PORT ANGELES — Legal proceedings in Courtroom 2 at Clallam County Superior Court started with a chorus of “Happy Birthday” and ended with tears and applause.
On the second anniversary Thursday of the county’s Adult Drug Court, six graduates of the intensive treatment and supervision program — some who attorneys never thought would make it to the end — stood proudly in front of the packed courtroom and gave thanks for helping them stay clean and sober.
The graduating class is the court’s largest since its inception Oct. 14, 1999, Drug Court Coordinator Preston Kayes said.
Twenty-five participants have completed the program, which lasts a minimum of one year, he said.
Drug court is “unlike anything you’ve ever seen in court before,” said John Hayden, a public defender and member of the drug court’s legal team.
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