Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Fresno Bee Contact: http://www.fresnobee.com/man/opinion/letters.html Website: http://www.fresnobee.com/ Forum: http://www.fresnobee.com/man/projects/webforums/opinion.html Author: Terry Bergfalk, Special to the Bee DRUG COURT GIVES GRADS NEW START Tulare County Ceremony Lauds 148 People Who Have Stayed Drug Free For 18 Months. PORTERVILLE -- Amid the cheers and tears of more than 1,200 people, 148 participants were awarded their graduation certificates during the fourth annual Tulare County Adult Drug Court graduation ceremony last Friday at Porterville Memorial Auditorium. Relatives, friends, city and county officials, and law enforcement officers were among those attending the ceremony celebrating the fact that the graduates have remained drug free for 18 months. Superior Court Judge Glade Roper founded the court in 1996 as an alternative to sending addicts to jail. "I could see that sending these addicts to jail was not the solution to the problem and only wasting taxpayers' money," Roper said. "It is hard for most people to understand addiction, as it is not a rational act. It hits all levels and areas of society." Tulare County Sheriff Bill Wittman, one of the speakers, said: "I was not supportive of this program when it started, but as I look into the faces of the graduates, I'm glad that Judge Roper was a risk-taker. He brought back to life so many people in this county with this program." Phil Cline, Tulare County district attorney, said drug addiction hurts everyone regardless of gender, race and age. He said 80% of the county's crimes are related to drug use. Graduates Alan Lambert, Sara Lambert, Diana Cates-Wesson, Juan Ledesma and Lisa Dehaven all said that without the drug court, their lives would have been lost to addiction. A presentation of $306.12 was made to Dr. Greg Nichols, head of the Herbert Sturgeon Foundation established to support the drug court. The foundation was named after Sturgeon, a member of the first graduating class who was fatally shot shortly after graduating. The presentation was made by 8-year-old twins Joey and Jordan McIntire, who set up a gumball machine at Global Testing Services, where drug court members are tested, sometimes twice a week. They sold 2,452 gumballs at 25 cents each and divided the proceeds, with half going to the drug court. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D