TERRE HAUTE —
Mortgage foreclosure filings in Vigo County continued to drop during the past year, dipping below the pre-housing crisis level of 10 years ago, according to an annual court statistics report released this week.
The total number of criminal and civil cases filed in Vigo County rose slightly during 2011, and the number of criminal and civil cases disposed by the courts – 32,942 – was an improvement over the 2010 statistic of 31,885 cases resolved.
The annual report from the Indiana Supreme Court’s Division of State Court Administration also presented 2011 statistics for Vigo County that showed a slight decline in the number of divorces and legal separations.
While the state’s foreclosure crisis reached a high of 45,394 cases filed in 2008, the crisis struck Vigo County about two years earlier, as evidenced by the record 612 mortgage foreclosure filings that hit the county court system in 2006.
An interesting 2011 statistic pointed out by Judge David Bolk of Vigo Superior Court 3 was that the number of Children in Need of Services cases (indicated as JC in the accompanying statistics) rose by 72 cases, after taking a dramatic dip in the year prior. Those cases stem from action taken by the Department of Child Services to intervene on behalf of children at risk of neglect or injury.
Taking a quick review of the statistics on Thursday, Judge Bolk said no statistical area jumped out at him as a surprise. The number of new cases filed each year tends to vary, he said, noting that the number of criminal cases filed during the past three years seems to remain steady.
Overall, Vigo County had 33,011 criminal and civil cases filed in 2011 through its court system, which includes a circuit, six superior, a juvenile and a city court. That number of filings is about 5,800 less than in 2008, when a high of 38,808 cases were filed with the courts.
Bolk noted that one area where he pushed the county court system this year has been in the resolution of guardianship and estate cases.
During the first three quarters of 2012, more than 953 guardianship cases have been closed. Many of those cases were several years old, Bolk said, and the court system had not done a good job in keeping track of them.
The parties involved in guardianship cases are required by state law to submit an update to the court every two years concerning the condition of the protected ward, whether it is a juvenile or an endangered adult, and to state how any funds are being spent in the care of the ward.
A review by probate clerk June Jackson revealed that many juveniles in guardianships had reached adulthood and were no longer under the oversight of a guardian. And, some of the protected adults had died, ending the guardianship.
Also during the first nine months of 2012, 86 new guardianship cases were opened in the county court system.
In estate cases, which are supposed to be resolved within 18 months, the court system reviewed and closed 281 cases. However, another 221 new cases were opened. At the end of September, the courts had 717 active estates in probate court, which are handled by the Division 1, 2 and 3 superior courts.
Overall, the Vigo County court system has a busy caseload. The state statistics showed that Superior Court 5, which handles drunken driving-related offenses, had the most new cases filed in 2011 -- 390 class-D felonies and 706 criminal misdemeanors.
The full report is available online at the Indiana Supreme Court’s Division of Court Administration website at www.in.gov/judiciary/admin.
Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Vigo County mortgage filings fall below pre-housing crisis level
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Holcomb, other top leaders leaving Indiana GOP helm
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb leads a number of high-level departures from the state party half a year after the 2012 elections.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 19, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday, based on jail records.
-
Right lane of U.S. 41 South closed at Harlan Road
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. – An intersection improvement project on U.S. 41 and Harlan Road has closed the right lane for southbound traffic beginning today. This lane closure is scheduled to last about one month.
-
Terre Haute Coke & Carbon: Cleaning up a legacy
When heavy equipment starts moving dirt next week at the former Terre Haute Coke and Carbon industrial site, city officials hope a new day will be dawning for a long-neglected part of town.
-
Diversity growing: New census report shows changing face of Indiana
Like the rest of the nation, Indiana is continuing on a trend toward greater diversity as the numbers of Hispanics, blacks, Asians and other minorities are rising at a faster pace than whites.
-
Valley following diversity path of nation, Indiana
Like much of Indiana, the majority white population in the Wabash Valley is on the decline, while minority populations are on the increase.
