The Rowlett Municipal Court is launching a new program aimed to help some veterans who get in trouble with the law to get counseling instead.
Presiding Judge Chris Kilgore, a veteran himself, enlisted straight out of high school and went on to become a combat pilot in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was as a pilot focused on rescue missions for the Coast Guard, serving 29 years before moving on to a law career.
Now, he presides over the municipal court for the City of Rowlett and says he sees too many repeat offenders who are likely suffering from mental health or substance abuse issues. Many are veterans.
"It's very frustrating, because it's, like I said, the fines and incarceration are not the solution. That's not what we need when these people need help," Kilgore said.
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After months of working with the prosecuting attorney, local law enforcement and advocates from the Veterans Resource Outreach Center (VROC), they were ready to launch the new diversion program in the first week of April 2023.
The plan is for the court to identify qualified candidates who are veterans facing class C misdemeanors, such as disorderly conduct or public intoxication. In lieu of paying fines, if the candidate agrees, they'd be offered a chance to do three hours of counseling and peer support activities through the VROC.
The VROC has several programs supporting veterans and connecting them to mental health resources. They also host monthly #WalktheBridge events to raise mental health awareness and promote suicide prevention among veterans and first responders.
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Kilgore and other advocates hope that the diversion program could serve as a catalyst to help more veterans find solutions to the issues leading them to court, such as counseling, housing support and substance abuse rehabilitation.
Midway through the first week, Kilgore said they'd already identified several candidates and one had agreed to try the program.