The number of felony and misdemeanor charges filed in Marion County in 2024 soared.
State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth blames two parts of the Safety Act for a large part of the increase.
Figures compiled by Circuit Clerk Tiffany Schicker show 511 felony charges, up from 456 in 2023. Misdemeanor cases more than doubled, with 649 cases filed in 2024 compared to 245 the prior year.
Hudspeth says part of the increase is the new way cases are filed, with misdemeanor cases now being filed directly with the circuit clerk before they are reviewed by his office. He gave an example using a drug arrest.
“I’ll file felony information, open that felony case, but then the police will also issue tickets for the pipe or the syringe, which will open a new case there automatically in the circuit clerk’s office,” Hudspeth said. “Where we used to have one police encounter would generate one criminal case, now we have one police encounter that might generate two criminal cases. It’s resulting in more work for my office and the circuit clerk’s office. Opening those files is kind of busy work, and unfortunately just a waste everybody’s time.”
Hudspeth says some of the misdemeanor case increase can also be attributed to his office making sure to timely review each report before the date of the notice to appear in court.
Hudspeth says the other large increase can be attributed to most charged with non-violent criminal offenses not going to jail.
“If somebody gets a ticket for drugs, they’re not brought to jail. They’re immediately let back out, and before they make their first court appearance in three weeks it’s not uncommon for them to commit one or multiple new offenses, so instead of having one or two cases to resolve, we end up with five, six, seven or more cases to resolve.”
Hudspeth says the time spent in jail can be a positive deterrent to defendants.
“When somebody used to get arrested and brought to jail, they would sit at least for a couple weeks. Dry out a little bit, maybe realize that they need help and that drugs or the criminal life is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Now there’s no incentive. They get a ticket, and they’re let right back out to go and do whatever they want to do for the next few weeks.”
Hudspeth says there currently is no legislative effort to make changes in the Safety Act.
There were 85 domestic violence cases filed in 2024, up from 68 the prior year. 302 order of protection cases were opened, up from 269 the prior year.
There was also an increase in juvenile delinquency cases from 40 in 2023 to 68 last year. Hudspeth says the number of cases last year is more in line with what the county usually sees.
DUI cases dropped 102 in 2023 to just 68 last year. There were 585 major traffic offenses last year compared to 696 the prior year. 2,437 other tickets were filed in 2024 nearly identical to the prior year.
There were 77 mental health cases seeking involuntary commitment compared to 69 the prior year.
On the civil side, 36 cases seeking more than $50,000 in damages were filed with 65 cases seeking smaller amounts. In addition, 443 small claims cases and 143 eviction cases were filed. Various units of government filed 201 ordinance violation cases.
