Ind. Agency Suspends Suspect's Parole Officer

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana correction officials suspended a parole officer Tuesday whose failure to update a national database likely led to the erroneous release of a man now accused of shooting an Indianapolis police officer, who is not expected to survive.

Thomas Hardy was released on bond in December following an arrest on theft charges, which came after his parole officer failed to enter his most recent parole information into a national database, said agency spokesman Doug Garrison. The parole officer also didn't perform required monthly checks to determine whether Hardy had been arrested, Garrison said.

Hardy, 60, was arrested again Sunday in connection with a store robbery that happened less than an hour after a traffic stop during which police allege he shot Officer David Moore in his face, chest and leg.

Indianapolis Police Chief Paul Ciesielski said a recent MRI showed the 29-year-old Moore was too badly wounded to survive. Moore remained on life support Tuesday night, but Ciesielski said the officer's family was consulting with doctors to donate his organs.

"The damage done was considerable and David will not be able to recover from his injuries. The Moore family has begun the process of giving David back to God," Ciesielski said in an emotional statement surrounded by fellow officers and city officials.

Doctors say two bullets hit Moore in the face and just missed his spinal cord. He also was shot in the thigh and had a bullet stopped by his protective vest.

Hardy was being held without bond Tuesday after a judge gave prosecutors until Friday to file charges against him in the shooting. Jail officials did not know whether he had an attorney.

Garrison said Hardy's parole officer was placed on unpaid administrative leave Tuesday pending an investigation. He declined to release the parole officer's name or speculate about whether the officer would face discipline.

The Department of Correction said Hardy had a criminal history dating back at least to 1984, when he was sentenced to 13 years in prison on a burglary conviction.

He was released on parole in 1990, but has been in and out of prison since then on various charges, including seven sentences for theft, one for cocaine possession and one for misdemeanor battery.

Officials have said Hardy was considered "low risk" when he was paroled in October 2009 after serving a 1,000-day sentence for theft. He was due to report to his parole officer again next month.