Sheriff reports domestic crime on the rise
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

The good news for those living in Ripley County is the number of overall crimes reported last year to the sheriff's department is down. The bad news is the number of domestic related crimes rose by 24 cases.

According to information from the Ripley County Sheriff's Department, they received 549 criminal cases in 2004.

The break down of the total number of charges filed in these cases is:

· Alcohol related offenses - 120, compared to 154 in 2003

· Drug related offenses - 38, the same as in the previous year

· Misdemeanor/Felony traffic offenses - 29, down from 37 in 2003

· Juvenile related offenses - 14, down 4 from the previous year

· Domestic related offenses - 288, up 24 from 2003

· Crimes against persons - 157, just one less than in 2003

· Crimes against property - 262, down from 360 in 2003.

According to Sheriff Bill Davison, out of the 549 criminal cases received, 389 were either closed or resulted in arrest and 160 cases remain open, under investigation. These criminal cases were filed in both Ripley County Circuit and Superior Courts.

The sheriff gave a breakdown of how the cases were filed:

· 148 filed as misdemeanors

· 46 filed as D felonies

· 9 filed as C felonies

· 6 filed as B felonies

Deputies from the sheriff's department investigated a total of 478 motor vehicle accidents last year. Of those, 382 were property damage, 136 people injured, and three fatalities. This was only four accidents less than they had investigated in 2003, with 398 of those being property damage accidents, 128 injuries and one fatality.

A great deal of the deputies' time is spent serving civil process papers which include subpoenas, summons, notifications of sheriff's sales, eviction notices, small claim actions, complaints and tax warrants. In 2004 there were a total of 350 warrants and 2968 civil process papers served. The number of hand-gun permits applied for or renewed through the Sheriff's Office was 283 in 2004, compared to 293 in 2003.

Reserve officers for the sheriff's department contributed a total of 2434.7 hours in 2004. There are eight officers, who work at no cost to the county, saving the county over $35,000.00, according to the sheriff. In 2004, they made 9 felony arrests, 5 misdemeanor arrests and 55 infractions. They also have worked 34 property damage accidents, 4 personal injury accidents, and served a total of 447 civil process notices and 27 warrants.

Ripley County deputies completed 402.5 hours of training in 2004, with Reserve Deputies completing 216 hours of training. The Ripley County Jail Officer completed 363 hours of training, which included the required Jail Officers Academy.

Jail Report for 2004:

According to information compiled by the sheriff's department, there were 1532 prisoners booked into the jail with the most frequent charge being Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated. There was an average of 17 prisoners per day on the work release program and home incarceration, with the average daily jail population being 99 inmates.

A total of 58,909 miles were traveled by deputies and jail officers in 2004, taking prisoners to court appearances, doctor and dentist appointments, and extradition of prisoners from other states. This total mileage is down significantly from 2003, when it was 75,084 miles.

There were a total of 105,009 meals served in 2004.

Since the new addition to the jail opened, it has taken in $669,724.00 in out of county housing. In 2004 alone, the first full year for the jail addition to be in operation, it took in $597,385.00 in out of county and Department of Correction housing.