Thumbcocker
10-24-2014, 06:01 PM
120084
This is Brianne. I first saw her wearing a jail uniform and handcuffs over 3 years ago. She was arrested on drug possession charges. The PD and I agreed that she would be a good candidate for the drug court program. During the following 2 years she completed in patient treatment and a structured recovery program. A program that more than a few offenders elected to do prison time instead of participating in.
At one point she was meeting all her requirements of the program, working two jobs, being a young mother and attending community college. She frequently brought her daughter to the courthouse. I teased her by calling her daughter mini-Bri.The child was always spotlessly clean and well cared for. After she had completed the most intense part of the program she would sometimes come by to visit the drug court team.
She met her daughter's father through the AA/NA community and he supported Bri in maintaining her sobriety. A thousand times she could have taken the easy way out and slipped back into usage but she never did. She had plenty of excuses and cop outs he could have used but she never did.
Bri always maintained a sunny disposition and a positive attitude. She assisted others in their recovery. I was proud to sign the motion that resulted in the dismissal of all of her pending charges after she completed the drug court program and had maintained sobriety for an additional year.
She was working at an area drug treatment center and attending college to become an addiction therapist. She was paying back. She regularly did more genuinely Christian things than many who would have written her off as a worthless addict will ever do.
She was killed a week ago in a car crash on I57 when a semi had pulled into a turn around and left the rear of his trailer blocking her lane.
Bri was 23 years old. In that time she looked the devil in the eye and kicked his a$$ every day that she stayed sober. She touched hundreds of lives with kindness and class. A 5 foot something 110 pound hero who had more guts and class then people twice her size.
It is easy to write off all of the millennials and a whole generation as slackers. Not all of them are. It was an honor to know Brianne.
This is Brianne. I first saw her wearing a jail uniform and handcuffs over 3 years ago. She was arrested on drug possession charges. The PD and I agreed that she would be a good candidate for the drug court program. During the following 2 years she completed in patient treatment and a structured recovery program. A program that more than a few offenders elected to do prison time instead of participating in.
At one point she was meeting all her requirements of the program, working two jobs, being a young mother and attending community college. She frequently brought her daughter to the courthouse. I teased her by calling her daughter mini-Bri.The child was always spotlessly clean and well cared for. After she had completed the most intense part of the program she would sometimes come by to visit the drug court team.
She met her daughter's father through the AA/NA community and he supported Bri in maintaining her sobriety. A thousand times she could have taken the easy way out and slipped back into usage but she never did. She had plenty of excuses and cop outs he could have used but she never did.
Bri always maintained a sunny disposition and a positive attitude. She assisted others in their recovery. I was proud to sign the motion that resulted in the dismissal of all of her pending charges after she completed the drug court program and had maintained sobriety for an additional year.
She was working at an area drug treatment center and attending college to become an addiction therapist. She was paying back. She regularly did more genuinely Christian things than many who would have written her off as a worthless addict will ever do.
She was killed a week ago in a car crash on I57 when a semi had pulled into a turn around and left the rear of his trailer blocking her lane.
Bri was 23 years old. In that time she looked the devil in the eye and kicked his a$$ every day that she stayed sober. She touched hundreds of lives with kindness and class. A 5 foot something 110 pound hero who had more guts and class then people twice her size.
It is easy to write off all of the millennials and a whole generation as slackers. Not all of them are. It was an honor to know Brianne.