The Criminal Division prosecutes cases involving:

• Appellate Division
• Child abuse
• Domestic violence
• Drugs
• Elder justice
• General felonies
• Juveniles
• Major crimes
• Misdemeanors

Appellate Division

The Appellate Division represents the State of Washington in criminal appeals in the Washington State Supreme Court and the Washington State Court of Appeals.

Child Abuse

The Children's Justice Center (CJC) is a collaborative organization of the Clark County Sheriff's Office, Vancouver Police Department, Clark County Prosecutor's Office and Child Protective Services. CJC investigates and prosecutes felony sexual and physical abuse cases when the alleged victim is younger than 18.

Domestic Violence

The Domestic Violence Prosecution Center is a collaborative effort with the City of Vancouver and Clark County. The organization prosecutes all of the misdemeanor and felony domestic violence cases within the city of Vancouver and Clark County.

Drugs

The Felony Drug Team has three main tasks:

1. Prosecuting felony violations of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.
2. Handling civil property forfeiture proceedings for certain law enforcement agencies.
3. Prosecuting felony drug cases in the Clark County Superior Court Drug Court.

Violations of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act usually involve the unlawful possession, sale, or manufacture of controlled substances. In Clark County the vast amount of such cases involve the unlawful possession of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana.

State statutes provide that in certain situations law enforcement agencies can seize real and personal property in the course of their investigations. This property may be subject to seizure if it was used in the commission of certain felony offenses or if it is the proceeds or profit from such activity.

In addition, the drug team handles the prosecutor's obligations relative to the Clark County Superior Court Drug Court. Drug Court is a program for certain individuals who have been convicted of unlawful possession of controlled substances or of certain other felony offenses directly related to the defendant's addiction to controlled substances. The program is at least a year long and consists of drug treatment, return appearances before a Superior Court Judge, aftercare, and a series of other conditions and obligations all supervised by the drug court team.

 Elder Justice

The Elder Justice Center (EJC) responds to reports of abuse of elderly citizens and other vulnerable adults in Clark County. The EJC consists of representatives from Adult Protective Services, law enforcement officers, a deputy prosecuting attorney, a victim advocate and community volunteers.

Report abuse

To report abuse call 1.877.734.6277.
If you suspect physical or sexual abuse dial 911.

Adult Protective Services investigates allegations of abuse of any person who lives at home (Note: Confidentiality of the person reporting the abuse can be maintained.)

General Felonies

This section of the Criminal Division is responsible for prosecuting many felony crimes against property, including:

• Burglary
• Forgery
• Identity theft
• Malicious mischief
• Theft
• Welfare fraud
• Other felony crimes involving loss of or damage to property

In addition, this section prosecutes certain types of assault, escape, bail jump, felony violations of the Washington State firearms laws, certain felony traffic offenses, and any other felony crimes which are not specifically assigned to other Units within the Criminal Division.

Juveniles

This division prosecutes all juvenile felony cases referred by law enforcement agencies throughout the county and assists the Juvenile Department on misdemeanors and probation violations.

Major Crimes

This unit prosecutes class “A” felonies including, but not limited to:

• Assault in the First Degree
• Homicide
• Rape
• Robbery
• Vehicular felonies

The unit also handles crimes involving use or possession of a firearm and certain assaults against public safety personnel.

Misdemeanors

This unit prosecutes misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors in violation of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and the Clark County Code. Penalties may include incarceration, restitution, financial penalties, and probation supervision. The jail sentence may not exceed one year and the fine may not exceed $5,000. In some cases probation can be for up to five years.

Priorities include:

• Criminal traffic offenses which endanger the public
• Crimes in which victims were physically injured
• Property loss and damage