From her bench in the Veterans Treatment Court, Judge Peggy Lohorn extended an invitation to Marie Canine Plaza, where the cracks of a 21-gun salute will ring out a block from the courthouse Wednesday during Montgomery County’s Veterans Day ceremony.
The directions were necessary because not every participant in the program, which helps former military personnel with criminal backgrounds get back on their feet, lives in Crawfordsville.
Some veterans come from areas without their own treatment courts to meet with the judge, who oversees a team of mentors, attorneys, a probation officer and a case manager to help clients seek treatment for drug and mental health disorders, get a job and find housing.
“Even though they’re involved in the criminal justice system, they still deserve our respect and gratitude for their service,” said Jennifer York, a probation officer.
As courts do more of their business virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lohorn says there’s a better chance of expanding the program to neighboring counties, a longtime goal of the team.
A handful of team members watched on Zoom as the veterans shared the challenges of finding community service work or employment in the time of COVID and having family members with the virus.
Lohorn, whose uncle was a rear-admiral in the military, offered words of encouragement to each participant, who was recognized for their service in honor of Veterans Day.
“It will be the hardest thing I have to step away from,” Lohorn, who retires next month, said after the session. “I have loved this part of the job.”
The program, which was recently recertified by the state, has the full support of incoming Montgomery Superior Court II Judge Daniel Petrie. The local defense attorney was a founding member of the team.
Veterans spend an average of 18-24 months in the program, which has about a 70% graduation rate. The court has seven active participants. A graduate who now coaches school sports in Sheridan plans to speak to the group next month.
