WASHINGTON CO. SHERIFF, DISTRICT ATTORNEY REPORT INCREASE IN CASES

  

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office both saw a noticeable uptick in workload from 2023 to 2024.

During annual reports presented at last week’s county commissioners meeting, Sheriff Trey Holleway and District Attorney Derek Estep presented data showing that their offices investigated and processed more cases from year to year.

Holleway, citing data recorded through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), said the sheriff’s office handled 900 total offenses last year, up from 672 in 2023.  Of those 900, 293 were classified as “Group A” offenses, comprised of assaults, sex offenses, burglaries and thefts, while 607 were “Group B” offenses, such as fraud, criminal mischief, and drug or intoxication offenses.

According to the report, the county’s “Group A” offenses increased by 68 percent from 2023 to 2024, while “Group B” offenses went up by 22 percent.

Last year’s activity led to 1,408 inmates being booked into the county jail, though Holleway said that number falls below the average of 1,733 seen since 2016.

The county’s average daily population of inmates for 2024 was 113.  The county has 175 beds in the jail, but categorization requirements prevent certain inmates from being housed together based on risk factors.

Commissioner Candice Bullock, mentioning the county’s work to create a new strategic plan and improve the jail kitchen, asked Holleway at what point will it be necessary to look at possibly expanding the jail when seeing these trends.  Holleway said the Texas Commission on Jail Standards offers a service by request to survey county jails, analyze their future needs and make recommendations.

On the side of the district attorney’s office, Estep, using data generated by the Office of Court Administration based off monthly reports from the district clerk, said 330 cases were indicted in 2023.  That figure jumped to 494 last year.  The number of case dispositions also grew from year to year, from 372 in 2023 to 453 in 2024. 

Estep said the percentage of cases disposed within 90 days grew in 2024, with 170 cases reaching a resolution during that timeframe last year in comparison to 112 the year before.  Estep said despite the overall number of cases climbing, the district attorney’s office is working hard to not let them pile up in a backlog.

Estep said his office continues to find small steps it can take to move cases through the court system more effectively, but at some point, it will reach a point where it has to “make a big bet.”  Commissioner Kirk Hanath told Estep that his office will be included in the county’s strategic planning process and that this data will be used to help make improvements.

Click here to view the full annual report presented by the sheriff's office.

Click here to view the full annual report presented by the district attorney's office.