The Charlotte County crime rate continues to drop, following a nationwide trend in the latest Crime in Virginia report.

The report, released by the Virginia State Police, provides a look at the newest data available, which is for crimes in 2023. The Crime in Virginia report shows there were 26.99 crimes per thousand people last year in Charlotte County, down from 28.25 crimes per thousand in 2022. 

This trend has continued for all five years covered by the report that was issued earlier this month. Charlotte County’s crime rate was 28.27 per thousand people in 2021, down from 36.11 per thousand in 2020 and 37.39 crimes per thousand in 2019.

“Overall, the crime rate in the U.S. is declining according to the FBI statistics and Charlotte County has seen a decline as well,” Charlotte County Sheriff James R. “Randy” Grissom said. “There are numerous factors for the crime reduction between 2019-2023 — full statistics not available of 2024. As you can see the crime rate was higher in 2019-20 compared to 2021-23 when people began getting back to their normal lives and routines.”

Grissom said in his opinion, COVID-19 and civil unrest played major roles in the higher crime rate during the 2019-2020 period. 

“More people were staying at home due to the restricted movements caused by COVID, which I feel caused higher stress on people and families,” he said.

Charlotte County crime rate drops

While the crime rate declined, the number of crimes committed in Charlotte County remained nearly the same.

The Crime in Virginia report shows 357 crimes reported in 2023, up slightly from 355 in 2022. The sheriff’s office handled 309 cases last year, down from 323 in 2022, while the number handled by VSP rose to 48 in 2023 from 32 the previous year.

With most categories showing declines in Charlotte County, what kept the numbers up in 2023 were 59 additional drug and narcotic violations over 2022, along with four additional drug equipment charges last year.

Crimes against people and crimes against property both showed sharp declines last year.

Grissom said he attributes the drop in crime to the county’s very proactive department.  

“The numbers for drug related crimes jumped in 2023 and I give credit to our Tri-County Drug Taskforce agents and the patrol deputies for tirelessly working to combat the drug problem that we have in the United States,” the sheriff said. “Illegal drugs cause other crime categories to rise for example, we can attribute some larcenies to the drug epidemic. We will continue to work diligently against the drug problem.”

Grissom said they have added a narcotics K9 to the department, which he called a great addition to the CCSO team. 

“Illegal drugs have always been a problem, which has affected many people and families,” Grissom added.

Violent crime remained steady at similar single digit numbers from the year before, according to the Crime in Virginia report.

No murders, few violent crimes

While there were no murders reported either year, there was one additional aggravated assault in 2023. CCSO handled eight aggravated assault crimes last year, up one at seven in 2022. The report shows there was one less rape last year, with six reported in 2023, down from seven the prior year.

“We have very fine citizens who live in Charlotte County who help us and that is a very important factor,” Grissom said. “When the majority of your population are good, hardworking, law-abiding citizens who support our efforts, it contributes to our success.”

He said his department will continue to remain steadfast in the fight against not only drugs, but also criminal activity. 

“We now have deputies patrolling 24 hours a day and have stepped up our patrols at night. A very important factor to thwart criminal activity is simple presence of law enforcement.”

Grissom said he believes Charlotte County is a wonderful place and safe place to live for all. 

“Do we have crime? Yes, and we will continue to make every effort to bring the crime statistics down in the future,” he said. “I feel my deputies do a great job combating crime and providing a safe atmosphere for all Charlotte County residents and visitors.”

Charlotte County Crimes by Category

The Crime in Virginia report shows a breakdown by crime in those committed against people, society and property for Charlotte County. Only crimes against society showed an increase.

Crimes against persons

The VSP report shows that in 2023 crimes against persons totaled 110, with 109 handled by CCSO and 1 for VSP. This is down by 32 from 2022, which totaled 142 such crimes — 136 handled by CCSO and six for VSP.

Here are the breakdowns by each category:

• Negligent manslaughter — One in 2023, down from two in 2022
• All rape — Six in 2023, down from seven in 2022
• Sexual assault with an object — Two each in 2023 and 2022
• Statutory rape — One each in 2023 and 2022
• Forcible sodomy — None in 2023, down from one in 2022
• Forcible fondling — None in 2023, down from four in 2022
• Aggravated assault — Eight in 2023, up from seven in 2022
• Simple assault — 88 in 2023, a drop from 107 in 2022
• Intimidation — Six in 2023, down from 11 in 2022
• Human trafficking, commercial sex acts — None in 2023, down from one in 2022

Crimes against society

The statewide Crime in Virginia report shows crimes against society totaled 105 in 2023, with 63 of these handled by CCSO and 42 by VSP. This is up from the total of 42 reported in 2022, where 27 handled by CCSO and 15 by VSP.

Here are the breakdowns by each category:

Drug/narcotic violations — 89 in 2023, a sharp increase above the 30 in 2022

Drug equipment — Five in 2023, up from one in 2022

Pornography/obscene material — None in 2023, down from one in 2022

Weapon law violations — 10 reports in both 2023 and 2022

Animal cruelty — One in 2023, while there were none in 2022

Crimes against property

The report showed there were a total 142 crimes against property in 2023, with 137 handled by CCSO and five by VSP. This is down from the total of 171 such crimes in 2022 — 160 of these handled by CCSO and 11 by VSP.

Here are the breakdowns by each category:

Burglary/breaking and entering — 22 in 2023, up from16 in 2022

Counterfeiting/forgery — Four in 2023, a significant drop from 13 in 2022

Destruction/damage/vandalism of property — 47 in 2023, down about a third from the 34 in 2022

False pretenses/swindle/confidence game — 11 in 2023, up slightly from nine in 2022

Embezzlement — None in 2023, down from the one in 2022

Credit card/automatic teller fraud — Five in 2023, down from four in 2022

Welfare fraud — One in 2023, while there were none in 2022

Wire fraud — None in 2023, with one reported in 2022

Identity theft — None in 2023, down from two in 2022

Shoplifting — Four reported in each 2023 and 2022

Theft from building — Three in 2023, down from eight in 2022

Theft from coin operated machine or device — One each in 2023 and 2022

Theft from motor vehicle — Two in 2023, down from five in 2022

Theft of motor vehicle parts/accessories — Three in 2023, down from the six in 2022

All other larceny — 34 in 2023, down sharply from 54 in 2022

Motor vehicle theft — Five in 2023, a drop from 11 in 2022

Stolen property offenses — None in 2023, down from one in 2022

Domestic violence

The state report also shows figures on domestic violence crimes, broken down by the relationship between the parties involved.

Charlotte County saw 32 reports in 2023 between those with an intimate relationship, down from 46 in 2022.

In the area of family domestic violence crimes, there were 25 in 2023, up slightly from 24 in 2022.

The county reported 36 in 2023 between acquaintances, which is down sharply from 54 in 2022.