Six complete vet court program

Monday was a joyous day for six veterans.

The six were the first graduates of Cascade County Veterans Court, which was established in November 2013.

"I wish I wasn't in a position to have come into this program, but I did," said Scott Schabarker.

The Army veteran spend 15 years in the service and said the program enabled him to do many things, including watch his son score 16 points during a weekend basketball game.

"I have a lot of appreciation for this program," he said.

The 12- to 18-month program includes a mix of professionals who work with the veterans on substance-abuse issues, finances, mental health, physical disability, anger management and other issues. It's a holistic approach to helping veterans work through issues that may be a result of their time in the military and prevent them from ending up in jail, homeless or with other troubles they can't recover from.

A Justice Department survey found that in 2007, about 60 percent of the 140,000 veterans in federal and state prisons were struggling with substance abuse and about 25 percent reported being under the influence of alcohol at the time of their offense.

"Each of the six veterans had the courage to ask for help," said Judge Greg Pinski, who pushed for the courts creation and presides over Veterans Court. "You are truly some of the most courageous people I know."

The six veterans collectively made more than 200 court appearances, more than 200 meetings with a probation and parole officer, took 720 drug tests and attended 720 treatment sessions over the last 18 months, Pinski said.

Judge Michael Wheat served in the Marine Corps and received a Purple Heart during his service in Vietnam.

The Montana Supreme Court justice told the graduates that he has confidence they will continue to succeed and that they give him hope that veterans court program is on track.

"You six stand as a guiding light to how powerful and effective the treatment courts can be," Wheat said. "You are the ones that offer hope for all of us."

Nationally, 75 percent of veterans successfully complete the program and of those, 70 percent are not rearrested within two years, Pinski said during a November vet court event.

David Belcher was one of the first participants in the program in Cascade County and is now marking another first.

He graduated Monday and will now be the first graduate to serve as a mentor to a vet court participant.

The Oregon native served 15 years in the Army and suffered a combat related traumatic brain injury during the Gulf War.

Belcher has a Bronze Star and a Combat Infantry Badge from his service.

He said that remaining with the program as a mentor will help him continue on track.

In a November interview with the Tribune, Belcher said he was on medication because of his brain injury, but wasn't taking it properly and found himself with an addiction problem.

"If you don't take your medications right and take care of yourself, bad things can happen," Belcher said. "Combat is a bad experience for anybody. When you come back from combat, if you don't seek the help you need, you can fall into addition or bad things."

At Vet Court, everyone is working as a team, which is similar to the military lifestyle, and Belcher said he thinks that's appealing to veterans.

"For a long time, I didn't admit that I had a problem," he said. "I think a lot of veterans are afraid to seek help. They don't want to ask anyone for help because they never needed it before."

On Monday, Belcher said the program wasn't just about him, it was also about the people in his life.

"Because of this program, I'm able to love," he said.

Joe Parsetich, a veteran mentor with vet court and state commander of Disabled American Veterans, said having Belcher as part of the mentor corps will be a benefit to the veterans coming into the program.

"He'll be able to give encouragement and shine a light on the finish line," Parsetich said.

Parsetich was Belcher's mentor for the last 18 months and said the mentors are dedicated to the veterans success.

"That's what it's all about," Parsetich said. "Veterans helping other veterans."

One challenge facing the program was transportation options for the veterans to get to their required appointments around town.

Vet court officials reached out to the Great Falls Police Department, which had six abandoned bikes in disrepair that they donated to the program.

Rusty Brasda has been repairing the bikes for veterans to use.

Brasda graduated Monday and told Pinski that he would continue to repair bikes as needed.

Veterans will continue to come into the vet court program as they are identified in the justice system and screened to meet the criteria.

In October, the vet court received a $299,629 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help expand the program and available services.

"It's exciting to be in the program during its infancy here in Great Falls," Parsetich said Monday. "And it's got nowhere to go but up."