DRUG CASES UP; FELONIES IN OTHER CATEGORIES FALL

Felony cases in Mesa County declined in 2007, although drug arrests spiked.

Mesa County District Court reported 2,107 felony cases during 2007,
compared with 2,115 felony cases during 2006. Felony drug cases
increased 19 percent to 220 during 2007.

Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said the increase in
drug cases shows that law enforcement and prosecutors are working
together to "put the right people behind bars."

Other kinds of felony cases decreased last year. Fraud cases and
homicides decreased the most, 50 percent.

Mesa County sent almost twice as many cases to jury trials than more
populated areas in the state. Mesa County had 59 felony jury trials
during 2006 and 63 jury trials during 2007. That's more than twice as
many jury trials than in district attorney offices in larger cities
of Fort Collins and Boulder, Hautzinger said.

Hautzinger said the fight against methamphetamine was a factor in the
decrease of felony filings because prosecuting and preventing drug
crimes can decrease other offenses.

Felony filings peaked in 2005, and Hautzinger said the decrease in
felony filings is significant because it is occurring despite a
population increase.

Traffic cases in Mesa County showed the sharpest increase, from 5,069
in 2006 to 5,849 last year. Grand Junction Police Department officer
T.J. Rix said those numbers may be up because of the work of a new
Street Crimes Unit. He said the population increase contributes to
more traffic stops and subsequent citations.