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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Little 500 citations cut in half this year

While many students headed to Little 500 race festivities Sunday morning, others were lined up inside the Monroe County Justice Building waiting to be waived through security.

The students there had been cited or arrested by the police this past weekend. Now, if they qualified, they had to go through the Little 500 pretrial diversion program or opt out and go through the court system normally.

The program is only for Little 500 weekend and is designed to be finished in one day, said Director of Pretrial Diversion Jeremy Cooney in a presentation he gave to all who participated in the program.

“We want you to be able to put this behind you today,” he said to a crowd of 16 students. This group is just one of many to sit through the presentation.

The number of people cited during Little 500 at the time of the pretrial diversion Sunday morning was 110.

That number is subject to change, though, as more tickets are turned in throughout the week, Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Gaal said.

Even so, the number reported Sunday is less than half of the average number of 230 citations normally given out by this time at Little 500.

“Probably the fact that it’s cold and rainy this weekend has a lot to do with it,” Gaal said.

Those who run the program had been at the circuit court since Saturday, processing tickets and preparing for the program. Several people worked all Saturday, and then a new batch of workers came in at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and worked through the night and into Sunday morning court.

The pretrial aspect of the program was expected to end around 11 a.m.

“This is really a well-oiled operation,” Gaal said.

After participants go through the pretrial diversion presentation and pay the program fee of $425, they spend the afternoon picking up trash and then later that day in an alcohol and marijuana presentation, Cooney said.

Participants may also opt out if they want to go through the regular court system.

Tom Rhodes, community corrections director and assistant chief probation officer, is in charge of the community service part of the program. He had participants picking up trash around the core neighborhoods Sunday afternoon.

The only difference, he said, is they didn’t have participants clean up Bill Armstrong Stadium this year because of the postponed men’s race.

“One might assume there’ll be less trash, but we’ll know when we get out there,” he said.

Besides completing the required aspects of the program within the week, participants were told by Cooney they had only one more requirement.

“The only other requirement you have is a passive one,” he said. “You have to stay out of trouble for a year.”

If not, participants will find themselves back at the Justice Building — this time, in front of a judge.

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