the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beacon12-18 | Page 8

Page 8A
THE BEACON
December 2018
Giving Back to Those Who Have Given So Much
Imagine the thrill of joining
the military. A chance to serve
one’s country and protect all
that the United States stands
for. The thrill of exploring
faraway ports and experienc-
ing different cultures.
Now imagine being thrust
into battle. The psychological
stress of not knowing if you
will live to see another day.
The tension of making life
or death decisions in a split
second. Imagine being shot at,
standing right next to explo-
sions, and getting thrust into a
culture where you don’t know
if the next person you see will
be friend or foe.
Imagine.
Coming back to a “normal”
life after serving in the mili-
tary can be incredibly daunt-
ing. Many veterans struggle
to adjust especially if they
struggle from Traumatic Brain
Injuries or Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder
Sadly, some do not make the
transition back to civilian life
easily. Oftentimes veterans
turn to self-medicate through
drug use or alcohol abuse. The
downward spiral continues
as they commit crimes due to
their substance abuse.
A leader in our commu-
nity has stepped forward to
Luke Gentry, Peter Johns, Ron Michaelson, Judge Cleary, Dave Lusby, Tim Albright,
Kristy Alig and Jeff Wilson comprise the Veteran’s Treatment Court team.
help veterans in just such a
predicament. Judge Jonathan
Cleary recognizes that vet-
erans have had experiences
most of us can only dare to
imagine. These veterans face
challenges that place them
in a category much different
than the typical citizen who
commits a crime. In Judge
Cleary’s mind, the handling
of just such a person must be
different as well.
As the judge pondered how
best to address these differ-
ences, he knew that, in order
to be successful, he needed
the help of others who had
been in the military. Naturally,
he reached out to the man
who is passionate about our
veterans, PG Gentrup. In turn,
Mr. Gentrup assembled a team
of veterans in our community
who readily offered to help
develop a judicial program
that could make a difference
in the lives of their brothers-
in-arms. Fred Lester, Marty
Sizemore, Mike LaFollette,
Joe Holleran, and Ed Shan-
non have been dedicated to
the Veterans Treatment Court
since inception. They worked
together to create a protocol
for addressing nonviolent
criminal charges against vet-
erans who do not draw from
the same experiences or chal-
lenges that civilians would.
The Veterans Treatment
Court is held weekly in
Superior
Court 1 and
has made a
marked
difference in
helping
veterans turn
around
potentially
bad situa-
Judge Jonathan
tions and
Cleary
prevent them
from getting worse.
To be considered for
Veteran’s Court, a troubled
veteran must express a
genuine interest in becom-
ing dedicated to the program.
After a basic evaluation of the
veteran’s background, his-
tory, and medical information,
a team consisting of Judge
Cleary and six individuals
from varying backgrounds
assess the risks and progress
that each veteran makes in
the program. Each veteran is
paired with a mentor, a fellow
veteran who has taken an oath
to help his colleague through
a difficult time. Currently,
seven veterans are mentors for
the program. Each mentor can
only be assigned a maximum
of two veterans at a time.
Thus, space in the program
Holiday Fun at the Library
Saturday ▪ December 1 ▪ Lawrenceburg Library
10 AM - 12 PM · HOLIDAY CRAFTS
11 AM, 1 PM & 3 PM · REINDEER GAMES
See more at
12-2 PM · VISIT WITH SANTA & HIS REINDEER our website!
Saturday ▪ December 8 ▪ North Dearborn Branch
11 AM · A MADCAP CHRISTMAS CAROL
12-2 PM · VISIT WITH SANTA
Friday ▪ December 14 ▪ Lawrenceburg Library
6:30 PM · HOLIDAY SING-ALONG!
www.lpld.lib.in.us
We Need Listings!
CORNERSTONE
C CORNERSTONE
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812.637.2220
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W CSTONEREALTY.COM
E’RE IN YOUR C ORNER.
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MILAN: Huge manufactured home on almost 7 ac,
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DILLSBORO:
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flr &
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ideal horse or livestock farm. Es-
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HVL: Nice 3 bed tri level home on 30x36x12
heated
insulated
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$369,900
beautiful dbl lot, newer kitchen, and building
and cleaned
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updated bath. $134,900
US 50 in a couple
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YORKVILLE:
Affordable
living in
BRIGHT: 1400 sq ft ranch on 5
acres,
2 bath, 1 NEW
car garage
plus
BROOKVILLE:
LISTING!
outbuilding,
2 WBFP,
front and
rear
Charming well
maintained
home
in
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porches.
