Pictured: Oziel Jeffries,
Byesville Rotary President; Nellie Bichard, speaker host; Judge David Ellwood,
Guernsey County Common Pleas Court; and Cpt. Tim Oliver, Chief Probation
Officer.
Attention--meeting rescheduled:
Interact Induction will be held May 7, at the Meadow Brook High School Library. The April 30 meeting will be a business meeting.
Judge Ellwood stated that the
Common Pleas Court is busy. Guernsey County has more cases per capita than
average. He explained that the high number of cases is in part due to the I70/I71
interchange. The interstates are a major route used by drug traffickers. Many
of the criminal cases heard by the court are a result of drug stops made by the
Highway Patrol.
A comparison of statistics
for 2011 and 2012 reveals that total number of cases processed by the court has
increased. Of the nine classifications of cases tracked by the Civil/Criminal
and Domestic Relations Statistical Reporters, numbers have increased in five of
nine classifications. In 2012, the total number of cases terminated by the
court increased by 37. The number of criminal cases pending in 2012 increased
by 15 over the number pending in 2011. The oil and gas boom has accounted for
some of the increased activity. Twenty three new oil and gas cases were filed
in 2012.
Judge Ellwood pointed out
that responsibility for dealing with jury trials is shared by the court and the
members of the community. To preserve the right to trial by jury which is
guaranteed by the constitution, citizens must be willing to take the time to
serve as common pleas or grand jury members.
His goals for 2012-13 include
obtaining a grant to support a drug court. He would also like to change the
arraignment process by increasing the use of the Grand Jury. Cases could be
processed more quickly by holding Grand Jury every 2 weeks. And finally,
Ellwood would like to increase the Community Service Work Program. This program
is consists of supervised felony drug users who are available to work on projects
for non-profit organizations. To date, 26 participants have graduated from the
program. In order to graduate, participants have to prove they have not used
drugs for a year.
Drugs are having an effect in
Guernsey County. Experience has shown that providing early intervention to
people involved with drugs increases the success of the intervention. The Community
Work Service Program helps provide and support early intervention efforts.
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