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Saturday, March 5, 2022
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New GED program for intervention candidates
Hill opts out of trial, pleads guilty to all charges
Harrison News-Herald Photo/REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS INSTRUCTOR Cameron Bonds with GED program participant Joe McDonald. Harrison News-Herald Photo/REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS
BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist Candidates for the county’s “Intervention in Lieu of Conviction” program have an additional opportunity to make positive changes in their lives, thanks to the initiation of a new GED program they can access right in the courthouse. Community corrections officer Andrew Foreman shared that they have set up the program in tandem with a group called Aspire, which is run through Eastern Gateway Community College and provides classes in literacy, basic skills education, and high school equivalency preparation (among other services). The GED classes are taught by an Eastern Gateway instructor, Cameron Bonds, who works with them in a variety of subjects but especially math and English. According to Bonds, this program gives people a second chance. “I love seeing my students succeed more than anything else,” Bonds stated. Foreman explained that having access to programs like this can make a real difference for defendants who have committed nonviolent felony crimes and been offered a chance to turn their lives around. If the candidates
successfully complete the program, including any mental health or addiction treatments that go along with it, they can have their records expunged. And having a GED, Foreman says, can help them get a fresh start. “One of the pillars of success along with a good job and stable residence is education.” The program has its own office in the courthouse basement, with all the facilities they need for running classes. Bonds comes in two days a week to tutor and teach. Foreman stated that this program is something they’ve wanted to do for years and which their education officer Ruby Fisher (who recently passed away) had worked hard to bring about. “It’s a shame she didn’t get to see the first class,” said Foreman. That first class was held on Feb. 7. Right now, they have a pilot program going on, with three individuals who are enrolled in the Intervention program taking classes with Bonds. Foreman’s role in the program is to assess defendants and see whether they are good candidates for intervention in lieu of conviction. This involves looking at their needs and doing the Ohio risk assessment, which looks at family background, social history, and criminal history. Then they work with the
individual to come up with a case plan. The defendants often have their own goals they want to meet, such as getting employment or repairing familial relationships. Often, however, Foreman explained, they aren’t aware of the value of having the diploma until they begin to see the opportunities that open up for them. And some of them aren’t aware of what they themselves are capable of until they go through the program. They can come out feeling “pleasantly surprised” by themselves. “They were in such dark places, with drug use and lifestyle, what it did was open the idea of possibility in their life.” Judge T. Shawn Hervey of the Court of Common Pleas also spoke of the value of the GED program since a lack of education can be a real barrier to success for people trying to turn their lives around. “If you have something to lose, you’re less likely to put it at risk,” Hervey explained. He also added a word of thanks to the county commissioners for helping finance the program. For now, the program is not open to the public, only to individuals who are funneled into the program. However, individuals interested in pursuing their GED can do so through Eastern Gateway Community College, Bonds said.
Adena native named Veteran of the Month BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist In a short ceremony at the Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 25, Dirk Harkins, cofounder of the Veterans/First Responders Jamboree, presented his organization’s Veteran of the Month Award to Roger Sliva. Sliva’s tour was in Vietnam with the 1st Logistical Command. He is a lifelong resident of Adena and a member of the Adena American Legion Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars of Hopedale, the Jefferson County Veterans Association, and AMVETS. In 2003, Sliva was honored as a “Steubenville Herald-Star” Community Star, and in 2004, he was named Jefferson County Veteran of the Year. As well as serving his country overseas, Sliva has also served the local community in numerous ways, especially in the service of education about military history and the importance of supporting the nation’s veterans. He has organized programs about Normandy, Victory in Europe Day, the Korean War, and Iwo Jima. In addition, Sliva has also overseen a musical concert for the first anniversary of 9/11, organized Memorial Day services at Adena Elementary School, and participated in numerous events, parades, and services
representing the Legion. His family also coordinates local efforts for Wreaths Across America. One significant contribution Sliva has made to area education is his Memorial Day school program essay contest on “What Memorial Day Means to Me.” “I’ve been doing this for 29 years, going on 30,” Sliva said. He shared that after the first essay contest he organized, the school principal told him that students had said it was the event they remembered best about the school year. “I always hand out flags to the students, and some of them have come up to me years later and said they still have them.” He’s also brought in different veterans to speak to the students. Wreaths Across America is also a valuable way to educate younger citizens about the role of veterans in the nation’s history. The purpose, Sliva said, is to “remember, honor, and teach.” And he hopes that “kids will keep this going long after we’re gone.” Harkins said that Sliva was an obvious choice for this month’s pick. “We don’t just draw a name out of a hat; we talk about it.” He also noted that Roger and Donna Sliva used to write to him and send him packages when he was in Texas undergoing treatment for posttraumatic stress. As well as honoring Sliva’s service
LIONS
Harrison News-Herald Photo/REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS
and community contributions, Harkins’ organization is also donating $500 and a wheelbarrow full of items to be raffled off to support area veteran P.J. Lishick, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Harkins is also dedicated to educating area veterans about the benefits of joining their local Legion. He hopes more younger veterans will get involved in the Legion, help support veterans, and fight for veterans’ benefits. “It’s up to us to step up and carry on,” he said.
FUTSAL
BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist Defendant Andrew Paul Hill appeared in the Court of Common Pleas for his sentencing, by Judge T. Shawn Hervey, on Wednesday, March 2. Hill was originally on the docket for a jury trial, but on Tuesday, the parties arrived at a negotiated plea agreement. Hill, represented by attorney Anthony Koukoutas, was initially charged with two counts of burglary, one of abduction, one of violating a protection order, two of domestic violence, and one of resisting arrest. He agreed to plead guilty to all seven of the charges. Although the adult victim in the case declined to make a victim statement to the court, Prosecutor Lauren Knight, representing the State of Ohio in the case against Hill, did provide a brief statement delineating the facts of the case. On Jan. 9, 2021, Hill went to the victim’s house at 3 a.m., in violation of an existing protection order. The victim asked Hill to leave, but he forced his way in. The adult and child victims both then tried to lock themselves in a bedroom to get away from Hill, but he kicked the door down, hitting the child in the face. The victims tried to leave, but the defendant insisted on accompanying them. The adult victim then stated that she’d forgotten her keys, so the defendant went back to get them. Both the child and the adult then ran to get help from a neighbor. As they were pounding on the door, the defendant caught up with them and grabbed the adult victim by the hair. During the ensuing scuffle, the child was again hit in the face. Finally, the neighbor did come out, and the defendant fled the scene. When law enforcement officers finally found the defendant, he resisted arrest. Attorney Koukoutas explained to the court that the defendant and the victim had initially been in a relationship, but Hill had begun using drugs, which, he said, can cause people to do things out of character. “He’s expressed remorse, he wishes it had never happened, and he takes responsibility for his actions.” Hill’s own statement to the court was succinct: “I’m very sorry for my actions that took place, and if I could take them back, I would.” Hervey stated that he had considered both the defendant’s criminal record and the victim’s circumstances. He agreed to the state’s recommendations for sentencing, which amounted to an aggregate prison term of four to six years, but he also had stern words for the defendant about his behavior. “You’ve probably traumatized a nine-year-old girl for the rest of her life,” Hervey said to Hill. “You will pay for the decisions you made that night.” As well as sentencing Hill to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Hervey also instituted a no-contact order with the victim upon Prosecutor Knight’s request.
ICE CREAM ISLAND
OBITUARIES Brad Buckey
USPS Publication No. 236-080 One Section, 12 Pages Vol. 54, No. 43
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