By BETH ZUMWALT
According to statistics from the Pike County Circuit Clerk’s office, fewer offenses were committed in the county than in 2021 which was evenly matched with upward and downward trends.
As the county emerged post COVID, felonies were down by 28, misdemeanors by 55, traffic by 701, driving under the influence by 28, orders of protection by 23 and divorces by 14.
“Every year is different,” Alisha Ballinger of Quanada, who helps victims of domestic abuse obtain orders of protection, said. “We are really close to being ahead already this year.”
Felonies cases can be misleading, as one case filed may include multiple charges. Such as several counts of the same offense and even related, but totally different offenses.
Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood says each year will present differently, with peaks and valleys.
“But I think the big drop in misdemeanors is that cannabis possession is now a civil offense, it is not a misdemeanor any more,” he said. “A lot of our misdemeanor offenses were possession of cannabis charges.”
