In the month of October, the Clarke County Attorney’s Office saw increases in pending case balances in all categories except indictable misdemeanors. The office litigated several contested matters including a dispute over the amount of restitution owed for damage to a car with a baseball bat. Restitution is designed to help the victims of crime with the real expenses and damages they have suffered without the necessity of a separate civil case. In October, County Attorney Adam Ramsey spoke to a High School class in Murray on the legal system and the role of the Clarke County Attorney. He was also served an evening instructor for legal matters for Clarke County’s law enforcement reserve officers preparing for testing at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.
In terms of October’s workload, 10 Felony cases came in and 3 were disposed. Felony cases are the most serious of criminal cases. The State’s case tracking system reflects total of 87 pending felony cases for Clarke County (up from September’s balance of 80).
Indictable Misdemeanors are Misdemeanor crimes that are punishable by more than a year but no more than two years of incarceration. Misdemeanor crimes are categorized as Aggravated, Serious, and Simple. Aggravated Misdemeanors are the most serious misdemeanors and can be punished by up to two years in prison. Serious Misdemeanor crimes are punishable by up to one year in the County Jail. Simple Misdemeanor crimes are punishable by up to 30 days in the county jail. As you can imagine, fines increase with the severity of the crime.
In October, 18 Indictable Misdemeanors came in and 22 were disposed. The State’s case tracking system reflects that the pending number decreased from 192 cases to 188.
In October, 327 Simple Misdemeanors came in and 307 were disposed. The State’s case tracking system reflects that the number of pending Simple Misdemeanors is up from 509 to 531.
In October, the Clarke County Attorney’s Office Juvenile case load included 8 new Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) cases with 4 disposed. The State’s case tracking system reflects 83 CINA (& other) cases and 101 total pending Juvenile cases.
In September, 5 Juvenile Delinquency cases came in and 1 case was disposed of. The State’s case tracking system rests at 18 total pending Juvenile Delinquency cases. The County Attorney’s Office did conduct a mediation with the parents of several juveniles that have been having severe attendance and tardiness issues. The Iowa Code holds the parents criminally responsible in this situation but our office makes every effort to restore attendance without resorting to criminal sanctions.