More break-ins, drugs offenses lead to increase in Franklin County crime

An increase in burglaries and drug offenses contributed to a slight uptick in crimes reported in Franklin County last year.

Overall felony crimes in the county increased 17 percent from 2014, with 469 cases in 2015, compared to 401 the previous year, according to the annual statistics released Monday by the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Jim Raymond attributes the rise to more calls for service and property crimes that sometimes plagued the northern part of the county.

“We experienced quite a few burglaries, primarily to shops on the farms getting broken into,” Raymond said. “We tried to keep a handle on all that. A common theme was suspects were coming down from around Adams County.”

There was a 16 percent increase in break-ins and a 63 percent surge in drug offenses, the report said. The number of drug cases rose from 27 in 2014 to 44 last year.

Cases involving property being damaged went up 24 percent, with 16 more cases reported.

Raymond told the Herald deputies are already focusing on thefts and break-ins in areas like Basin City and Mesa to curb property crimes.

“We are going to continue our efforts to provide patrols up north as much as we can to address thefts,” he said. “It’s a main focus this year.”

The county saw a 45 percent dip in weapons violations and a 26 percent decrease in fraud reports, the report said. There were nine fewer larceny cases reported last year, resulting in a 9 percent drop.

Rapes and sexual offenses were up slightly, with 20 cases reported last year compared to 12 in 2014.

Shortly after Raymond unseated longtime Sheriff Richard Lathim during the 2014 election, the county investigated a gruesome double-homicide that left a teen mother and her 3-year-old son dead.

Maria G. Cruz-Cavillo, 18, and the boy, Luis F. Lopez-Cruz, were found burned July 2 in a car in a ravine near Scootney and Ridge roads. Detectives were able to arrest Cruz-Cavillo’s former boyfriend, Prudencio J. Fragos-Ramirez, 25, shortly after the bodies were found.

The Connell man is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and burning the pair.

“We got right on top of it. We were lucky we had some pretty experienced guys working that night,” Raymond said. “We were able to track down some leads pretty quick.”

Jail staff, led by Cmdr. Steve Sultemeier, continue to update and strengthen jail policies and procedures, Raymond said.

The report showed that an average of 425 inmates were booked into the jail a month and the facility housed an average of 183 per day.

The jail had been under scrutiny after allegations of misconduct and abuse surfaced. The sheriff’s office was sued by Columbia Legal Services in Seattle following an investigation by the legal-aid firm. Both sides have been in mediation trying to resolve the lawsuit.

Raymond told the Herald the sheriff’s office was able to avoid lawsuits related to the jail in 2015, something which he is proud of.

“We are concentrating on developing policies and procedures, and training on those to tighten things up,” he said. “I think we are doing pretty good.”

The sheriff’s office continued its marijuana eradication program in 2015, seizing a total of 1,335 plants in September alone, the report said. A total of six grows were identified during flyovers in August.

To see more of the report, visit the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page.

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "More break-ins, drugs offenses lead to increase in Franklin County crime."