What are the most common criminal charges in Essex County?

The most common charges in Essex County include Reckless Driving, Driving Suspended, Larceny / Theft, based on 2023-2024 public court records. Click any charge to see detailed outcome data for Essex County.

How long do criminal cases take in Essex County?

The median criminal case in Essex County takes 4.3 months from filing to disposition, based on 2023-2024 public court records. Duration varies significantly by charge type.

How does Essex County compare to other Virginia courts?

Essex County has a 45.3% dismissal rate, compared to the statewide average of 34.7%. This is above the state average. See the full court comparison at /courts.

Essex County Criminal Court Outcomes

Q: What is the dismissal rate in Essex County courts?

Essex County courts have a 45.3% dismissal rate across 12,569 cases from 2023-2024 public court records. The statewide average is 34.7%. Rates vary by charge type — see the breakdown on this page.

Based on 12,569 public court records from 2023–2024, criminal cases in Essex County have a 45.3% dismissal rate and a 53.8% conviction rate, with a median case duration of 4.3 months. This dismissal rate is above the statewide average of 34.7%.

The most common charges are Reckless Driving (541 cases, 30.7% dismissed), Driving Suspended (176 cases), and Larceny / Theft (162 cases).

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45.3%

Dismissal Rate

Statewide avg: 34.7%

53.8%

Conviction Rate

4.3 months

Median Duration

Courts

Court	Cases	Dismissal Rate	Conviction Rate	Median Duration
District Court	11,987	34.5%	64.8%	1.7 months
Circuit Court	582	56.1%	42.9%	7.0 months

Top Charges in Essex County

Click any charge to see detailed outcomes for Essex County.

Charge	Cases	Dismissal Rate	Conviction Rate	Reduction Rate	Median Duration
Reckless Driving	541	30.7%	67.6%	40.9%	2.6 months
Driving Suspended	176	30.0%	69.4%	41.5%	4.1 months
Larceny / Theft	162	60.5%	38.8%	6.2%	4.1 months
Failure to Appear	123	70.7%	25.3%	—	2.7 months
DUI / DWI	116	14.9%	83.9%	34.5%	3.1 months
Assault & Battery	84	69.3%	20.0%	1.2%	3.0 months
Public Intoxication	74	33.3%	66.7%	—	1.3 months
Weapons Offense	67	73.2%	22.0%	1.5%	2.6 months
Property Destruction	57	69.0%	28.6%	5.3%	3.5 months
Obstruction	52	63.2%	34.2%	—	4.3 months

Officers in Essex County

Officers with the most cases on record in Essex County.

Officer	Cases	Dismissal Rate
Perrigan	3,668	29.2%
Maltese	1,491	29.8%
Ubieta	1,347	24.2%
Maza Jaramillo	1,267	35.7%
Zavala	887	44.1%
Cox	675	25.8%
Ambrose	337	44.1%
Hayes	257	27.3%

Data source: Virginia public court records, 2023–2024. 12,569 cases analyzed. Last updated December 2024. — VirginiaCourtFile.com

Common Questions

Essex County courts have a 45.3% dismissal rate across 12,569 cases from 2023–2024 public court records. The statewide average is 34.7%.

The most common charges include Reckless Driving (541 cases, 30.7% dismissed), Driving Suspended (176 cases, 30.0% dismissed), Larceny / Theft (162 cases, 60.5% dismissed), Failure to Appear (123 cases, 70.7% dismissed), DUI / DWI (116 cases, 14.9% dismissed).

The median criminal case takes 4.3 months. Duration varies by charge — for example, Reckless Driving cases take 2.6 months. These are based on 2023–2024 public records.

Essex County has a 45.3% dismissal rate, compared to the statewide average of 34.7%. Compare all 125 Virginia courts.

What's Next

Now that you've seen the data for Essex County, an attorney who handles cases at this court can tell you what it means for your situation — free, no obligation.