Felonies slide 10% in La Salle County in 2023

Six people dead from gunshot wounds. Three people charged with murder. It’s been a violent year for La Salle County. From those statistics alone, one might reasonably presume crime has risen sharply.

Felonies, as a whole, haven’t risen. La Salle County was poised to finish the year with a 10% drop in felonies over last year. In fact, the pending total is projected to stay well below 500, which has happened only three times since the Great Recession.

“It’s definitely good news that the numbers are down,” La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said.

Felonies will slide 10%

COVID-19 suppressed crime in 2020, reaching a low not seen in almost 30 years.

Felonies, however, have not surged back since infection controls were lifted. This year’s projected total is 464, 10% fewer than last year’s already-low 514.

Navarro said he hopes the post-COVID-19 totals remain down, although he certainly is displeased with the spate of gun violence and shooting deaths in 2023.

He pointed out that the homicides have been geographically concentrated – “more localized to a certain group of people” – rather than across the county as a whole.

That is indeed so. Except for the Oct. 12 slaying of a Michigan woman at Flying J Travel Plaza in La Salle (her killer died of suicide in Iowa), the pending homicide cases were clustered around the Route 23 corridor between Ottawa and Streator.

Even with the violence, the 2023 caseload is low. Fifteen years ago, amid a surge of heroin, La Salle County recorded more than 800 felony cases. This year will not hit 500.

Drunken driving will climb 5%

A year-over-year increase in drunken driving sounds bad, but there is good news, too. La Salle County last year posted its lowest-ever driving under the influence caseload (345 arrests) – so there was nowhere to go but up – and this year’s projected 363 will be second lowest.

Attorneys still marvel that drunken-driving arrests have cratered because not so long ago they were stubbornly high. La Salle County averaged 780 DUIs per year in the 2000s.

The Great Recession changed that. Prohibitive fines and costs got the attention of motorists, who trimmed the yearly total 30%. The pandemic took it even lower; 2020 was the county’s first year with a DUI total below 400.

Ottawa attorney Duane Berkland said he attributes societal changes to the decline.

“People just don’t go out as much as they used to,” Berkland said, “whether it be due to the economy and people just not having as much money, or the younger generation doing all of their socializing online as opposed to out and about, or just that people are being more cautious and not wanting to get a DUI.”

Misdemeanors will rise 23%

As with DUIs, the misdemeanor caseload will have jumped. As with DUIs, however, this year’s total will be the second lowest on record.

The legalization of cannabis set off a big drop in misdemeanor charges starting in 2017. The pandemic pushed that total to a record low and, yes, the easing of infection controls inevitably resulted in a rebound of offenses in 2023.

Mendota defense attorney David Kaleel said his DUI and misdemeanor cases have climbed since people returned to the taverns after the lifting of infection controls.

“It’s tough to get into trouble when you’re staying at home,” Kaleel said. “This year, in 2023, my DUI and misdemeanor volume increased substantially. People started going to bars again, and alcohol is the root cause of 60% of my criminal cases.”

Peru attorney John Fisher said he’s seen an increase in domestic violence arrests and in missed court dates. He attributed the upswing to the SAFE-T Act, which made Illinois a cash-free bail state and, in turn, reduced the threat of being jailed.

“I do think a deterrent effect has been lost,” Fisher said. “I do think low-level offenses and felonies will climb, but it will take more time to see the actual effect.”