Felonies down slightly in Kane County

Kane County courtrooms are dealing with slightly fewer felony cases than they were the same time last year, but the county is on par to record roughly the same felony caseload as in previous years.

The county's juvenile division also already has seen its requests for shelter care hearings double from the 2007 total number, according to data released by the state's attorney's office.

"Although some of these statistics are trending down, they still show a need for vigilant law enforcement," Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti said in a statement.

Court records through the end of June show Kane County prosecutors had filed 1,749 felony cases, 150 fewer than during the same period in 2007, when a year-end 3,849 offenses were charged as felonies.

Prosecutors also have filed 3,049 misdemeanor cases so far in 2008, 816 misdemeanor domestic violence cases, and 1,054 misdemeanor drunken-driving cases, the records show.

In juvenile court, prosecutors have filed 65 shelter care hearings in 2008, a double-digit boost from the 37 total for the previous year, according the state's attorney's office.

Requests for shelter care are emergency hearings to determine if the state can take temporary custody of a minor.

Also this year, 60 felony cases have gone to trial, in addition to 66 misdemeanor trials and 29 drunken-driving trials. Prosecutors also have cleared 1,384 felony files from the court docket so far in 2008.

Police throughout Kane County also have issued more than 53,194 traffic tickets this year, the data shows. The county's grand jury also has issued 218 subpoenas for evidence - a 10 percent increase from last year.