Hunterdon County had fewer criminal cases at the municipal court level than any other New Jersey county for the past two years, according to data released this week by the state judiciary.
From July 2009 until June 2011, Hunterdon municipal courts reported 12,422 criminal cases, with 6,249 of those filed between July 2010 and June 2011.
Sussex, with 8,340 criminal cases in the past year, was the county with the second-fewest criminal cases. Essex, with 139,728, reported more criminal cases than any other county.
According to Judiciary spokesman Mike Mathis, minor crimes such as disorderly conduct, petty theft and ordinance violations and fish and game violations are included in the municipal statistics, while serious crimes such as sexual assault, homicides or robbery are excluded because these are dealt with in superior court.
To download the complete chart of New Jersey municipalities, visit judiciary.state.nj.us/quant/munm1106.pdf