News Item
St. Louis County Veterans Treatment Court Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary
Posted: Thursday, April 11, 2024
The St. Louis County Veterans Treatment Court will commemorate its 10-year anniversary at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 22, with a celebration at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth.
“Veterans treatment court really is a beacon of hope that offers redemption and support for those who have served our country,” said Chief Judge Leslie Beiers. “On this 10
th anniversary, we celebrate not only the program, but the veterans who have completed it and those who have walked alongside them every step of the way.”
Veterans Treatment Court is a voluntary 15-to-18 month program in which a judge leads a multidisciplinary team of professionals to collaboratively assist the veteran with an array of services—from emergency financial assistance, to chemical dependency and mental health/trauma counseling, to employment training assistance and temporary housing. Participants may be removed from the program if they do not comply with program requirements or if they reoffend while in treatment.
“It isn’t easy—the court holds you accountable for everything,” says Warren Lees, a Marine Corps veteran who graduated from the St. Louis County Veterans Treatment Court in October 2022. “There were a few difficult times [but] having a judge speak to you not as a criminal but as someone who needs help, and commending you on your sobriety, made me want to work harder. I had people who, in the past, seemed against me but now were in my corner and cheering me on.”
Lees credits the St. Louis County Veterans Treatment Court with turning his life around.
“I may not have ended up dead, but I might have ended up in prison—that was the next step,” he says. “I was a practicing alcoholic for many years, and got into trouble a bunch of time, but now I’ve been sober for three years.”
The St. Louis County Veterans Treatment Court launched in 2014, after local veterans approached Judge Dale Harris, a retired Navy JAG captain, about creating a court to assist veterans who found themselves in trouble with the law. During its first three years, the St. Louis County Veterans Treatment Court operated informally and assisted more than 60 veterans. In 2016, the court successfully applied for a Veterans Treatment Court Planning Initiative and later received training from Justice For Vets. In 2018, the Minnesota Judicial Council formally approved the court. Since then, the St. Louis County Veterans Treatment Court has successfully graduated 29 veterans.
The court works with a host of partners, including the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office, the Duluth City Attorney’s Office, the 6th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, Arrowhead Regional Corrections, St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services, the Minneapolis Veterans Administration, the Duluth Vets Center, the Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment, Duluth Bethel, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, the Duluth Police Department, the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, CareerForce, the Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, the University of Minnesota Duluth, and many volunteer veteran mentors.
The St. Louis County Courthouse is located at 100 N 5th Ave W. in Duluth. The 10-year anniversary celebration also will feature remarks by Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert, participants and graduates, as well as judges and program partners.