Adult felony charges were up last year

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There were more adults charged with felony-level offenses last year in Farmington, mirroring a trend countywide.

There were 39 individuals charged with 70 offenses last year in the city. In 2010 there were 31 individuals charged.

Among Dakota County cities only Mendota Heights had fewer defendants and fewer charges.

The Dakota County Attorney’s office recently released adult felony statistics for the year.

Sex-related offenses, including possession of child pornography, were the most commonly charged last year in Farmington with 15 instances. Drug-related offenses were second on the list with 14, followed by theft-related offenses with 10.

Countywide, the number of adults charged with felonies increased for the first time since 2005. There were 1,714 adults charged with felonies last year, up 17 percent from the 1,464 charged in 2010.

The 2011 number is still below the county’s 2005 peak of 1,926.

Drug offenses remained the most common countywide, making up 24 percent of the felony caseload at the Dakota County Attorney’s office. There were 403 adults countywide charged with drug offenses, up from 395 in 2010. Most of those were related to methamphetamine, though the number of meth-related charges dropped from 168 in 2010 to 156 in 2011.

There were 102 marijuana-related charges last year, including one that involved the seizure of nearly 400 pounds of the drug.

Tags: school district 192, news, farmington, government