It’s been a busy year for the Independence County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff Shawn Stephens told White River Now’s Gary B. this morning that his department, along with the Batesville Police Department and the 16th Judicial Drug Task Force, filed 415 felony cases in 2017 — and this year’s cases will surpass that number.
One reason for the high number of cases filed the last two years has been the cooperation between all three departments, according to the sheriff. Working together and sharing information makes the job easier, Stephens told Gary B., and it leads to more felony cases being filed in circuit court.
The sheriff said all of his department’s staff positions have been staffed for some time now, and he appreciates the work his men and women have done to put lawbreakers in jail, adding a good many of the cases filed this year continued to be illegal-drug related.
Sheriff Shawn Stephens / White River Now file photo
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