09/24/2019- It was a monumental day for the Marinette County Drug Court. Monday marked the program’s 5th  anniversary of working to break the cycle of drug abuse and criminal behavior and rehabilitate offenders. Shane Konell is a Drug Court alumnus who graduated fifteen months ago and is now using his experiences and success getting clean to help guide others off the same dangerous path he used to be headed down.
“Since I graduated, I’ve gotten to speak at Menominee High School. I’ve gotten to speak at some (Narcotics Anonymous) meetings. I’ve gotten married, I got my son back…It gave me the proper tools to live life that I didn’t have before and showed me how I could surrender, turn my life over and get a brand new start at life.”
It was a particularly special day for Jordan Niemojuski, who became the program’s newest graduate Monday. Fewer than half of all Wisconsin Counties have an operating Drug Court and Niemojuski credits the local program for saving his life.
“The last time I used, I overdosed and my dad ended up finding me. So, it’s just a blessing, for sure, that our community even has something like this because I knew nothing about it before this.”
To date, the Marinette County Drug Court has seen 69 participants, including 17 who are active in the program, 28 terminations, and 24 graduates.