The Boone County Attorney's Office provides a number of important services that include:
 
Fiscal Court Counsel

The Boone County Attorney provides legal counsel and advice to the Boone Fiscal Court and its various departments. The Boone Fiscal Court is responsible for setting policy, enacting ordinances, approving the budget and handling all fiscal matters of the county.

Prosecution

The most visible duty of the Boone County Attorney’s Office is prosecution of criminal and violation cases in Boone County District Court. Criminal cases are either felonies or misdemeanors. A criminal case that can result in a jail term of more than one year with a conviction is a felony. A case that can result in a jail term of one year or less with a conviction is a misdemeanor. A case that can result in only a fine with a conviction is a violation. The Boone County Attorney’s Office prosecutes misdemeanor and violation cases through their conclusion and felony cases through the preliminary hearing stage.

A case is concluded by a guilty plea, a dismissal of charges (this includes successful mediation or diversion), or a finding of “guilty” or “not guilty” by a bench trial (trial before a judge) or a jury trial. A preliminary hearing allows the District Court Judge to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to bind over (send) a felony criminal case to the Grand Jury. If so, the case is handled by the Boone County Commonwealth’s Attorney, who prosecutes the case in Boone County Circuit Court.

If a citizen wishes to file a complaint (“press charges”) because of a criminal act or violation that was committed by an adult in Boone County, he/she must contact either the Boone County Sheriff’s Office or the Florence Police Department.  If the alleged crime took place in the City of Florence, the Florence Police (859-647-5420) should be contacted; if the alleged crime took place in Boone County at large, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office (859-334-2175) should be contacted.  The relevant law enforcement agency will then conduct an investigation and, after consultation with our office, will determine if charges can be brought against an individual based upon the evidence obtained.

If the complaint is against a juvenile, applications and affidavits must be completed at the Court Designated Worker’s Office (CDW) in the Boone County Justice Center in Burlington, Kentucky.  The CDW may require an investigation into the matter, and if so, the party wishing to file a complaint must follow the same process as outlined above by contacting law enforcement.