HERMANN – The presiding judge of the 20th Circuit Thursday morning urged the Gasconade County Commission to consider hiring more deputies and making the prosecuting attorney a full-time position as a way to combat crime and deal with an increasing caseload in the local courts.

The call by Presiding Judge Ryan Helfrich comes as county administrators position themselves to begin crafting the count’s 2027 operating budget. Helfrich and Prosecuting Attorney Mary E. Weston met with the Commission during its weekly session.

Helfrich cited the increase in the number of cases filed in Circuit Court as illustrating the need for beefing up the Sheriff’s Department and for bolstering the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to deal with the growing number of prosecutions.

“What has happened here, since I’ve been on the bench, is the volume (of cases) is definitely higher,” the judge said. He noted that from October of 2021 through December of 2023 there were 859 cases filed. From January 2024 through Oct. 7 of this year, that number had ballooned to 1,403. “That’s a significant increase,” Helfrich said.

The increase in cases filed in Gasconade County is a reflection of the increases seen in nearby counties, such as Franklin, Jefferson and other counties, he added. “It’s going to cross the county line,” he said, referring to criminal activity. “The current socio-economic conditions, the lack of education, it all contributes” to the growing caseload, he said.

Having more trials and more sheriff’s deputies will be a deterrent to criminal activity, he said. “The trials are deterrents,” Helfrich said. “You’ve got to have cops on the street. You’re either going to deal with it now or you’ll deal with it later,” he added.

There has been a substantial uptick in the number of jury trials in Gasconade County. Long a county that conducted only a few jury trials a year, the local Circuit Court has become a much busier place in recent years. Indeed, Weston told the Commission there are 18 jury trials scheduled in Gasconade County in 2027.

Helfrich said the scheduling of more trials is by design. “We’re not kicking cans down the road any more. We’re locking people up,” he said.

Locking up more people – and the cost of prisoner lodging – has become a significant consideration for county officials. Gasconade County houses its prisoners awaiting trial primarily in the jails in Franklin and Osage counties. This Sheriff’s Department budget this year had $275,000 earmarked for prisoner lodging. County Clerk Lesa Lietzow, the county’s chief budget officer, recently told the Commission it appears that funding will be depleted before the end of the year. That means other areas in the sheriff’s budget will have to be tapped for dollars or the Commission will have to pull funds from General Revenue to make up the anticipated shortfall.

Gasconade County received a big break from Franklin County for not assessing the $50 or more daily cost to Gasconade County for the nearly two years it housed Kenneth Lee Simpson, who earlier this year was convicted of capital murder in the March 2023 death of Hermann Det. Sgt. Mason Griffith. Gasconade County did reimburse Franklin County for the various costs associated with that multi-week legal proceeding, amounting to about $150,000. The Gasconade County Commission had budgeted more than $200,000 to cover those costs, which means the leftover amount could be used to cover other costs in the Sheriff’s Department, such as prisoner lodging.

Sheriff Scott Eiler has about a dozen deputies, several of which are assigned to provide security at the courthouse on the days trials are held. That means fewer deputies available for road patrols. At least one more deputy needs to be added to the roster now, the Commission was told. “At least” one, noted Helfrich.

Additional deputies are needed to respond to a substantially increasing number of calls for service to the county police agency. Records show that in 2020, the department responded to 9,689 calls for service and in 2024 the agency received more than 12,000 calls for services of all types.

The judge strongly suggested county administrators begin making plans for what to do in the event of what he characterized as an “Oh, sh*t!” development, such as Franklin County telling Gasconade County it can no longer house its prisoners. “I think you need to have options going forward . . .,” Helfrich said.

The discussion between the judge and Eiler with the Commission was listed on the agenda as a talk about next year’s pay for the sheriff’s deputies. However, the discussion didn’t touch on deputies’ pay, but ranged from hiring more deputies to the prosecuting attorney’s salary to the recurring issue of parking at the courthouse. “We’ve got to think about options (including) parking,” the judge said, noting that the parking issue is expected to continue to be a concern as more cases are brought to trial. “With more cops, we can get people in front of the courts quicker,” Helfrich said.

The presiding judge pledged increased communication with the Commission. “I will come to you. You don’t have to come to me,” he said. “I will never tell you guys how to do your job. You write the checks,” he added.

As for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the post traditionally has been a part-time position in 3rd-Class counties such as Gasconade County. It is considered part-time to allow the person in that office to act as the prosecuting attorney and the county counselor for county government officials on non-criminal matters. To supplement their county government pay, prosecutors in many 3rd-Class counties have a private law practice. Despite the part-time designation, for Weston and many other 3rd-Class county prosecutors the increase in caseload has turned the job into essentially a full-time position.

After the Commission session, Helfrich exchanged greetings with Mark Mundwiller, the presumptive incoming presiding commissioner, who will have a hand in shaping the county’s 2027 operating budget. The proposed ‘27 budget will be assembled starting in November and December and final touches applied in January, after Mundwiller takes office. In 3rd-Class counties, the deadline to put in place a new budget is Jan. 31. In 1st-Class counties, such as Franklin, the deadline is Dec. 31 of the preceding year.