Judge Kevin P. Braig and the Logan County Court of Common Pleas Adult Recovery Court (ARC) Team celebrated the graduation of five participants in July and August of 2024.
On July 22, 2024, Kristen Case and Donald Huffman graduated from ARC during a celebration at Camp Myeerah.
“I cannot think of anyone who grew and matured more than Kristen while in ARC,” Judge Braig said. “When she joined us, she was only about her own needs. As she grew, she became a reliable friend to many of the participants. She is spunky, but not disrespectful. I grew to look forward to seeing her on Monday afternoons and I hope she still comes around to see us.”
“Donald is another fun-loving person,” Judge Braig said. “He loves fishing. He is a hard worker. I think both Donald and Kristen have the best of their lives still in front of them.”
On August 19, 2024, Christina Clarkson, Tariq Sopher, and Ryan Harrigan graduated at a celebration at TP Lanes.
“Christina’s inspiration is her children,” Judge Braig. “She would do anything for her kids. She realized the best thing she could do for her kids is get on the recovery path.”
“Tariq is a quiet guy, but he has a lot of depth and complexity to his character,” he continued. “The more he opened up, the more I enjoyed getting to know him. He also is the first African-American man to graduate from our program. Trusting the criminal justice system can be hard for persons of color. I think Tariq’s level of trust grew as he got to know all of us better. I am proud of him for sticking with the program and graduating.”
“Ryan got off to a rough start,” Judge Braig said. “He just disappeared when I first admitted him. But after we found him and got him down to Christopher House in Xenia, Ohio. He is an example of why TCN’s inpatient services at Christopher House are so critical. In Xenia, Ryan turned himself around completely. He now has started a construction company. His family is very supportive and happy he is sober again. I think there is a lot of success in his future.”
The ARC treatment team works within the framework of the traditional Logan County Common Pleas Court. The ARC’s mission is to achieve specific, rehabilitative objectives. The objectives of the ARC are to monitor the treatment for substance abuse disorder of ARC participants, encourage and incentivize ARC participants to achieve rehabilitation and personal accountability and decrease criminal activity and the need for incarceration.
The ARC provides its participants with the support of Judge Braig, Treatment Coordinator and Program Manager Annette Deao and Assistant Manager Lauren Ater, Compliance Officers Jim Pleasant, Mandy Wilber, and Gary Ledford, Logan County Jail liaisons Doug Boggs and Amber Pickford, and treatment providers from TCN Behavioral Health Services, Community Health Wellness, the Justice Reinvestment Grant, Logan County Assistant Prosecutor Erin Rosen, local attorneys Natalie Bahan and Greg Harvey, and others. The members of the ARC Team share the goals of (1) empowering ARC participants through treatment, accountability, and responsibility, (2) assisting ARC participants in achieving recovery from substance abuse disorder, and (3) helping ARC participants lead useful and productive lives.
