Criminal cases, trials level off
By Jack Dura
Farmer Staff Writer
As oil prices declined last year, local criminal cases decreased.
McKenzie County State’s Attorney Chas Neff Jr. said he sees a correlation between the two in recent years. Last year, felony counts hardly changed from 2015, when the court system here took on more trials than two eastern North Dakota counties.
Felonies have risen since 2012, Neff said, from 127 to 273 last year.
Cases range from hard drugs to assaults to theft, he added.
Heroin in particular has risen in recent years. The Northwest Narcotics Task Force, which has a presence in Divide, McKenzie and Williams counties, reported 17 heroin cases last year, up from eight in 2015.
One case last year involved more than 600 grams of meth and 120 grams of heroin agents found in a hotel, the Task Force reported.
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