COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — The Platte County attorney’s office says nearly every criminal case in the county ends in a plea agreement, and that only a small percentage of the roughly 1,200 criminal cases the office handles each year go to trial.

One percent to two percent of those cases make it to trial. Platte County attorney Carl Hart says that amounts to about two dozen cases combined in county and districts courts.

County public defender Tim Matas says he advises his clients on the nature of their charges, but he doesn’t direct them to a plea agreement.

Matas also says the local court system doesn’t have the time or resources to stage a trial every week.