BUCYRUS — Since taking the bench of the Crawford County Common Pleas Court in 2015, Judge Sean Leuthold has made it his priority to get tough on drug crime in Crawford County.
New numbers suggest his policies are working. Reported drug crime in Crawford County is on the decline. The raw numbers represent citizens who reported crimes to law enforcement.
According to Bucyrus Police Chief David Koepke, burglaries and break-ins dropped from 192 in 2014 to 64 in 2019. Thefts decreased from 470 in 2014 to 256 in 2019 and robberies went from 10 in 2014 to two in 2019.
In Galion, according to Chief Brian Satterfield, burglaries and break-ins went from 122 in 2014 to 28 in 2019, thefts fell from 466 in 2014 to 151 in 2019 and robberies declined from five in 2014 to three in 2019.
In Crestline, according to Chief Jeff Shook, burglaries and break-ins went from 90 in 2014 to10 in 2019. Thefts decreased from 253 in 2014 to 36 in 2019 and robberies went from one in 2014 to zero in 2019.
In the county townships, according to Sherriff Scott Kent, burglaries and break-ins went from 111 in 2014 to 42 in 2019, thefts went from 224 in 2014 to 86 in 2019, and robberies remained at zero for both years.
In total between 2014 and 2019, crime has dropped in Crawford County by 65%.
“Drug-related crime dropped another 20% between 2014-19 due to a significant drop in burglaries and thefts,” Leuthold said.
“The prosecutor’s office is continuing to pursue indictments against those people who continue to break the law,” Prosecutor Matt Crall said.
“Drug-related crime has continued to drop for the last five years. We are now on a path where crime is down 65% since 2015. That’s a fantastic number. I believe everyone involved deserves credit, especially law enforcement officers who are on the front line,” Leuthold said.