25-year-old Dylan Wallace, who was also granted use immunity to testify against Word.

“Mr. Wallace, as you sit here today, you pled guilty to [a Level 2 felony] narcotics dealing charge, is that correct?” Doyle asked Wallace on Wednesday.

“Yes,” Wallace replied, later telling jurors that in March 2022, he began to purchase ounces of cocaine from Holman that he sold at Lamasco Bar & Grill and another nearby establishment, Sportsman’s Grille & Billiards.

“Did you ever have any occasion to sell cocaine to employees inside Lamasco?” Doyle asked Wallace.“Yes,” Wallace said, claiming that he sold cocaine to Lamasco’s former head bartender “almost every time” he saw the employee working.

Word to be sentenced in August

Vanderburgh County Judge David Kiely presided over the trial from Sullivan County, which is about a 90-minute drive from Evansville. According to public court records, Kiely will sentence Word during an afternoon hearing on Aug. 5.

Word was not remanded into custody upon her conviction, according to Canada.

Under Indiana’s sentencing guidelines, defendants convicted of Level 6 felonies can face between six months and two-and-a-half years in a state prison. But first-time offenders, such as Word, are often sentenced to probation for low-level felony offenses.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the judge says,” Canada said about Word’s sentencing.

Moers, who is Vanderburgh County’s elected prosecutor, said the investigators and attorneys who led the state’s efforts had extensive experience trying narcotics cases, writing that Doyle was a “go-to prosecutor” for drug-related trials.

In her statement after the trial’s conclusion, Moers claimed the evidence against Word was “overwhelming.”

“(Word) had the potential to make a positive contribution to our community but instead chose drugs and all of the crime, violence and destruction they bring to our community, families, and the very children she was charged with helping while sitting on the school board,” Moers wrote.

Courier & Press reporter Tom Langhorne contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Amy Word, Evansville school board member, found guilty of felony