Washington County attorney briefs Cottage Grove council on auto‑theft surge, trafficking unit and juvenile diversion

Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson told the Cottage Grove City Council on Oct. 1 that public safety remains his office’s “paramount concern,” summarizing recent local crime trends, investigative tools and diversion programs.

Magnuson said the county attorney’s office handles roughly 1,200 charging decisions a year from about 1,400 law‑enforcement referrals — a referral-to-charge rate he described as about 80–85 percent — and outlined staffing of roughly 61 employees split about half staff, half attorneys.

The presentation focused on vehicle thefts and related youth involvement. Magnuson said auto thefts climbed sharply around 2020–2021 and then began declining; he cited an example increase from 35 charged fleeing‑in‑motor‑vehicle incidents in 2018 to 111 in 2022. He described a pattern in which juveniles first “joyride” in stolen vehicles and then escalate to more serious offending, citing the so‑called “Kia challenge” method used to start some older Kias and Hyundais.

“The risk should not be borne on the community members that may or may not know that they’re living next to someone like that,” Magnuson said, arguing for enforcement paired with rehabilitation where appropriate.

Magnuson credited automatic license‑plate readers — which he referred to by a commonly used vendor name, FLAC — for helping investigators quickly locate vehicles with criminal histories and said such systems have been effective in neighboring cities. He acknowledged civil‑liberties concerns and stressed that obtaining detailed location or tracking information is typically done pursuant to a judge‑authorized warrant.

He also described the county’s human‑trafficking task force as a local asset, saying Cottage Grove has been an active partner. Magnuson recounted a case in which investigators used phone‑data warrants to locate and recover a 14‑year‑old runaway; the trafficker in that case was later convicted and sentenced to 100 months in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender, Magnuson said.

On juvenile prosecution, Magnuson said most young offenders (he estimated 70–75 percent) are handled through diversion programs run with local nonprofit partners such as the Youth Service Bureau. He added that roughly 10 juveniles per year produce the majority of the office’s most serious juvenile caseloads.

Council members asked about interagency task forces, the county drug task force and embedded social workers. Magnuson credited local nonprofits and embedded social‑work models for helping prevent escalation and for providing diversion programming.

Mayor Myron Bailey and other council members contrasted Washington County’s enforcement emphasis with policies in some neighboring counties, and Magnuson reiterated that the county favors enforcement of traffic and theft laws while also seeking to use diversion where appropriate.

Magnuson closed by congratulating county partners and urging continued collaboration between the county attorney’s office, city law enforcement and nonprofit service providers.