School Board Member cheers on violent attack against judge who ruled against him in custody battle

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OSCEOLA, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has discovered Penn Harris Madison School Board Member Matt Chaffee took to social media to cheer on a violent attack carried out against a sitting St. Joseph County Magistrate Judge last week. It turns out, that same judge recently ruled against Chaffee in a custody battle late last year.

On Friday, Magistrate Judge Len Zappia was violently attacked by his brother and current Republican St. Joseph County Probate Judge Candidate Loris Zappia outside of Loris Zappia’s home on Friday. Sources tell RNM, Loris Zappia was blaming his brother for details contained in a REAL News Michiana investigation published on Friday, detailing an incident in which Loris Zappia hit and killed a man with is car in 1983. (NOTE** RNM has never met or spoken to Len Zappia and has never used him as a source for any story.) Sources say Loris Zappia went as far as to harass Len Zappia’s wife. Len Zappia, who lives directly across the street from Loris Zappia, asked his brother to stop harassing his wife when the attack initially occurred. Sources tell RNM, Loris Zappia pushed his brother to the ground, then hit him with a chair that was sitting on his porch. The police were not initially called — however, several hours later, sources say Loris Zappia still fuming, spotted his brother across the street, ripped off his shirt, approached him and slapped the sitting magistrate across the face before leaving the property.

“It was crazy.” One witness who wished not to be named told RNM. “There’s this guy with a Hummer covered in political signage hitting another grown man in a suit in this beautiful neighborhood in Granger. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m thinking, ‘if you’re in politics, this is the last thing you want to do.'”

Despite all witnesses describing Loris Zappia as the attacker in the incident, two days later, Loris Zappia made an objectively false statement on Facebook essentially claiming his brother staged the entire thing. PHM School Board Member Matt Chaffee and his father, who is a current PHM School Board Candidate, shared the post stating, “I stand with Loris! Vote for Loris Zappia for Judge this November 5, integrity matters.”

It turns out, Len Zappia recently ruled against Matt Chaffee in a heated custody dispute over his son, awarding sole legal custody and primary physical custody to the mother. Matt Chaffee is currently appealing Len Zappia’s ruling.

Loris Zappia is currently a deputy prosecuting attorney with the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office in the problem-solving courts, which include the Drug Treatment Court and Veterans’ Court. Sources within the County tell RNM Prosecutor Ken Cotter has been made aware of the attack and could be launching an internal investigation with potential charges pending against Loris Zappia.

RNM has also been tipped off to another county level investigation, since both Loris and Len Zappia are county employees.

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