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Sunday, July 29, 2007
Ind. Courts - "Court caseload increase leaves Vigo judge ‘baffled’"
Deb McKee reported Saturday in the Terre Haute Tribune-Star in a story that begins:
One Vigo County court has been experiencing higher-than-normal caseloads during the first half of the year, causing some to wonder if certain types of offenses are being committed more often — or if increased patrols are catching more.Vigo County Superior Court Division 5, which handles all drug- and alcohol-related offenses, has seen an almost 17 percent increase in criminal cases filed in the first half of 2007, from those filed in the first half of 2006.
From Jan. 1 to June 27, 2006, 583 cases were filed in Division 5. During the same period in 2007, 684 cases have been filed.
Not all cases are drug- or alcohol-related, according to Division 5 Judge Barbara Brugnaux, but they make up the majority of the docket. So far in 2007, substance-related cases account for about 94 percent of new cases filed.
Brugnaux said one type of case, in particular, has court staff shaking their heads.
“We’ve really been rather baffled by the increase in drunk driving cases,” she said, “and we can’t pinpoint any one reason.”
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 29, 2007 01:22 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts