In 2024, 26 domestic violence and 16 strangulation charges were filed at the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office, according to their office’s internal records. According to the same records, 19 domestic violence and one strangulation case were filed in 2023.
In April 2023, strangulation charges were bumped up to a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor in Ohio. The offense can be classified as a second-, fourth- or fifth-degree felony.
Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville said he’s unsure if the uptick is a trend or a one-time numbers bump.
Domestic violence cases filed in Mount Vernon Municipal Court have increased in recent years, according to court records.
In 2020, 75 domestic violence cases were filed in municipal court. In 2024, it was 104. The height of domestic violence cases in municipal court was in 2022 with 115.
The Ohio Domestic Violence Network, a statewide agency collecting domestic violence data, counted 114 total intimate partner-related fatalities from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
Nationally, an estimated 10 million people every year are affected by domestic violence, according to the National Institute of Health. Data also shows as many as one in four women and one in 9 men are victims of domestic violence.
Domestic violence clients rose for New Directions
Knox County-based domestic violence service center New Directions has seen an increase in domestic violence clients served in the past four years.
In 2021, New Directions served 258 domestic violence clients, according to the agency’s internal data. In 2024, it was 328.
New Directions also conducts lethality assessment protocol (LAP) screenings, where law enforcement endeavors to help identify survivors at the highest risk of serious harm, and connecting them to resources while on scene, executive director Lindsey Lamp said.
Those screenings also significantly increased from 2021 to 2024 — from 56 to 78. The Mount Vernon Police Department received 205 domestic violence calls in 2024, according to department records. In 2023, it was 217.
“This suggests not only a rise in cases but potentially an increase in the severity of violence survivors are experiencing,” Lamp said.
Several factors could contribute to the increase in police response to domestic violence incidents, Lamp said.
“Community awareness of domestic violence and how to be an active bystander plays a critical role, as more community members may be recognizing signs of abuse and contacting law enforcement,” Lamp said.
New Directions also offers legal advocacy for domestic violence survivors, either assisting with protection orders or collaborating with law enforcement and law enforcement education, Lamp said.
Mount Vernon Police Chief Robert Morgan said his agency is seeing a lot more domestic violence prosecutions throughout the county.
Morgan said domestic violence calls are “one of the most dangerous, calls we go on” due to the high emotional scenarios.
Original Source: Grant Ritchey, Knox Pages. Click here for original post!