HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. (Oct. 6, 2014)– Nick Barnhill admitted he nearly choked up when his mother stood up in a Hamilton County courtroom and told the judge how proud she was of her son.
“Oh, I wanted to start crying. She’s proud of me. My whole family is,” said Barnhill.
Barnhill, 35, was one of two graduates honored by Judge Gail Bardach and her staff and their friends and families for successfully completing Hamilton County Drug Court treatment.
“A lot of times the person has to hit rock bottom because otherwise the program is way too difficult for them because of our requirements,” said Judge Bardach. “There’s a lot of people who qualify for drug court who choose not to be in drug court because drug court is more difficult than just spending the time in prison.”
The judge said participation is not a plea bargain to avoid prosecution, but rather an alternative to serving a sentence in jail or prison.