The Morrow County Court of Common Pleas recently held its Substance Abuse Court’s summer graduation, where 11 graduates were honored by Judge Robert C. Hickson, Jr. and Judge Tom C. Elkin. The ceremony took place on July 21 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Mount Gilead. The graduation was attended by over 100 guests including family members and friends of the graduates, along with community members, treatment providers, and court employees.
The Morrow County Substance Abuse Court, commonly referred to as the drug court, has been in existence since 2000. Currently, the court has three different dockets — felony, treatment-in-lieu, and juvenile. All three specialized dockets are credentialed and certified through the Supreme Court of Ohio, and the court receives funding from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Hickson presides over the treatment-in-lieu and juvenile dockets, while Elkin presides over the felony docket. Each docket has a treatment team that includes a judge, probation officer, and treatment providers. A lot of work goes into not only obtaining a certified drug court but also maintaining one. There is a great deal of time, energy, and effort the treatment team provides in striving to achieve success in drug court.
For instance, Hickson and Elkin spend countless hours working on their respective drug court dockets. They carefully review each participant’s progress, knowing what each individual is doing well at in addition to what areas of improvement may exist. At the sentencing hearing, each participant is court-ordered stipulations and conditions they must adhere to. These items range from compliance with Probation Services to attending treatment and drug court sessions and fulfilling financial obligations. Other examples of court-ordered requirements are to obtain and maintain employment, attend budgeting courses, perform community service, and many others. The conditions placed on a participant result from the needs of that individual.
Morrow County is very fortunate to have drug courts. It is entirely up to the judges if there is a drug court as there is nothing mandating the court to have specialized dockets. Many courts throughout the state do not offer specialized dockets. Here in Morrow County, Hickson and Elkin remain fully committed to doing everything they can to combat substance abuse and addiction through these specialized dockets.
The Morrow County Common Pleas Court typically holds two graduations per year; one in the summer and one in the winter. As in prior graduations, this event was attended by the Chester Arbor of the Gleaner Life Insurance Society, and they kindly donated delicious food and drinks for the ceremony.
Should anyone have questions or be in need of additional information pertaining to the Morrow County Court of Common Pleas, please feel free to contact Court Administrator and Chief Probation Officer Greg Thomas at 419-947-4515 ext. 2295.
Submitted by the Morrow County Court of Common Pleas.
