Kane County felonies up slightly while juvenile crime jumps 19 percent
Felony filings in Kane County were up 3 percent in 2018 from the previous year, while juvenile cases saw a 19-percent spike, according to preliminary year-end figures from the state's attorney's office.
In his monthly media meeting Tuesday, State's Attorney Joe McMahon shared some figures that will be released when his office issues its annual report next month.
In 2018, McMahon's office authorized 2,494 felony cases, an increase of about 3 percent from the 2,413 filed in 2017, he said.
Felony cases reached a high mark of 3,849 in 2007, decreased each year to a low of 2,111 in 2015 and have been on the rise since, records show.
McMahon said some of felony cases are the result of authorities investigating after the initial arrest for a misdemeanor and identifying enhanced charges based on a defendant's criminal record. Overall, the rise is about less than two more felonies a week and "it's not dramatically changing our workload," McMahon said.
Last year, however, juvenile cases topped out at 393, which was an increase of 19 percent over the 329 in 2017. In 2016, juvenile cases were back at 393. McMahon said he did not know why the fall and rise in juvenile cases.
"I think the best social scientists in the world can't answer that question. I can't either," he said.
McMahon pinned part of the reason on the county eliminating its Electronic Home Monitoring Program for 2018. He says he wants it reinstated, but said the county must come up with a long-term funding source for it.
McMahon said his office also helped collect some $27 million in child support payments last year, which is comparable to past years.