Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jul 2000
Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA)
Copyright: 2000 The Fresno Bee
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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.
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