#575 | What’s the Deal W/Madison Co Sheriff John Beeman & the Sumner Case? | The Political Spotlight

December 18th, 2025  |  1 hr 56 mins

dr. katherine callahan, former county councilor steve sumner, fugitive from justice, howard county maryland, madison county indiana, madison county politics, madison county sheriff john beeman, political activist, record requests, sharon bailey barker, twenty-thousand dollar reward, united states marshals service

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey dives deep into the strange case of former Madison County Councilor and preacher Steve Sumner, who spent more than two years as a fugitive before his arrest, following a $25,000 reward offered by Dr. Katherine Callahan.

Bilbrey walks through the arrests of Sumner and his girlfriend, Sharon Bailey Barker, their extraditions back to Indiana, and the troubling questions surrounding who provided the tip, who should receive the reward money, and why the Madison County Sheriff John Beeman acted so strangely, trying to get Callahan to issue payment to someone who did not call in the tip. Answers begin to surface—after Bilbrey receives the records he requested from Howard County, Maryland. But this story is only getting started. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#540 | There Is Nothing More That Can Be Sacrificed! | The Political Spotlight

October 9th, 2025  |  1 hr 47 mins

2026 budget, contributing correspondent dr. katherine callahan, council meeting, indiana, madison county, madison county chief deputy prosecutor andrew hanna, madison county politics, politics, released on her own recognizance, sharon bailey barker, steven sumner, us marshals

Muncie is still Muncie... Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey is on a mission to find the local newspaper—more on that soon! But for this 540th episode, Bilbrey invites Dr. Katherine Callahan back to the program to discuss the current situation in Madison County government. The Council continues to double down on its outdated, backwards thinking, and members of the Madison County Sheriff's Department have had enough! The president of the FOP, a deputy who has served for several years, resigned his position while speaking to the Council on Thursday evening, October 9, 2025. He is the first of many, Bilbrey is afraid. Things could get really, really bad before they ever get better—if they ever get better! #ThePoliticalSpotlight