During a shock probation hearing held Friday in Daviess Circuit Court, prosecutors with the Daviess Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office were granted their request to present additional evidence that further incriminated former Daviess County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Troy Calvert.
Calvert pled guilty in October to five charges of retaliation against a participant in the legal process and was sentenced to five years in prison by Special Judge Ken Howard. At the time, Calvert would have been eligible to go before the parole board 90 days into his sentence and file a motion for shock probation.
As explained by Howard in October, Calvert being granted shock probation would’ve released him from jail, but he could have no contact with his ex-wife or two children for five years. This stipulation was made by Howard due to Calvert’s history of making threatening statements toward his ex-wife, his children and two different judges who’d conducted Calvert’s court proceedings over the years.
On Friday, the prosecution was allowed to play five different phone calls for the court, all of which involved Calvert speaking to his parents on Jan. 2 after his last court hearing.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Van Meter said he believed these phone calls were pertinent to Calvert’s shock probation, and Howard agreed he needed to hear them in order to make an informed decision regarding whether or not Calvert should receive shock probation at all.
During the five calls, Calvert repeatedly asked his parents to check in on his ex-wife and see what she was up to, and who she was with, even asking them to hire a private investigator to check in on her if they wouldn’t.
“No one will tell me what the [expletive] she’s doing, and it’s driving me nuts,” he said during the first call presented to the court. “How would you know she’s not doing anything if you [haven’t been to see her]? The only reason I pled guilty was so I’d get out in 90 days and go deal with it myself.”
Calvert’s father repeatedly tells Calvert to move on, that the relationship is over, and that what Calvert’s ex-wife does is “no concern of yours.”
“If nobody else does it, I’m going to do it,” Calvert said. “And I’m going to get in trouble for doing it. It’s definitely going to have to happen because nobody else is doing it for me.”
Calvert also told his parents he was at his “breaking point” during the phone calls, as he believed he’d get out of jail that day but didn’t.
Another phone call made by Calvert revealed him telling his mother that he deserved an Oscar for his behavior at the Jan. 2 hearing, insinuating that his genuinely remorseful testimony given that day had been a farce.
“That went good — I need an Oscar. I definitely need an Oscar,” he’s heard saying. “I had to come up with all of that immediately, on the fly. That was difficult.”
Calvert asked his mother if she had believed what he’d said in court that day, if his words had been believable, to which his mother said, “Yes, and that’s what scares me.”
Calvert repeatedly begs his parents to call the probation and parole office to see when his next appointment will be. After several tries and a couple of hang-ups from his parents, Calvert’s mother eventually tells him she called the office to check, but that no information had been given to her.
“I don’t know if I even want to get out on shock probation. He’s going to keep me away from my wife and kids,” he said.
“She’s not your wife,” his mother said. “You don’t force people against their will to be married to you.”
“Well, the Bible says you do,” Calvert said.
After hearing these five phone calls and taking a five-minute break to think over the newly presented evidence, Howard told the courtroom that a decision about Calvert’s shock probation would be made Wednesday.
