Montezuma County's DA office reports heavier serious caseloads, flags juvenile firearms as concern

The Montezuma County assistant district attorney and county legal staff briefed commissioners on courtroom caseloads and juvenile diversion during the workshop.

Justin Pierce, an assistant district attorney from the Durango office introduced to the board as the on-call ADA, described the current caseload and trends: county court attorneys are handling about 240 active cases each week, felony attorneys roughly 50 active cases, and the office has three pending first-degree homicide cases, which Pierce said is higher than he has seen while in office.

Commissioners and prosecutors discussed juvenile cases in which firearms are involved. "If I had juveniles that are using guns inappropriately, I don't know that getting them more access and education is the right solution," Pierce said, arguing that responses depend on the severity of the offense. County legal staff described an existing juvenile diversion program that offers classes and alternatives for lower-level matters, but noted recent filings have been more serious in nature.

The DA's office also reported that it secured a grant to keep a diversion program open but scaled staffing from three full-time positions to one and a half; federal funding losses affected the victim-witness unit, which the office supplemented with state funds. Staff said the diversion program has shown strong success rates and is a focus for reducing repeat offenses.

No formal actions or changes to diversion policy were taken at the workshop; staff said they are coordinating internally on how to respond to the increase in more serious cases.