Larceny / Theft in Buchanan County

Buchanan County has convicted defendants of larceny at a higher rate than the statewide average, with 57.5% resulting in convictions compared to Virginia's 48.6% statewide conviction rate. The dismissal rate of 42.1% trails the state average by 6.5 percentage points, suggesting that prosecutors in Buchanan County are more successful at moving these cases toward conviction. The acquittal rate is minimal at 0.4%, indicating that few theft cases proceed to trial—most are resolved through guilty pleas at a rate of 55.5%.

Most larceny defendants in Buchanan County face median case resolution in 200 days, though cases vary widely: a quarter wrap up in roughly three and a half months while another quarter stretch beyond 414 days. Among the small fraction of cases that result in charge reductions, 84.6% are downgraded to petit larceny rather than remaining as higher-level theft charges. When conviction occurs, median sentences are 180 days, though average sentences run longer at about 292 days, suggesting some defendants receive substantially heavier penalties.