8 Drug Court Graduates to Get Charges Dismissed

Eight participants in the county’s two drug court programs will graduate tonight and have their charges dismissed.

The graduation marks the culmination of an intensive 12- to 18-month drug rehabilitation program mandated by the Orange County Municipal courts in Santa Ana and Laguna Niguel. The program, called Drug Court Clinic, tries to get nonviolent drug addicts to kick their habit and erase their criminal charges.

Orange County Superior Court Judge David T. McEachen presides over weekly drug court proceedings in Santa Ana while Judge Wendy Lindley does the same in Laguna Niguel. In addition, county Health Care Agency counselors hold individual and group sessions with the program’s 160 participants.

In addition, consultants provide job training and probation officers monitor progress. Community Service Programs Inc., a nonprofit agency, handles administration.

Participants are required to plead guilty, attend the counseling sessions, submit to sporadic drug searches and weekly urine tests and hold a job for at least a year, program officials said. In exchange, their guilty plea and charges are dismissed.

If they fail, participants face jail time.

The program started two years ago in Santa Ana and expanded to Laguna Niguel eight months ago. So far, 13 participants, not including tonight’s graduates, have completed the program.

At the ceremonies, at the Santa Ana Police Department, graduates will receive their diplomas. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) will deliver the keynote address.