A Starke County councilman, who publicly pledged to expel certain racial and religious minorities from the county, has been removed from the governing body.

Thomas A. DeCola is a North Judson Republican. Court documents say at 2018 Association of Indiana Counties conference, DeCola told participants he was an “active member of the Aryan Brotherhood” and that “n—-s and Jews were no longer going to be allowed in Starke County.”

According to court documents, DeCola also added that “n—-s and Jews” were not safe in Starke County, he knew how to torture people, and had previously tortured “n—-s and Jews” in an underground bunker.

The Starke County Council learned of DeCola’s behavior at a January 2019 meeting, and voted to have DeCola respond at its next meeting. However, court documents say DeCola did not respond to, or deny, the accusations.

As a result, the Starke County Council voted 5-1 to remove DeCola from the council. According to the council, DeCola violated the oath of office he signed in 2018, which contained a pledge to “impartially” serve the citizens of Starke County while supporting the U.S. and Indiana constitutions.

DeCola challenged his removal in a lawsuit. In his appeal, where DeCola represented himself, DeCola tried to argue that the court failed to “fully consider” his claim of wrongful expulsion.

The appellate judges, however, deemed DeCola’s brief “incomprehensible”, and concluded they could not “make sense of [DeCola’s] argument on appeal.”