FRANKLIN—The City of Franklin saw adult arrests increase 11 percent in 2010 from 2009, while juvenile arrests dropped 40 percent, according to Virginia’s annual Crime Analysis Report.

During the same time period, the city experienced a 35 percent increase in arrests for drugs and a 35 percent increase in drunken driving arrests.

Presented by the Virginia State Police, the report indicates that 593 adults were arrested in 2010, up from 526 one year earlier. Seventy-three juveniles were arrested in 2009 compared to 44 in 2010.

Drug arrests jumped from 40 in 2009 to 65 in 2010. There were 22 arrests for drunken drivers in 2009 and 34 last year.

Franklin Police Lt. Tim Whitt attributed the increase in drug arrests to the police force being fully staffed.

“We can dedicate more people to narcotics enforcement opposed to when we were short of people,” Whitt said.

As for the DUI arrests, he attributed that to police being aggressive and enforcing laws to ensure the motoring public’s safety.

As for the general increase in arrests, Whitt didn’t know what to attribute that to.

“From where I’m sitting, it didn’t seem that much more from 2010 to 2009,” he said.

The charge filed most often was simple assault/intimidation; there were 106 arrests. Larceny arrests followed with 55 and public drunkenness with 37.

Franklin had no arrests for murders in 2010, one for forcible sexual offense, six for robberies and 14 for burglaries.

SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Southampton County saw its greatest increase in arrests with simple assaults, jumping to 66 in 2010 from 55 one year earlier.

Sgt. Wanda Covington, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, noted that 66 is still a relatively low number.

“The simple assault category does not break down its figures from assault between regular assaults and domestic related assaults,” Covington said. “With regular assaults involving individuals who do not fall within the statutory requirements for a domestic category, if the assault is not witnessed by law enforcement, the victim generally has to seek the warrant.”

However, if it is a domestic assault, and the victim is hurt, police can make an arrest without having witnessed the crime.

“I suspect that this may have something to do with the arrests in this category,” she said. “There are no specific factors regarding why there are more arrests in 2010 from 2009 without studying each case individually and breaking down all of the factors in each case.”

Southampton County had three arrests for murder in 2010, compared to none one year earlier. The sheriff’s office arrested six men for the Oct. 7 shooting death of Darrin Lee, 28, outside his home at Southampton Meadows Mobile Home Park after being abducted from Man Market on South Street in Franklin. Not all were immediately arrested, while charges against one man were dropped.

The sheriff’s office in 2010 made 43 drunken driving arrests, 36 for drugs, one for robbery, nine for burglaries and 14 for larceny.

ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office arrested 694 adults in 2010, down from 760 one year earlier.

The county saw its greatest increase in arrests for drugs at 116, up from 75 in 2009. The greatest decrease was for bad checks; 29 arrests were made in 2009 and seven in 2010. No one from the sheriff’s office returned a phone call to The Tidewater News.

In 2010, the sheriff’s office made 129 arrests for simple assault, 41 for larceny, nine for forcible sexual offenses, 12 for burglary and six for robbery. Deputies also arrested 103 drunken drivers.