GREAT FALLS — Ten people graduated from Veterans Treatment Court in Great Falls on Tuesday.
Veterans Treatment Court is an 14 to 18-month long program that helps veterans who are currently in or entering the criminal justice system.
The graduates on Tuesday were Chelsea Martin, Kyle Ramon, Ben Fontana, John Nerud, Joe Ramirez, Zack Rider, Steve Clinch, Toni Garza, Mike Flood, Ashley Sattler.
Garza said he found peace through the program: “I’m not lost, and for a very long time I was lost, and being a part of this program has shown me that I’m not."
Judge Greg Pinski explained, "You know, to see these veterans who have been able to make changes through their life, to reinstall those values that they had when they entered the military and through no fault of their own lost sight of those values, and to see them come back into their life, it makes everyone proud."
Pinski added, "“It’s truly a transformation of a human being, very rarely do you have the opportunity to see a human being changed before your eyes."
Garza offered advice on how to best get through the program: “If people come in here with a positive attitude of what the end outcome can be, it will go a lot smoother."
NOVEMBER 2018: Veterans Treatment Court celebrates five years
MAY 2019: Veterans Treatment Court receives $100K donation
