Ohio Supreme Court Justice addresses Stark County Honor Court.
CANTON Timothy Spickler stood between his two Honor Court mentors, each one complimenting his perseverance for overcoming a felony charge and other struggles.
The 63-year-old Vietnam Veteran was among the five men marking the 26th graduation ceremony in Stark County Honor Court. Spickler stood in front of a courtroom packed with those who assist with the program and family members of the recent graduates.
Also at Friday's ceremony was Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy, who spoke in recognition of the upcoming Veterans Day as well as the success and effectiveness of the specialized treatment court docket.
The Stark County Veterans Service Commission presented special pins to all veterans in attendance.
Following the ceremony, Spickler said that he had hit rock bottom personally before he regained control of his life with the support of Honor Court.
"It helped me find out who I really was in my inner-core, and it helped me find out who I am now and who I was before," he said. "It gave me my life back, my freedom back, it made me a new man."
In 2017, the Army veteran was charged with theft from an elderly person or disabled adult, a second-degree felony. The charge was reduced to fifth-degree felony theft.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years of probation and the conditions of Honor Court.
Obstacles included mental health issues, Spickler said. Alcohol and drugs also plagued his life.
Sober for a year, Spickler credited his Honor Court mentors, Wilson Hall in Massillon, the Veterans In Recovery Support Group and many others for their support and encouragement.
Phil Ridley, one of Spickler's veteran mentors, said the Canton resident didn't give up and "he accepted how much better it was to go on this route."
Completing the year-long Honor Court program successfully "is just the start of my journey," Spickler said.
Founded in 2011, a total of 90 of 136 participants have completed Honor Court successfully. The program boasts a 6 percent felony recidivism rate following completion, said Lisa M. Williams, Honor Court director.
The program's motto is "reclaiming honor, dignity and lives."
Honor Court admits eligible Stark County military veterans and active-duty service members charged with low-level, non-violent felonies. The program utilizes probation, support services, supervision, mentoring and other facets of the court system to assist veterans.
Kennedy spoke of the "1 percent" who have served in the military.
"To the graduates, words alone are inadequate but thank you for your service," she said. "This country is founded on the principle of individual freedoms; the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are words enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, and those words serve as the foundation of all freedoms we Americans enjoy.
"But the burden of protecting and defending those freedoms fall on only a few," said Kennedy, who has assisted veteran treatment courts across Ohio. "Less than one percent of the men and women will serve in the armed services."
She quoted Marine Corps General John F. Kelly: "The protected can't begin to understand the price paid so that they and their families can sleep safe and free at night."
By developing a veterans treatment court, "we are demonstrating to all of you ... who have served that we understand the effects of the price that you have paid for your service," Kennedy said.
She thanked Common Pleas Judge Taryn Heath, who presides over Honor Court, for "answering our call of duty to repayment to all the veterans that come before you."
Kennedy presented each of the five graduates with composition books, asking them to "begin your day with writing down 10 things for which you are grateful for, and at the end of that gratitude, write down the things that you want and wish and pray for your life and then list the things you need to do to accomplish it.
"This book begins your story, the new story, the life that you want to live for the rest of your days."