More adults were charged with felonies last year

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

There were 69 individuals charged with 102 offenses last year in the city. In 2010 there were 47 individuals charged. Among Dakota County cities only Mendota Heights and Farmington had fewer defendants and fewer charges.

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

Drug-related offenses were the most commonly charged felony last year in Rosemount, with 27 charges. Sex-related offenses, including possession of child pornography, were next with nine, followed by forgery and burglary with eight offenses each.

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: crime and courts, dakota county, news, crime, rosemount