The Greene County Attorney believes he is gaining more momentum in prosecuting criminal cases.

County Attorney Thomas Laehn says his office averages 250 criminal cases annually, but is only given ten jury trial dates. He explains the vast majority of cases have to be resolved through plea agreements, which he is only given one year to do so from the time a suspect is arraigned, otherwise he automatically loses the case and the individual goes free. He says the criteria he typically uses to determine which cases to go to trial include how old a case is, the seriousness of the crime and most importantly if the defendant is being reasonable with the punishment for their crime.

“If the defendant is unwilling to accept responsibility and a fair and proportionate punishment that’s the case I’m taking to trial. And it’s only if I have a reputation for being willing to do that, so I have any leverage during plea negotiations. The defendant has to know that I am willing to take any case to trial, regardless of the seriousness of the offense.”

Laehn believes in the jury trial process and believes cases should be tried by people from the same community that crimes were committed in. Laehn feels he’s getting criminals to acknowledge his harsh stance.

“My proudest moment so far as Greene County Attorney, as part of an investigation the sheriff’s office was reviewing social media messages between two individuals that we were investigating and one of the participants said ‘Whatever you do, don’t get caught in Greene County. We know we’re making a difference.”

Laehn appreciates the investigative work by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson Police Department.