HANCOCK COUNTY — The preteen boy tried to kill a family member. Not just scare or hurt a relative, but kill another person.
The child used a common household substance in a premediated attempt to poison the relative. The case was so strong Prosecutor Brent Eaton had a waiver prepared to place the youth in adult court, where he would have been facing felony charges for attempted murder.
In the end, the county’s juvenile probation department determined the child and his family would be better served attending rehabilitation programs through the Indiana Department of Correction’s Division of Youth Services.
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The boy, now a teenager, is still serving time and working through issues within the DOC, Eaton said.
Cases like these involving county youth are unfortunately not uncommon in the local legal system.
“Over the last five years we’ve noticed that the nature of offenses are much more serious,” Eaton said. “People are a reflection of the society we’re living in.”
Prior to the pandemic, officials in the county’s probation department had seen an increase in the number of juvenile cases over the past several years, something that could be attributed to the county’s population growth.
Those numbers, while always concerning, are not a source of great alarm. What is raising worries is the increasing severity of crimes being committed by county youths.
“You hit the nail on the head right there,” said Joshua Sipes, a longtime juvenile probation supervisor until being promoted head of the county probation department on 2017. “We are concerned about the types of cases we are getting.”
When Sipes started working in probation work some 20 years ago, officers dealt with a litany of petty issues, such as theft and marijuana use. Only occasionally did probation officers have to weigh waiving a case into adult court. Nowadays, it’s much different.
“The things we’re dealing with in 2021 include having kids who routinely experiment (with) or use heroin,” Sipes said. “We’re also seeing a lot of kids who commit armed robbery, rape and other high-level felony cases.”
Sipes and probation officers keep track of youth offenders under four categories, including supervised cases; referrals; non-status delinquents and status delinquents. While adults are charged with felonies and misdemeanors, juveniles are not unless the crime reaches a certain severity.
Three fulltime juvenile probation officers are assigned about 40 cases at a time. The officers will spend more time on the cases with more severe issues. The probation department handles juvenile cases before the prosecutor or courts, which is different from adult cases that go from law enforcement to the prosecutor, courts and then probation.
Juvenile probation applies justice with as little intervention from the courts as possible unless a case warrants the prosecutor and courts get involved, which is happening more and more because of the severity of crimes, Sipes said.
“We’ve kind of become the agency for juveniles in severe trouble who provide those services they need,” Sipes said. “You’re more than an operative for the court; nowadays, you’re a social worker.”
Eaton noted many children are coming from homes with substance abuse problems coupled with mental health issues.
“If you’ve got a home with substance abuse problems you’re going to have more juveniles who are going to have a higher chance of having substance abuse issues,” Eaton said.
Before the pandemic hit, officials from the prosecutor’s office, the county’s school districts, law enforcement, probation and fire safety used to hold regular monthly safety meetings to discuss ways to combat juvenile issues.
“We’d try to all work together to provide some guidance to our principals and school officials so we can have a safe community for students and families,” Eaton said.
He’s hopeful the meetings will get back on track sooner rather than later.
The county’s probation office also works closely with the county’s four school districts, who all employ school resource officers.
“Those officers are helping immensely,” Sipes said. “Our relationship with those officers is a big help.”
While the SRO’s work as law enforcement in the county schools, they’re also authority figures who can help students who need assistance with all kinds of personal and family issues.
When Bob Ehle, New Palestine police chief, first got into law enforcement decades, ago there were no SROs. About the only trouble he’d have with juveniles was on a Friday or Saturday night when he’d run across an occasional teenage beer party and would have to send kids on their way. Nowadays, the issues and situations teenagers and children are putting themselves into even while inside a school building are much more severe.
“The vape and THC usage is way up,” Ehle said, referring to the active ingredient in marijuana that leads to impairment and can now be found in vape cartridges. “Juveniles are just more apt to try things nowadays — they’re much more brazen.”
Officials with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department reported juvenile arrests are on track to top 70 this year, which is a concerning number.
“The 2021 increase may be attributed to juveniles not being locked down so strictly due to COVID-19,” said Capt. Robert Harris, public information officer for the sheriff’s department.
In many households, parents have returned to work, but many juveniles are still taking part in virtual learning. The result is more juveniles at home, all day, unsupervised.
Marion County also is influencing the amount of juvenile crime here. Sheriff’s officials confirm that many of the higher-level crimes teenagers are committing such as burglary, robbery, stolen vehicles and possession of hard drugs are being committed by juveniles who live in Indianapolis but who are committing the crimes in Hancock County, Harris said.
Those children are now part of county statistics.
The county doesn’t have a place to hold juveniles. It instead has a contract with the Delaware County Juvenile Detention center, where they can house juveniles for 2,000 evenings of incarceration per year. Officials noted they were close to using all those nights each of the past several years except during the pandemic.
A juvenile’s history will always have a bearing on how county officials handle youth issues, Sipes said. He’d prefer people who are responsible for children to work more closely with them.
“Anyone who has worked with me over the years knows I always say two things: You owe your kids love and consistency,” Sipes said. “If you can do those as a parent or a caregiver, it will make a difference. Saying ‘no’ to going out with the wrong group of kids always needs to be ‘no.’”
Education or learning a skill is also key with keeping today’s youth out of the criminal justice system regardless of where a person comes from or their home life.
“The more education you get the less likely you are to end up in the system,” Sipes said. “We don’t have a jail full of doctors, lawyers and engineers.”
