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As part of their graduation from the Kosciusko County Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) Friday, each of the 10 men had to share their story to the standing-room only crowd.
There may not have been a dry eye left in the audience that many said was the largest crowd to date for a JCAP graduation.
During his story, graduate Michael Jordan said, in part, “What has JCAP done to me? It’s turned me into a crybaby. I’ve shed more tears in the last four months than I ever have in my entire life.”
At 44 years old, he said he’s been a drug addict for over 30 years. Since he was 18, he’s done almost 22 years of incarceration. His mother and father were present Friday.
“I’ve put them through sure hell most of my life, yet here they are. After all these years, they’re still standing beside me. They’re amazing parents. I wish I could go back and redo so many things. They just don’t work like that, you know?” Jordan said, adding while his parents never gave up on him, he gave up on himself a long time ago.
On Sept. 18, 2024, he came into Kosciusko County Jail.
“But I wasn’t arrested that morning, I was rescued. I was tired of living, I was tired of hurting. What was going through my head that morning was that the world would be better off without me. I was not in a good place,” Jordan said.
He thanked Warsaw Police Department officer Alvaro Aguillon Beltran for doing his job. “You rescued my life that morning, for taking me to jail. I don’t know if I would have been here still at the end of that day. So thank you. Thank you for being a police officer, thank you for going out there and doing your job every day,” Jordan stated. “... God used you, man. Wherever you’re at, God used you, too, to get me somewhere safe. You really did save my life. Thank you.”
In his welcoming remarks for the 20th JCAP graduation, Sheriff Jim Smith said, “We’re pretty excited about this, and I sure am glad we moved it to here because I don’t think you all would fit in the place that we normally do it, so thank you so much for being here.”
He said a 20th graduation doesn’t happen without a vision by somebody that decided something needed to be done differently than what was already being done.
“It took a leap of faith, if you will, in you the community, enough that you’d wrap your arms around it and support it all the way through, and that support just keeps on growing,” Smith said.
He recognized former Kosciusko County Sheriff Rocky Goshert, who was in attendance, for having that vision, and Lt. Mike Mulligan, who was jail commander at that time.
“That’s what it’s all about. It takes people to have that vision, to be willing to do something different. Set out a plan, put the right people in place and execute it, and look where we’re at! We’re in the 20th class, and it’s super exciting. I’m so honored and privileged to be your sheriff, to be able to stand up here and hit that milestone,” Smith said.
He thanked JCAP Coordinator Casey Trombley, community partners like the Animal Welfare League and The Magical Meadows, and Jail Commander Kevin Gelbaugh.
“I’m super proud of this program. I’m super proud of you guys,” Smith told the graduates. “... If I had to sum it all up to what it really is, it’s a solid foundation that you guys have been given. Sixteen weeks of curriculum. Sixteen weeks of volunteers coming in and loving on you, sharing a little bit of life with you. Asking you to do things that weren’t easy. If this was an easy program, a lot more people would do it. It’s not easy, make no mistake. We challenge you, but they rose to the occasion and deserve to be celebrated today. But you can’t stop here, right? You’ve been given a foundation, that’s just the beginning. You’ve got to continue to build upon it as you move along.”
Trombley explained JCAP is structured and very intensive. It’s a four-month-long program “and it’s designed to help individuals address substance use, develop life skills, take accountability and begin building a different future - one that is rooted in responsibility, stability and hope,” she said.
The program isn’t just about stopping a behavior, but about changing patterns, learning coping skills and “helping people see that they’re capable of more than their past choices,” Trombley said.
She explained JCAP’s symbol, the anchor, which “represents stability when the waters are rough. It represents staying grounded when life feels chaotic, and recovery, it’s not about never facing storms, it’s about having something that holds you steady when they come. An anchor is something you can return to, something that reminds you of the tools you learned and the strength that you built.”
Directly, she told the graduating group she was very proud of each of them.
“You showed up, you participated. You were honest when it was very uncomfortable. You practiced new skills. You learned how to sit with feelings, instead of numbing them. You learned how to take accountability, how to communicate, how to plan for the future and how to believe in yourselves again, maybe for the first time in a very long time you realized change is possible,” she said.
The growth didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t always easy, but it was real and “you’ve shown increased self-awareness for yourselves, healthier coping strategies, better communication and a clear vision for recovery moving forward,” Trombley said.
Graduation does not mean the work is over and the graduates are completely healed as there’s still more work to be done, she continued. “It means you have a foundation, as Sheriff said. You have an anchor and you have proof that you can do difficult things,” Trombley said.
