TRUMBULL COUNTY A drug court victory

To graduate, drug court participants have to hold a job and be clean for six months.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
WARREN -- Delmas Pippin had not been considered most likely to succeed of 61 people with cases pending before Trumbull County's Drug Court.
The 22-year-old Youngstown man, arrested in Trumbull County for drug possession, chose drug court in April 2000 over a possible six to 18 months in a state penitentiary.
In exchange for having his day in trial court, he volunteered for a program that includes regular visits to the courtroom of Judge Andrew Logan, drug testing, treatment and mandatory counseling and recovery meetings, and the possibility of going to jail anyway if he screwed up.
"He came in a bit unruly with his own mind and his own thoughts about how he would make his journey through the Trumbull County Drug Court," said Darryl Rodgers, the program coordinator. "We probably didn't think Delmas would make it."
This drew a laugh from the crowd of drug court participants and their friends in Judge Logan's common pleas courtroom Tuesday, because Pippin did make it. He was one of the four enrollees in the drug court's first graduating class, ceremoniously handed plaques and officially released from the court's care.
"We have been looking forward to this day for over two years, close to three years if you consider the preparation and planning stages," Judge Logan said.
Requirements: Graduating from the program is not easy. To get out, the participant can't have any charges pending against them, must test clean for drugs for six months, follow the rules and hold a job, Rodgers said.
"It made me humble," said Donna Urban, 47, another graduate. "I thought we would do things my way, but my way had got me in trouble."
It was following the rules that gave Pippin the most trouble at first.
He said that at first he was unruly, came in drunk, and used the distance between the courtroom and his Youngstown home as an excuse for missing dates.
"The change came from inside," Pippin said, displaying what Rodgers referred to as his "magnetic smile."
"I didn't want to go to prison for six to 18 months, get out of prison, and still be doing the same thing with a felony record," Pippin said.
siff@vindy.com