Students get first hand look at the Common Pleas Court legal system during Law Day courtroom experience
Students observed two courtroom sessions in the judge's courtroom, while their peers attended a separate session in Judge Edward O'Farrell's courtroom.
"When you use drugs or alcohol as a teenager, particularly under the age of 13, you chemically alter your brain forever. The male brain is not fully developed until you are 25 years old, and the female brain is slightly sooner. When you use drugs and alcohol while in that age range, you are chemically altering your brain," cautioned Thomakos as she addressed the young people. "We are seeing high numbers of people who have really done some damage. You can't just say, 'stop.' They are requiring more and more counseling, treatment, and medication to change their brain patterns and behaviors.
"I have seen more (drug and alcohol) related cases in these past 12 years than I've ever, expected. We are just seeing more and more cases. I want to urge all of you to make good choices."
Kori Halter Kochera, of the Community Corrections office, added to the judge's comments.
"Addiction is a brain disease. It is not something that someone automatically chooses. If you are a risk taker and are in a group that chooses to try drugs and alcohol, and find that you like it more than everyone else, to the point where you cannot stop, you are one of the unfortunate ones who probably have the addiction. This is a real disease, just like diabetes or heart disease. Do not be embarrassed to ask for help. Tell someone. There is a proper diagnosis and treatment to help you. Be wise about it. Get yourself help quickly," she encouraged.
High school senior Wilma Levengood was impressed by what she observed.
"I saw how the consequences were different in the two cases," said the young woman.
"It was interesting to see how the hearings worked, and it was a really good experience to come in here, sit down, and see how the whole procedure went. I think a trial would be even more interesting to watch," added her brother, Nathan Levengood.
As part of her school's Mock team, Katie Elco found the experience interesting. "I don't think I could do this as a profession, because you are really affecting someone's life."
"It is different than what you see on TV. I learned a lot about the probation officer, and that's a (career) field that I am interested in," commented fellow student Bri Sinden. "Unfortunately, what the judge said about alcohol and drug use is true. We see it all the time, with kids our own age. It's horrible, but it's the truth."
Said senior Stephanie Norman, "You see courtroom things in the movies and on TV, but this was not nearly as dramatic."
"I think the first defendant was impacted, but the second one, she has been using drugs since she was 13, and she is in college now," observed Ernie Tornabene. "Hopefully, she will get help and fixes things in her life, but we'll have to wait and see."
"Both courtrooms saw probation violation hearings, and both also saw a hearing," commented Elizabeth Stephenson, court administrator. "For students here for Law Day, we try and pick cases that are typical for offenders. We try to choose cases involving someone fairly young, or someone going to prison."
Halter Kochera deemed the day a success.
"I think the kids listened. I think what they saw had an impact," she concluded. "They were seeing what they are studying being put to work in the court system, and what is happening in Tuscarawas County, that this is actually happening here, and that people have real problems here."
The fifth annual Spring Law Day will be organized by East Central Ohio Educational Service Center later this year.