Five individuals battling drug addiction voluntarily chose a path to recovery after being charged with drug-related crimes or violations of probation/parole.

Three men and two women graduated Tuesday from Drug Treatment Court, earning certificates from President Judge David Ashworth and dismissals of their criminal charges at Lancaster County Courthouse. The graduates have the opportunity to have their charges expunged if they complete an aftercare program following graduation.

Lancaster County’s Drug Treatment Court is in its 16th year of existence and was the first Drug/DUI Problem Solving Court accredited by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in January 2012.

“Drug courts combine intensive judicial supervision, mandatory drug testing, treatment and incentives to help offenders with substance abuse problems break the cycle of addiction and crime,” according to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania website.

The graduation began with a welcome from Judge Ashworth and an introduction of the Drug Court Team including Drug Court Coordinator Karen Andreadis; Probation Officers Mark Arnold, Joseph Grippo and Emily Yecker; Assistant District Attorneys Elizabeth Rall and Stephanie Smith; Assistant Public Defender David Romano; Julia Hernandez and David Miller of the Drug & Alcohol Commission; Meredith Lasdin of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Kelly Shpunt of PA Counseling Services; Community Liaison Frank Burnside; Christina Fluegel and Ryan Forbes of Lancaster County Prison; and Trina Brown-Hinton, Clerical Support.

Next was a speech from keynote speaker Eddie Stewart of Blueprints for Addiction Recovery who has battled addiction since he was a teenager, was incarcerated after his senior year of high school on drug offenses and is now 22 months sober.

“I used to sit on those seats on a regular basis,” Stewart said to the crowd in the courtroom. “It wasn’t until I started taking recovery serious that I started reaching my goals.”

The five graduates were presented with their certificates of completion by Judge Ashworth after speeches from their probation officers, who noted how each individual has grown throughout the process.

After celebratory hugs with their probation officers, all the graduates gave words of advice to the audience, which included the graduates’ friends and families, current participants in Drug Court, Commissioner Craig Lehman, District Attorney Heather Adams and more.

DA Adams has continued to support the Treatment Court model, dedicating one Assistant District Attorney to handle each of the County’s three treatment Courts and expanding the eligibility criteria.

“The treatment courts provide an opportunity to increase public safety by addressing the underlying issue behind criminal behavior,” Adams said. “I’m proud to support them and wish the graduates the best moving forward.” 

The graduates were commended for their genuine and truthful stories, which may help those going through the same battles.

“The sky’s the limit for you all,” Stewart said. “Focus on each day, find your goals and go after them hard.”