Series On Dickinson County Courthouse Features County Attorney Office

(Spirit Lake)– Our series highlighting offices in the Dickinson county courthouse this week focuses on the County Attorney’s Office. KUOO’s John Adams, Sr. visits with County Attorney John Martin…(click here for actuality.) John, what type of litigation occupies most of you and your staff’s time? “Well we prosecute all the state charges, criminal charges that are filed by all the police in the county, so that’s what takes up most of our time. Probably the lion’s share of the criminal cases that we prosecute, a lot of drug cases, a lot of OWI’s and we have some serious assaults and sex abuse that we also prosecute, but the lion’s share is probably drug cases and drunk driving cases.” Does the summer tourist season bring a substantial increase in your caseload, and if it does, how do you handle it? “A lot of bar activity and alcohol related activity, assault type things and disorderly type things. Those are usually less serious types of crimes, but there’s more of ’em. Over the fall, toward the winter and once those are completed then it seems like it starts all over again. So we keep very busy with the summer activity.” Is there an increase in your staff in the summer, or do you just work extra hard to get it done? “No, we just hang on and clean it up as the year goes along and as I said we start all over again when Memorial Day hits. We can take care of it pretty well.”