GREENVILLE — The Darke County Court of Common Pleas – General Division consists of civil, criminal and domestic relations matters. The Court consists of Judge Travis L. Fliehman, Magistrate Brittany M. Johns, Court Administrator Tracey Drew, Bailiff Chip Roberts, and Administrative Assistants Vickie Wessling and Tiffany Wheeler.
The Civil Division involves cases regardless of the dollar amount in controversy, including contracts, personal injury, business issues, real estate, and foreclosures. In 2023, a total of 298 new civil cases were filed, which is up from the 3-year average of 250 cases. The Court resolved 287 cases (27 by trial), with 116 cases still pending.
In the Domestic Relations Division, the Court presides over cases involving divorce, dissolution, child custody, visitation, support and other family matters. Magistrate Johns, who manages the Domestic Relations docket, was a great addition to the Court’s staff in March 2023. Last year, a total of 138 new divorce/dissolution cases were file, along with 281 other matters. The Court resolved 423 cases, with 92 cases still pending. Over the previous 3-years, there were annually 159 divorce/dissolution cases filed, along with 204 other matters.
The Criminal Division involves adult felonies. In 2023, a total of 311 new criminal cases were filed, which is up from the 3-year average of 249 cases. The Court resolved 300 cases (7 by trial), with 97 cases still pending. The Judge sentenced 42 defendants to prison, with the remaining defendants receiving local jail time and/or community control sanctions following conviction.
New Cases (3-Year Average) – 250, Civil; 362, Domestic Relations; 249, Criminal
New Cases in 2023 – 298, Civil; 409, Domestic Relations; 311, Criminal
Cases Pending as of 12-31-22 – 105, Civil; 106, Domestic Relations; 86, Criminal
Cases Resolved in 2023 – 287, Civil; 423, Domestic Relations; 300, Criminal
Cases Pending as of 12-31-23 – 116, Civil; 92, Domestic Relations; 97, Criminal
The Court also operates the Adult Probation Department, which consists of Chief James Mollette, Assistant Chief John Tabler, and Probation Officers Amber Richardson, Kira Burton, Alisa Bubeck, Michael Albright, Rick Genovesi, and Tom Fourman, along with Office Administrator, Amanda Neff. The Adult Probation Department supervises two groups: (i) defendants during pretrial, and (ii) criminal defendants placed on community control as part of their sentence. As of December 31, 2023, the Probation Department was supervising 120 persons as part of pretrial and 347 criminal defendants (253 males & 94 females) on community control. Also, $104,280.53 in restitution was collected and dispersed to victims of crimes in 2023.
As your new judge in 2023, I want to thank the community for your continued support and prayers. Also, thank you to the fantastic staff noted above and their professionalism and commitment, and to all the residents of Darke County who served as a Grand Juror or Petit Juror this past year; our system of justice could not operate without everyone’s willingness to serve.
