LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Sometimes the bravest men and women can find themselves in a weak spot. Wednesday, five veterans graduated from a veterans treatment program for the Las Vegas Justice Court that oversees those who found themselves in trouble.
“They are starting off in handcuffs and wearing Clark County Detention Center blue,” Judge Harmony Letizia said. “Veterans are very proud individuals and they have been told to toughen up and do the job and work really hard and when they are struggling, they often don’t reach out until they end up in a system like the criminal justice system.”
Crystal McAdory is a veteran and watched her husband struggle after leaving the Navy.
“I think for Veterans sometimes the cards are stacked up against us just because you see so many things while you are on active duty,” Crystal McAdory said.
McAdory’s husband, Clarence, was facing a misdemeanor charge and said stress is what got him into the program.
“I almost wanted to give up. I was going to take the charge because it was a year of mandatory court appearances every two weeks, drug tests,” Clarence said.
He was one out of five veterans who graduated from the program on Wednesday.
“I plan on coming back and advocating for a lot of veterans,” he said.
With his record now wiped clean, Clarence can look forward to serving the community differently.
Nationally there are more than 700,00 veterans in the criminal justice system. In Nevada, 288 veterans are currently in treatment courts.