March 29, 2024

Ramsey report

In yet another interesting incident from the confines of the Clarke County Jail, a female inmate who was incarcerated for possession of methamphetamine and marijuana tried to pass four counterfeit $100 bills to the staff of the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office knowing that the bills were counterfeit. This individual recently pleaded guilty to 5 D Felonies and 1 Aggravated Misdemeanor, for these offenses.

Similar to the way the various States sued the tobacco industry, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has joined in a large multi-state lawsuit against the manufactures of opioid pain medications. These manufactures stand accused of reaping huge profits by aggressively marketing and promoting over prescription of addictive and sometimes deadly pain killers. County Attorney Adam Ramsey is working with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office on this lawsuit and on how to best utilize the portion of anticipated proceeds that are earmarked for fighting or treating addiction. Ramsey anticipates forming a multi-disciplinary working group of Clarke County Officials to explore realistic ways to utilize the settlement proceeds to proactively abate opioid abuse and to increase treatment options in criminal sentencing negotiations.

In terms of February’s workload, 4 Felony cases came in and 4 were disposed. Felony cases are the most serious of criminal cases. The number of pending Felonies is up one from 89 to 90.

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 February, 9 Indictable Misdemeanors came in 15 were disposed. The State’s case tracking system reflects that the pending number down from 168 to 162.

In February, 190 Simple Misdemeanors came in and 187 were disposed. State’s case tracking system reflects that the total number of pending Simple Misdemeanors is up slightly from 480 to 482.

In February, the Clarke County Attorney’s Office Juvenile case load included 8 new Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) 2 were disposed. The State’s case tracking system reflects a decrease in the total number of pending Juvenile cases from 77 to 84.