New Cherokee Drug Court Pushes Rehabilitation, Accountability

For Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Ellen McElyea, watching repeat drug users who run into legal trouble come in and out of her courtroom was a "big frustration."

Those entering the legal system would go through a "cycle" of being in and out of the court system, without even one attempt to get to the bottom of their life troubles.

"They are not really addressing the root of their problem, which is their addiction," she said. 

So McElyea decided to do something in an effort to break that cycle. McElyea is the presiding judge of the Cherokee County Drug Accountability Court, which is now up and running in Cherokee County Superior Court.

The court caters to users who have been convicted of felony drug-related crimes, and has about eight participants right now, McElyea said.

The need grew from the lack of resources in the area. 

"There really are not a lot of resources in the community for people who have additions problems, which are causing them to get in trouble with the law," she stated.

She said quite a few users usually get locked up in jail and are later released from prison, which helps in the short-term, but they return to the community "without having to address their addiction issues."

The program is similar to the DUI/Drug Court Program operated by the Cherokee County State Court, as it will require participants to undergo frequent drug testing, get treatments and attend meetings and they have to pay a weekly participation fee.

Court sessions are held each Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Cherokee County Justice Center. 

The participant has to also meet on a weekly basis with McElyea, and the team she's pulled together to operate the court, which includes Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney Shannon Wallace; Jennifer Williams, a Drug Accountability Court coordinator hired with state funds; representatives with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office; Canton Defense Attorney Jonathan Kessler; Josh Nation with Ascension Counseling & Mental Health LLC; and Lara Schuster, a staff attorney with Chief Superior Court Judge N. Jackson Harris' office.

McElyea said the court will be more "hands on" with its participants "to make sure they are complying with the conditions of their supervision."

Going forward, McElyea said the court would like to partner with community organizations that could offer the potential for participants to perform community service, or gain some education or job training skills. 

She also said she'd like to explore the possibility of working with recovery centers that could offer some sort of in-patient treatment services.

Nation, who said he's volunteered in various capacities in Cherokee County in the last 10 years, said he decided to sign onto the court as a partner because such courts have a proven positive track record. 

"One thing that’s been apparent to me for a while is we needed to come up with a  different approach in how we were engaging people who were being sentenced in court related to drug possession charges," he added.

Nation noted the court also gives those a chance who are struggling with drug addictions to finally utilize an effective tool to get their lives back on track.

McElyea, who also cited the success of drug courts, noted having such a court in place inside Cherokee County will help get these residents back on track to being productive citizens.

The program, however, is not a free ride, she stressed.

"It’s not a free pass," she said. "It’s not a get out of jail free car. It takes a lot of work to be successful."

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