Photo By Maj. Thomas Blackburn | Johnny Campbell visits with his mentor, Adam Martinez. Campbell describes Martinez as...... read more read more
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - One mistake landed Army veteran Johnny Campbell in jail.
A man, who took it upon himself to help others, was in trouble and lacked the support system to help him overcome his predicament.
Or so he thought.
He would find the support he needed, and it would come from a special veterans treatment court, which would provide him a newfound support system.
Earlier this year, Campbell was arrested after a short outburst with his step-daughter. It was a moment of passion and one he would regret. While standing on school grounds, Campbell smacked his step-daughter.
"I was trying to help my wife out, and I was tired of my daughter’s verbal (trash talking)," he said. She was trying to spook her mom, he added, and he slapped her on school property.
The police were called, and Campbell was taken into custody. This was not something he was used to.
"I have never been a bad person, but I reacted in the moment," he said.
Campbell had drifted to that point in his life after leaving the active Army in the early '90s. The Alabama native was a determined and competitive young man, and sought the greatest challenges in his life, so he joined the Army in 1989. He was stationed in the northwest at Fort Lewis, outside Seattle.
"I was a beast man, I could take on a 6-mile road march and you would never see me," he said.
Campbell would take on a fear of heights, volunteering to become jump qualified. During one of those jumps, he landed awkwardly on the ground and hurt his back.
"I had a bad night jump, couldn't see the ground and my foot hit a rock," he said.
He would never heal 100 percent and left the Army after one three-year enlistment.
He would take different jobs through the ensuing years, first as a fisherman on the Bering Sea. Later, he became a truck driver, running different routes throughout the country, and even joined the Tennessee National Guard as a mechanic.
He eventually migrated west, settling in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and marrying.
Then came the day he let the moment get the best of him. Campbell believed in discipline, and that's what he thought he was doing.
But the authorities thought otherwise and he was jailed.
Soon after being arrested, Campbell's father died. Campbell couldn't get out of jail to attend to his family. That motivated him to change the direction his life had temporarily gone.
He had a friend with him who had told him about a new program in Cheyenne, a rehabilitation program specially designed to help military veterans who had committed crimes reasonable for rehabilitation - a Veterans Treatment Court. The veterans commit to a probationary program that provides treatment and a strong support system.
Campbell was a candidate.
"(My lawyer) didn't know nothing about (the program)," Campbell said. "I got the paper from my friend, and gave it to my lawyer. I told him I want that."
Campbell’s lawyer told him he didn't need that program – he only had three more months – but Campbell said he could still see himself wearing the uniform, and wanted a program that was specifically for veterans.
"People around me at the vet court would know where I'm coming from, instead of civilians who wouldn't have a clue," he said. "I'm in the company and brotherhood of the uniform."
Laramie County’s veterans court is supported by the Wyoming Military Department, through its Wyoming Veterans Commission, and the legal offices in Wyoming state government.
The program provides support mentors and a two-phase process that the veterans must complete to prevent them from returning to jail for their prior crimes.
Master Sgt. Adam Martinez, a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard, is a volunteer mentor, a job that sees him keeping in contact with the veterans to ensure they meet their assigned milestones. He also serves as a battle buddy during treatment. He guides the veteran through the treatment from start to finish. It’s similar to a sponsor in other rehabilitation programs.
"When clients come to us, they are legally in trouble," Martinez said. "We are a treatment court, we treat the clients. There is no focus on the crime; the focus is on treating the client."
Campbell soon found himself as a client.
"We have to vet them to see if they want help," Martinez said. "They will have to write a letter to the court telling them why they want to enter the (veterans) court."
After acceptance into the program, the veteran is assigned a mentor, and a probation officer, and goes before a judge weekly.
As the program continues, the court visits decrease to biweekly and then to monthly.
After approximately a year, the veteran can graduate the program and return to their life without any more judicial supervision.
Campbell would be the first graduate of Laramie County's program.
"It felt good, but I realized I let myself down," he said.
The key in the program is the mentorship and having someone who has either worn, or is currently wearing, the uniform being able to share the same military experiences as the troubled veteran. Since there is a brother-in-arms bond, the treatment court has a distinct difference from other probation programs.
"We are friends of the veteran," Martinez said.
Campbell shared similar thoughts. Being in the treatment program brought back memories of his own time in a squad when in the Army, when he had a strong support system to lean on in times of trouble.
"Now I have a strong team," he said. "I have two, three (battle buddies) for sure."
| Date Taken: | 01.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2015 18:49 |
| Story ID: | 154357 |
| Location: | CHEYENNE, WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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