Charges dropped in 19,000 old cases

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia officials have quietly dropped criminal charges against more than 19,000 defendants who skipped court years ago, but while the move has reduced a huge backlog it has also drawn criticism, a newspaper reported.

The Philadelphia Inquirer says judges have closed criminal cases and canceled fugitive bench warrants for thousands of people accused of being drug dealers, drunken drivers, thieves, prostitutes, sex offenders, burglars and other lawbreakers in cases from 1998 and earlier.

The paper said Sunday the effort comes at the urging of Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille and District Attorney Seth Williams and has cut by 40 percent the massive backlog of 47,000 fugitives.

“They were clogging up the system,” Castille said. “You’re never going to find these people. And if you do, are you going to prosecute them? The answer is no.”

“It’s just being real,” Williams said. “None of them were cases where serious bodily injury was caused to somebody. None of them were homicides.”

The paper said some were serious offenses, including aggravated assault and sexual-assault cases.