99 Arrests, No Prison—How Is This Real?

A career criminal with 99 prior arrests who never served prison time has his attempted murder charges downgraded by a soft-on-crime prosecutor, showcasing the dangerous failures of America’s broken justice system.

Story Highlights

Courtney Boose, with 99 arrests spanning two decades, stabbed a 69-year-old at a gas station
Marion County prosecutor reduced attempted murder charges to aggravated battery
Despite extensive criminal history, Boose never served prison time
Indianapolis experiences one homicide every 53 hours, 10% higher than Chicago

Repeat Offender Escapes Justice Again

Courtney Boose’s criminal record reads like a playbook for judicial failure. The 41-year-old Indianapolis man accumulated 99 arrests since 2002, including 38 misdemeanor cases, 37 felony cases, and 9 citations. His charges ranged from trespassing and theft to battery, drug crimes, and causing bodily injury. Yet incredibly, 80-90% of his cases resulted in dismissals or plea deals, allowing him to walk free repeatedly.

Violent Attack on Elderly Victim

Boose allegedly stabbed a 69-year-old man at a Lawrence gas station, leaving the victim in critical condition and still recovering. Police arrested Boose at the scene after he refused to comply with officers, requiring the use of a taser. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office initially charged him with attempted murder, carrying a potential sentence of 20-40 years—a consequence that should have been inevitable given his extensive criminal history.

https://t.co/cEOVCJHsEy pic.twitter.com/DAtbW4xaxy

— xAwesomeX (@JohnnyEAwesome) October 1, 2025

Prosecutor’s Shocking Charge Reduction

Before the case entered the court system, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears downgraded the attempted murder charges to aggravated battery. This reduction slashed Boose’s potential prison time from 20-40 years to merely 3-16 years. The prosecutor’s office remained unresponsive to media inquiries, refusing to explain their decision to show leniency to a career criminal who terrorized Indianapolis for over two decades.

Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder condemned the decision, characterizing it as symptomatic of a “woke, broke” criminal justice system. His criticism reflects growing frustration among law enforcement who risk their lives apprehending dangerous criminals, only to watch prosecutors coddle repeat offenders. This pattern undermines public safety and demoralizes officers who see their work repeatedly undermined by prosecutorial weakness.

Indianapolis Crime Crisis Intensifies

This case exemplifies Indianapolis’s deteriorating public safety situation. The city averages one homicide every 53 hours—approximately 10% higher than Chicago’s homicide rate. Such statistics reveal the deadly consequences when prosecutors prioritize criminal-friendly policies over protecting law-abiding citizens. Boose’s case mirrors that of Alexander Dickey in South Carolina, who had 39 arrests before killing 22-year-old Logan Federico during a home invasion.

Community leaders express outrage over both this specific case and the broader pattern of judicial failures. When career criminals face no meaningful consequences, they inevitably escalate their criminal behavior. Boose’s progression from minor offenses to attempted murder demonstrates how soft-on-crime policies create monsters who prey on innocent victims. The 69-year-old stabbing victim represents the human cost of prosecutorial negligence and misplaced progressive priorities that value criminal rights over victim safety.