By RODNEY HART
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

The recurrent theme of Thursday's Adams County Drug Court graduation was simple and powerful.

Drug Court works.

Seven Drug Court participants graduated during a ceremony in the Adams County Courthouse. Several spoke briefly about how the program has helped turn around their lives.

It was the third graduating class since the program started in September 2006. Graduating were Ron Tournear, Scott Schmidt, Craig Chatten, Tim Woodvine, Keven Mock, Holly Hester and Bryan Cookson.

To read about Craig Chatten's graduation, click here.

All were facing felony drug charges and possible prison time when they entered the program, which encourages changing lifestyles, reintegrating into society and finding employment. Drug Court participants are required to take drug tests up to three times a week, attend court every week in the first stages, participate in counseling sessions, and attend support group meetings.

One by one, they came to the front to receive a big plaque. Judge William Mays, Gail Westerhoff of Recovery Resources, John Grotts from the Adams County Probation Department, Linnie Webster of the TASK program, Quincy police officer Tim Bischel and Assistant State's Attorney Anita Rodriguez all congratulated graduates.

Tournear thanked Drug Court staff and family for being supportive.

"It's nice to finally be myself again," he said.

Several of the graduates, clearly not comfortable in front of the packed second-floor courtroom, kept comments brief.

"I don't really know what to say," Schmidt said. "Congratulations to myself!"

That prompted Mays to say: "That's more than I've ever heard Scott say in the courtroom."

Woodvine had tears streaking down his face before he even faced the crowd. He thanked his girlfriend, as well as his mother, Barb.

"Thanks to Drug Court, she has her son back," Woodvine said of his mom.

Hester's story defies description. Addicted to crack since age 19 and imprisoned four times, she wondered if she'd ever kick the addiction.

"I never knew how to live my life free, clean and sober," Hester said. "I haven't been a mother to my children, and I am now.

"Whoever put their bets against me lost their money this time."

Cookson, nicknamed "Big Daddy" by Grotts, beamed when he accepted his plaque.

"My life has been awesome since I've been clean and sober," he said. "I'd be stupid to go back to the way I was before."

One of the Drug Court program founders, former probation officer Frank Calkins, died earlier this year. He was honored Thursday with a plaque engraved with the heading "Nobody Fails," and it will hang on the courtroom wall.

Grotts said the seven graduates have a combined 3,674 days of being clean and sober. They've taken 864 urinalysis tests and have been clean every time.

"Everybody is employed, and some have brought their families back together," Grotts said.

Without Drug Court, the seven likely would be facing prison time. The average annual cost for incarceration in Illinois is more than $25,000, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

"For self-help, I thump the drum pretty hard," Grotts said. "But without treatments and programs like this, some of them would have struggled."

Eligible defendants face felony charges, and clients are either people who have failed probation or want a charge removed from their record. If defendants successfully complete Drug Court, which typically lasts about 18 months, they remain on probation with regular terms and conditions or have the charge removed from their record.

Drug Court convenes every Thursday afternoon. There are 19 people still in the program now. Sixteen others have graduated so far, with six others failing to get out of the first Drug Court phase.

"Thursday is the best part of my week, every week," Rodriguez said. "There's nothing I do that is more rewarding."

-- rhart@whig.com/221-3370