Orange County Veterans Court Judge One of Their Own

Orange County programs give veterans a second chance 
Programs designed to help vets who landed on wrong side of the law
WESH 2 News Orlando
By Michelle Meredith
UPDATED 6:21 PM EDT May 07, 2015

"This is as beneficial to me as it is to them because we all left the military with issues,” said Orange County Judge Jerry Brewer, who is a former U.S. Marine.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —Florida has the second highest number of veterans in the United States, and when those service members return home, many find themselves fighting different battles, like homelessness, unemployment and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Orange County has created two specialized programs that are designed to address the needs of veterans within the criminal justice system.

Clyde Walker went from serving his country to serving time. He said he came home from Vietnam a changed man.

“Vietnam was hell,” Walker said. “Sometimes you see your brothers with an arm gone or a leg gone. Life is totally different … for a long, long time I didn't have control of me."

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, up to 20 percent of veterans who recently returned home have PTSD.

The National Center for PTSD said 30 percent of Vietnam War veterans dealt with the disorder in their lifetime.

Whether they’re dealing with addiction or anger management, many veterans with PTSD act out in ways that land them behind bars.

“We all make mistakes. There is opportunity for recovery. I am a big believer in second chances, if you genuinely want a second chance,” Orange County Jail Chief Cornita A. Riley said.

The Orange County jail not provides dorms reserved exclusively for veterans.

The dorms house up to 30 inmates and run like the military.
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Five bodies pulled from charred wreckage after I-5 crash in CA

Five bodies pulled from charred wreckage after I-5 crash

Witnesses say the SUV blew a tire before skidding off I-5, slamming into a light pole and rolling down an embankment in O.C. The ensuing fire was so fierce witnesses couldn't get near to help.

By Paloma Esquivel and My-Thuan Tran
August 5, 2009
Five people were killed Tuesday morning when a sport utility vehicle skidded off Interstate 5, rolled down an embankment and burst into flames, authorities said.

Witnesses to the Mission Viejo crash said they ran down the embankment to try to help, but the blaze forced them back.

The Orange County coroner's office said the victims were a 37-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman and three other females whose ages were not released.
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Five bodies pulled from charred wreckage

Domestic violence rises as recession frays families

Shelters across Central Florida struggle to provide for rising numbers of victims


Domestic violence rises as recession frays families
Kate Santich Sentinel Staff Writer
March 4, 2009


When Monica Stamm sought refuge at an Orange County domestic-violence shelter last fall, she vowed to find a job and move out within a month, taking her two children with her.

"I wanted to give them that home, sweet home," she said.

Nearly six months later, she is still at the shelter. Despite searching almost daily for jobs, she has yet to find work to support herself and her family — a scenario all too familiar to shelters throughout the state.

In fact, a recent single-day snapshot of domestic-violence programs from Miami to Pensacola shows many are virtually bursting at the seams. The survey, conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, found 209 victims who were not able to get help, including 40 who had to be turned away from shelters for lack of space.
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