Crime

Warren County Prosecuting Attorney releases year-end report

Posted 1/13/25

The Warren County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office files charges for traffic violations, infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. The office has over 6000 pending cases ranging in these classifications filed or currently under review.

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Crime

Warren County Prosecuting Attorney releases year-end report

Posted

The Warren County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office files charges for traffic violations, infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. The office has over 6000 pending cases ranging in these classifications filed or currently under review. The following are the statistics for felony level crimes. Due to the backlog of cases from the COVID-19 pandemic, we have increased efforts to dispose of pending cases, typically through guilty plea or trial. This explains the difference in cases disposed versus cases filed. Cases are referred to the office by law enforcement and then filed upon review by the prosecutor where there is a finding of probable cause that all elements of a crime are met. 

In total the office filed 644 felony cases in 2024, and disposed of 1,098 felony cases. Of the 644 felony cases filed, there were 1033 total felony charges. Many cases have more than one charge.

Those 1,033 felony charges broke down to 458 charges related to the possession of controlled substances, 213 charges related to property crime, 146 miscellaneous charges, 90 charges related to sex offenses, 76 assault charges, 48 charges related to weapons, and two homicides. 

 Consistent with state law, the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office provides services to those who are victims of crime. This includes notification of court dates, guilty pleas, the right to make a victim impact statement, and many others. Another service provided, when applicable, is collection of restitution for expenses or loss incurred as a result of being victimized in a crime.

Victim Services and Cases in 2024 are as follows:

  • Total victim cases filed in 2024: 371
  • Total victims provided services: 488
  • Restitution collected from 1/24-12/6: $100,969.11
  • Restitution paid-out from 1/24-12/6: $231,167.25

 Additionally, the office tried 6 jury trials in 2024. There were 5 guilty verdicts, including a guilty verdict in the first-degree murder trial of Miguel Ortega, and 1 hung jury.

 Prosecuting Attorney Hannah (Schweissguth) Dunakey said she also increased commitments to monitoring of defendants’ probation adherence and probation violations. Over 70 motions to revoke have been filed since July 2024, and 32 defendant probations were revoked resulting in additional sentencing and some motions that are still pending. Additionally, she said she worked with local schools to monitor and improve school attendance under education neglect laws. Pursuant to this program, the office has sent 17 warning letters for the fall semester. Where attendance fails to improve, she said she plans to pursue criminal charges.

Prosecuting Attorney, 2024 Report

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