-
Court lets walkout fines against House Democrats stand
House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse two years ago during a legislative session won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Arrest made, victim identified in Rosedale homicide
The victim in a Parke County homicide that occurred last week has been identified as Kathryn A. Bays, 55, of Rosedale.
-
Vermillion industrial park gets award for transition
The Vermillion Rise Mega Park, a former chemical weapons base now an industrial park north of Clinton, has gotten national attention for its rapid transition to civilian from military use.
-
Slight damage from evening storm
Very little damage was reported from a late evening storm that rolled through the Wabash Valley on Tuesday.
-
U.S. 41 lane restrictions
Motorists should expect delays because of lane restrictions on U.S. 41 in Sullivan County next week as a railroad company repairs a rail crossing 1.2 miles north of Shelburn.
-
Lane restrictions next week on U.S. 41 at Shelburn
SHELBURN, Ind. – Motorists should expect minimal delays because of lane restrictions for U.S. 41 in Sullivan County next week as the railroad company makes repairs to the rail crossing 1.2 miles north of Shelburn.
-
Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.
-
UPDATE: Parke County homicide victim identified
ROSEDALE — The victim in a Parke County homicide that occurred last week has been identified as Kathryn A. Bays, 55, of Rosedale.
-
Court lets walk-out fines against House Democrats stand
INDIANAPOLIS — House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 18, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
Back home again: Items from vaudeville stage and Terre Haute native sent to Historical Society
The staff at the Vigo County Historical Museum are excited about the arrival of priceless items used by Terre Haute-native Rose Fehrenbach and her husband, Edward Pierce, to promote their Vaudeville acts in the early 20th century.
-
Husband charged in Archer homicide
Terre Haute Police have found local reports of domestic violence between a Terre Haute man and his wife, whose body was discovered wrapped in a tarp and dumped in an Ohio ditch.
-
National Road panels dedicated
Rewind to the mid-1800s, when the trotting of a horse and buggy on National Road could be heard alongside the voices of people heading west, searching for opportunities.
-
Pence sets agency priorities
Following a directive from Gov. Mike Pence, state agency heads are reorganizing some of their top priorities to better reflect the first-year governor’s “roadmap for Indiana” plan for improving the state’s economy, infrastructure and health.
-
Another I-70 traffic snarl: Three injured in two related crashes
Three people were injured Monday afternoon from a pair of crashes on Interstate 70 that temporarily closed the highway and diverted traffic into Terre Haute.
-
Terre Haute man still hospitalized after scooter/car crash
A Terre Haute man remained hospitalized Monday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after his scooter struck a car early Saturday on Wabash Avenue at 25th Street.
-
Overpass repairs causing Interstate 70 lane restrictions
Repairs to the Frye Road overpass in southeastern Vigo County has caused a restriction to the left lane of Interstate 70 between the 13- and 14-mile markers, about two miles east of the Indiana 46 exit.
-
Indiana woman condemned for killing at 15 is freed
A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 for taking part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old Bible studies teacher was released from an Indiana prison Monday after growing to middle age behind bars.
-
Grant will let Vigo Library evaluate map collection
The Vigo County Public Library has received a $2,000 grant to evaluate its historic map collection, a library official announced Monday.
-
Four juveniles caught on elementary school roof; one injured jumping off
Police say a juvenile was lucky to have suffered only a broken leg after jumping from the roof of a Vigo County elementary school – dropping about 30 feet to the ground.
-
Farmersburg man sentenced after guilty plea in rape case
A Farmersburg man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a rape that occurred at his parents’ residence in May 2012.
-
Still no information being released on Rosedale homicide
No new information was being released Monday afternoon concerning a Rosedale homicide.
-
Woman condemned for killing at age 15 freed from Rockville prison
INDIANAPOLIS — A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 for taking part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old bible studies teacher was released from an Indiana prison today after growing to middle age behind bars.
-
UPDATE: All lanes of I-70 now open
All lanes of Interstate 70 in Vigo County are now open — as of 4:15 p.m. — after multiple crashes shut down the eastbound lanes temporarily this afternoon.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Holcomb, other top leaders leaving Indiana GOP helm