$124,900
the heart
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3 bedroom,
2 full bathroom,
BRIGHT:
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and
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in living
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open floor
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fenced
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LL room,
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gas
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and entertaining,
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ga-
FP,
large
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$159,900
rear
deck
$244,900
BRIGHT: Nice
Custom
brick
4
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3 bath
ranch
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story home
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LL 1.45
family
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large rooms,
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floor $154,900
laundry and
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master
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ST.
LEON:
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all
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2 by newer
6 construction,
new
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Pella
windows,
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attached
furnace. Great location to hwy and
garage summer
plus finished
30’ enclosed
by 40’
schools,
kitchen,
pole porch,
barn. Must
see room
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back
other
upstairs
$359,900
could
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BRIGHT: 3 What
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bed, a beautiful
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home
bedroom 38 2.5
bath with
quad excep-
level
on 3 nearly
acres
home views
with wbfp
in family
room 1st
on
tional
of Tanner
Valley,
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street.
quad
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flr a MRB,
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deck,
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front porch,
a country setting. Beautiful views!
3 lower
bed, level.
2 bath,
home with 2 car
$209,900
attached garage on 2.5 acres.
LAND
$114,900
LOGAN: Opportunities knocking with
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this level Clean
4 acre older
tract zoned
with
with
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wrap
around
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frontage
on 2 covered
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porch,
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$174,900
concrete block garage with loft, on
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to Find! Zoned B-1
1.25
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LAND
tenths of an acre. Across from Mer-
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Auto-
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$44,900 rolling 3.9
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knocking
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$75,000
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.87 building
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in $174,900
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minutes from Beautiful
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w/
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convenient
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lot
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acre
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$59,900
We Need Listings! Have buyers for farmland!
Dale Lutz Randy Lutz
800-508-9811
is limited only to those who
exhibit the most desire to
participate.
The program commences
with weekly court appearanc-
es for the first year. The vet-
erans are subjected to random
drug tests. If a veteran shows
that he or she is doing well
and is getting his or her life in
order, the court appearances
are reduced to every other
week, followed by monthly
appearances for one year. A
year of probation is the final
step in the process. Veterans
focus on getting their priori-
ties in order and maintaining
sobriety.
Incentives such as gift
cards are given to veterans as
they reach milestones in the
program. Funding for these
incentives and other costs
incurred by the program are
covered by grants and fines.
Sanctions are in place in
case a veteran does not adhere
to the strict guidelines of the
program. Community service
and even jail time may result.
Finally, the offender must go
back into the court system and
face the original charges that
were made against him.
Veteran’s Court has had
more successes than failures.
To date, nineteen veterans
have graduated from the
program. Currently, eighteen
veterans are enrolled and dedi-
cated to complete recovery.
“Veterans who are accepted
to this program know that it
is their Golden Ticket, their
second chance,” shared Judge
Cleary.
Pete Peterson, a veteran in
the program, shared, “Vet-
eran’s Court is an excellent
program. These people (men-
tors) have bent over backward
to help me succeed.”
Dearborn County’s Vet-
eran’s Court is the largest in
Indiana. Most veterans were
involved in Desert Storm or
conflicts thereafter.
The success of the program
lies in the support of the men-
tors for the offenders. Veterans
trust veterans. They have dif-
ferent issues because of the ex-
periences that they have had.
Each participant must stand
in front of the judge with his
or her mentor standing be-
hind. He must report his busi-
ness that has occurred since
the last court appearance. The
advisory team, who reviewed
each case before the court
was called into session, offers
comments and encouragement
on the veteran’s progress. The
purpose of the dialog is to
develop a personal connection
that has been proven to have a
direct correlation to success-
ful rehabilitation.
“Jumping back into civil-
ian life is very different. The
sacrifices that were made and
the thought processes learned
while in the military do not
simply disappear just because
you re-enter civilian life. The
group strengthens the resolve
to be successful,” said Fred
Lester, mentor. “The first step
in the process is to teach them
who they have become and
to gain an understanding of
how to get back to where they
were before their service.”
“These veterans wrote a
blank check to our communi-
ty,” stated Judge Cleary. “Our
goal is to restore their honor.”
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