CROWN POINT — More than six months after 17-year-old Jaron Starks was arrested, he had an epiphany.
“This is going to end in one of two ways: death or in jail,” Starks said. “And I’m not ready for either one of them.”
The Gary teenager found himself entangled within the Lake County Superior Court’s Juvenile Division after an April 2022 incident that resulted in firearm-related criminal charges.
“At the time, my mindset was different,” Starks said. “My mindset was, hurry up and get out of here so I can go back and do the same thing.”
A year-and-a-half later, Starks has changed his mindset and left behind past indiscretions. He focuses his gaze on what is to come.
The teen is speaking out and speaking up to show other teens who might be in a similar situation to the one he found himself in last year that violence is not a sustainable path toward a successful future.
See original article for a video interview