Violent crime increased in Lincoln County in 2014
Violent crimes in Lincoln County were up almost across the board in Lincoln County in 2014.
According to statistics provided by Lincoln County Justice Court, assaults were up 44 percent, partner-family member assaults were up 17 percent and sex crimes jumped by 133 percent, with seven reported cases in 2014 compared to three in the previous year.
There were, however, no homicides reported in the county in 2014. There was one homicide in 2013.
The number of domestic assault and sexual assault cases could be skewed by a cultural shift slowly occurring within the county and around the nation, said Lincoln County Victim/Witness Program coordinator Lori Faulkner. “The stigma attached to reporting these crimes is starting to fade. More people are willing to come forward. The silence is starting to end,” she said.
“There is a large increase in home crimes being reported. I’d like to think it’s because we are getting the word out and making a difference,” Faulkner said. “But I think the reporting has to do with everyone getting tired of the same old thing, happening over and over. The worst part is criminals know the system better the victims. Therefore, we have to realize it makes a difference when we actually stand up and voice our opinions and concerns over these crimes and start standing up for our children and our community.”
The statistics also paint success stories for local law enforcement. Alcohol and drug-related cases are markedly down from last year.
In 2013, 274 cases of drunk driving-related charges were filed as compared with just 200 as of Dec. 29, 2014. Faulkner credited law enforcement activities as well as public education with the decrease: “The DUI arrests are going down due to the ever prominent force of law enforcement and the changes of the law regarding second offense DUIs, aggravated DUIs and being able to obtain blood tests with a search warrant and the general public actually realizing what it costs to the average person for a DUI.
Drug cases are also down, over 41 percent, in 2014. Only 126 cases were filed in 2014 as compared to 213 last year.
“We’d like to think that what we’re doing is having an impact,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe. Drug cases, he explained, are tough to investigate and sometimes even tougher to prosecute. “The laws that cover investigations of these crimes are very constrictive,” Bowe said. “Our guys follow those laws, it makes the investigations slow but we do it right,” added Undersheriff Brent Faulkner.
Sentences handed down in District Court on Monday illustrated the difficulties. One defendant, convicted of four counts of distributing drugs, was sentenced to three years probation with all fines and fees waived because he is on Social Security. Another defendant, convicted of one count of distribution, was ordered to two years of probation, with fines and fees waived for the same reason.
Property crimes such as burglary, theft and fraud were also up in 2014, by just over 54 percent. Sheriff Bowe attributed a great deal of that to the economic situation of the county. “Some people are just desperate,” he said. “Desperate people do desperate things, things they normally wouldn’t do.”
Overall, crime is up just over 11 percent in Lincoln County, with 165 cases filed in 2014 and 148 in 2013.