“To everyone here, just thank you for your support for this program, support for these individuals and the belief that people are more than their mistake. Today, we celebrate not just graduation, but hope, resilience and the possibility of a better future, so thank you,” Trombley concluded.
Randy Koth, a graduate with the 16th class who mentored the 20th class, said, “As a former graduate, JCAP participant, I know the hard work they had to do, with swallowing the pride, realizing that they couldn’t do it on their own and it’s not easy,” Koth said. “I’m very proud of all of you guys. You all made it.”
He reminded them JCAP graduation was just a start and said he was very thankful for JCAP and everyone involved in it.
Graduate Mark Buhr gave praise and glory to God, his “greatest resource to fighting this battle.” He also thanked a lot of people, including his dad and mom.
“To my dad, Mike Buhr, thank you for showing me the way to go in life because it is the way you walked yourself. Dad, you’ve been a provider; most importantly, you’ve been a spiritual provider. You’ve been a protector and a loving leader. You’re a truthful teacher and a willing helper and encourager,” he said.
To his mom he referenced I Corinthians 16:13: “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong and do everything with love.”
His mom is a two-time cancer survivor who lost both her boys to incarceration.
“The last 15 years, I’ve been in and out of incarceration and addiction. You’ve walked me through hard times when you had struggles yourself. You are so special,” Buhr stated.
James Adkins said he’s been battling addiction for “a very long part of my life, trying to block or hide pain and/or losses, trying to seek some kind of pleasure with all of its ups and downs.” When he hit rock bottom, he realized he couldn’t beat addiction on his own.
On JCAP, he said, “It’s very extensive and awesome.” Through the classes, he said he learned a lot about himself and his faults. “Now I can start working on trying to fix them. It’s going to be a long road ahead. We learned healthy life choices and where our biggest triggers and spots in my life will be.”
Adkins said he’s learned tools to help him beat his addiction.
Jeremy Dawson said JCAP has been a blessing. Before JCAP, he said he was going through life in rage, on drugs and trying to numb his feelings.
“I’ve been in jail off and on every year since 2004. Mental hospitals or boys school. I’ve done so much time, half my life. I was in so much pain and anger and the worst part, I was lonely, it sucked. This is my number one fear, being alone. Life just passes you by so fast,” Dawson said.
Before JCAP, he said he thought he had no more chances in life. “But once you’re in JCAP, slowly you break down, you start to cry. You realize it’s been a ‘me’ problem. When I look back, I had a victim mindset.”
JCAP taught him it was OK to open up and it was OK to let people in, to trust and love again.
Also graduating and speaking were Joshua Snyder, who is celebrating a year of sobriety; Mark Thurman, who learned to understand himself; Allen Stoneburner, at 63 the oldest in the group; Ronnie Coplen, who said he’s turning his life around; David Gunter, who said the program saved his life; and Rick Kensinger, who wants to start a ministry to give back.
After the 10 men gave their speeches, Leo Patiño and Diana Clark, from Warsaw Adult Education, presented WorkKeys program gold medals to Jordan and Adkins; recognized Dawson for passing three of the five subjects for his high school equivalency; and gave WorkKeys certificates to Buhr, Coplen, Gunter, Kensinger, Snyder, Stoneburner and Thurman.
Kosciusko County Jail Mental Health Provider Taylor Blankenship showed a video she made for the graduates.
After the ceremony, Goshert said when he started the JCAP program back in 2018, he didn’t know where it would go, but he was hoping it would work out for the best.
“Because it all came down to the point, we were seeing all these guys come back in continually, continually. And it got to the point where we said, ‘We’ve got to do something that gives them a tool to hopefully break this.’ Because if we keep doing this, it’s just going to stay this way,” he said.
Goshert stated they went down to Dearborn County because they had a JCAP and talked to the prosecuting attorney, judges, inmates and everyone there. That’s when they decided to bring JCAP to Kosciusko County.
“And so, it all worked out. We put in for a grant from the state, which was going to take care of the whole thing the first year and we ended up getting it, which kind of surprised us a little bit,” he said. “But these guys have done a phenomenal job - Chris (McKeand) and Jim - of keeping this going and not letting it die, because a lot of times they end up dying.”
He said we’ve got to try something for the guys who keep finding themselves back in jail.
“So that was the tool we decided was the best for us to try to do,” Goshert stated. “... As you can see now, it’s very big.”
