Every year the McLeod County Attorney’s Office files a report detailing its work.
The data for 2018 reviews criminal and misdemeanor cases, child protection cases, juvenile charges, appeals and more. McLeod County Attorney Michael Junge heads the office.
FELONY AND GROSS MISDEMEANOR CHARGES
There were 489 charges in 2018, compared to 508 the year before.
Of note are 160 drug offenses, 73 driving while impaired offenses and 47 assault charges that account for more than half of all offenses. The attorney’s office also handled 28 theft charges, 18 criminal sexual conduct charges and nine burglary charges.
Throughout the year, 223 males and 82 females were charged with crimes.
Gross misdemeanor and felony charges were filed in six welfare fraud cases. Another eight investigations were closed without charges filed. As of Dec. 31, 2018, eight investigations were pending.
MISDEMEANOR AND GROSS MISDEMEANOR CHARGES
In 2018, 631 misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor charges were administered in McLeod County. The McLeod County Attorney’s Office filed 461.
The total number of such charges increased steadily from 2011 (349 charges) to 2017 (711 charges).
The most common charge (164 instances) was speeding, followed by driving after cancellation, suspension or revocation (107), driving without insurance (86) and careless driving/reckless driving/inattentive driving/texting while driving (43).
CHILD PROTECTION
Nineteen cases involving 36 children called for a termination of parental rights in 2018.
Overall, the attorney’s office pursued 41 child protection cases involving 74 children
JUVENILE CHARGES
In 2018, 294 juveniles were charged with 371 crimes. The total is a jump from 260 crimes in 2017. Between 2009 and 2016, charges ranged from 199 to 327.
Most of these charges were against juveniles age 17 or 16, with the total steadily decreasing from age 15 to 10.
The most frequent charges were for possession or use of tobacco and possession or sale of drugs. Both charges had 39 instances. Also of note are 32 minor consumption charges, 36 curfew violations and 28 assault or domestic assault charges.
CHILD SUPPORT COLLECTIONS
The county collected $4.67 million in child support, which had a monthly average of $389,336. The amount collected has been larger than $4 million since 2001. There was a swift increase from $1.2 million in 1990 to $3.7 million in 2000.
