Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – The Missoula County District Attorney's Office filed 15 new criminal charges this week, two fewer than last week and about the weekly average. According to District Attorney Matt Jennings, 11 of those involved heavily intoxicated individuals who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“Most of the crimes we see are related to substance abuse,” Jennings said. “That's one of the reasons we try to target that with the criminal justice system. It may be a crime, and we focus on the elements of punishment and accountability, but the criminal justice system can also be a really powerful tool to address people's addiction issues. We have all kinds of resources to make sure we balance that level of accountability with some rehabilitation. We're addressing that crime, but we're also trying to prevent the next crime in the future, which we know is usually related to a person's addiction.”

In addition, Jennings said there were five violent crimes this week.

“Three of those were domestic violence cases,” Jennings said. “Domestic violence is a big focus of our agency. Two of those were non-family violence or robbery cases. We had one endangerment offense that involved driving. We only had one property offense this week. We had six specific drug offenses related to hard drugs, usually methamphetamine or fentanyl are the two drugs we see most often in the community right now. Then there were two administrative offenses that involved bail jumping and some other court failure cases.”

Jennings said there were many drunk driving cases this week as well.

“I just wanted to remind listeners that next week is Independence Day,” Jennings said. “People should slow down, relax and be with their friends. If they want to celebrate, they should. But they should talk to their friends and family beforehand and make sure they have a plan to stay safe. Get a sober driver. Don't get behind the wheel. Be mindful of things like fire hazards and other people's safety. But that balance can certainly be achieved by having as much fun as possible and making sure no one gets hurt in the process. But usually you need a plan and talk it through before it happens.”

READ MORE: Drunk driver causes multiple accidents on busy Missoula streets

The Missoula County District Attorney's Office releases a weekly crime report on Talk Back every Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. You can listen to Jennings' full report below: