Case Disposition Types

Prosecuted cases can end—or be disposed—in one of several ways: A case may end with a plea agreement, it may go to trial, or it may be dismissed by OAG or the court. The ultimate resolution of a case is based on a variety of factors, including the amount and quality of the evidence available. When a case results in a finding of guilt – either through a plea agreement or trial – a judge sentences the defendant for the offense. When a case is dismissed or a defendant is acquitted at trial, the defendant is not sentenced, and the case is closed. 

Notes: 

  • Dismissals may occur as a result of either plea agreements or successful completion of diversion or deferred prosecution agreements
  • Cases pending a deferred sentencing agreement are classified as open. 
  • Although judicial summonses also receive a disposition, they are not shown above, because OAG does not consistently receive disposition data on judicial summonses from the Court.

Glossary

Dashboard Filters

Charge Categories: Broad classification of the offense(s) on a case. The charges entered may be the charges the person was arrested for or the charges filed by OAG. The charge categories consist of:

  • Court Order Violation: Includes condition of release violation; violation of criminal protection or stay away order; and failure to appear.
  • Fraudulent Activity: Includes false information, personation, representation, or statements; false report to the police; tax-related offenses; and welfare fraud.
  • Quality of Life Offenses: Includes crowding, obstructing, or incommoding; crossing police lines; defacing public toilets; disorderly conduct; drinking in public or intoxication; gambling; public consumption of marijuana; metro-related offenses; panhandling; possession of open container of alcohol; purchasing or providing alcohol to a minor; and vending offenses.
  • Traffic Offenses: Includes driving under the influence or operating while impaired; driving with no permit; misuse of tags; altered or counterfeit tags; failure to obey; failure to exhibit permit or registration; leaving after collision; operating after revocation or suspension; operating ATV or dirt bike; reckless or aggravated reckless driving; and speed in excess of 30 mph over limit.
  • Victim Offenses: Includes failure to pay wages; failure to report abuse; indecent exposure; proposal to a minor; lewd, indecent, or obscene acts; and tampering with automobile or bicycle.
  • Weapons Offenses: Includes possession of unregistered firearm or ammunition; possession of BB gun; failure to holster or notify of concealed carry; carrying a pistol in a prohibited location or manner; and discharging a firearm without a permit.
  • Other: All other offenses, including illegal presence in a building, fire code violations, failure to post/exhibit business license, fishing without a license, misrepresentation of age to procure alcohol, unlawful demonstration, and violation of stay-at-home order during Covid-19 pandemic emergency.

Charges: Type of offense(s) on a case. The charges entered on a case may be the charges the person was arrested for or the charges filed by OAG. 

Gender: Gender of defendant reported by the arresting agency. Only female, male, and unknown categories are available to be reported.

Race/Ethnicity: Race/ethnicity of defendant reported by the arresting agency. Because race and ethnicity are not reported consistently, these have been combined into a single measure, where an individual of any race with Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is recorded as Hispanic/Latino.

Types of Dispositions

Plea of Guilty: Case resolution by plea agreement, where a defendant pleads guilty.

Plea of Guilty – DSA: Case resolution by guilty plea with a deferred sentencing agreement (DSA), where the defendant pleads guilty, but sentencing is deferred. If the defendant satisfies the conditions of the DSA, the guilty plea is withdrawn and the case is dismissed. If the defendant does not meet the conditions of the DSA, a judge sentences the defendant for the offense.

OAG Dismissal: Case dismissal initiated by OAG. This includes dismissals that occur as a result of plea agreements.

Court Dismissal: Case dismissal initiated by the court. This includes cases dismissed by a judge with or without prejudice, as well as those in which the defendant has passed away.

Trial - Guilty: Case resolution by a trial where the defendant is found guilty.

Trial – Not Guilty: Case resolution by a trial where the defendant is acquitted.