Washington County Attorney’s Office—2017 Annual Report 3 Message from the County Attorney… During the past year, our office has brought an increased focus on the opioid crisis and the need to focus on treatment and prevention. This crisis has resulted in many overdose deaths, specifically in Washington County alone we find over 20 people annually deceased as a result of their opioid addiction. We have responded with aggressive prosecutions of drug dealers and most recently initiated a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the widespread misuse of the powerful opioid pain medications. Similarly, we have responded strongly against juvenile sex trafficking in Washington County. The office established a Major Crimes Prosecution Section to focus on the most complex, difficult, time-consuming cases with juvenile sex trafficking priority number one. Sex trafficking is an insidious, intractable and far-reaching crime that traps vulnerable girls and often time boys in an unspeakable cycle of exploitation. The prosecution of these cases has resulted in an increased emphasis on the collection and sharing of digital evidence. In order to keep pace, we have enhanced our office technology to enable the management of the extensive digital data tied to the investigation of sex trafficking. Now let me share more about what we delivered in 2017 for our community, law enforcement partners, and citizens inside and outside the courtroom. Our dedicated prosecutors filed 1334 criminal complaints and were in trial 81 days in 2017. In 2017 over 7,440 people attended over 154 presentations sponsored by county attorney’s office staff in areas of police training and crime prevention. As we move forward, our office will build on the accomplishments of 2017 and set the bar higher for the coming year. The dedicated and hard-working employees of the county attorney’s office strive every day to seek justice on behalf of the citizens of Washington County. Members of the office remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of this great county and we look forward to working with you and our communities to make a difference in the quality of life for all citizens of Washington County. Thanks everyone for your support! Pete Orput