Drug Court’s first Graduates

LIHU‘E —In a room where many people leave handcuffed and shackled, three Kaua‘i residents celebrated their freedom yesterday.

The first three graduates of Kaua‘i Drug Court, Shawn Cremer, Cherrie Manoi, and William Coller, received their outright dismissals on drug and paraphernalia possession charges and certificates for completing the year-long program yesterday.

Joined in the packed Fifth Circuit courtroom by family, friends and VIPs, the three also celebrated their sobriety as they passed the one-year, clean-and-sober mark in the past few months.

“Today is a commencement exercise,” said Fifth Circuit Judge Clifford L. Nakea. “Commencement means the beginning, and that’s what this is. You hopefully have been provided with the tools to handle situations” without the use of drugs.

But, looking back, it was easy to see that all three had made tremendous change to this point, according to their substance abuse counselor, Araceli Gonzalez.

William Coller was arrested at Lihu‘e Airport, Gonzalez said, after being found “half-naked” in the bushes after running away from police.

At first, “he had a rather poor attitude,” said Gonzalez. “He’s come a long way since then.”

“I’m very proud of you, and your family is very proud of you,” she added.

Coller, after receiving his award, started first with thanking his “higher power for getting me here.”

He also thanked his family for their support, as well as Nakea, and his defense attorney, Daniel Hempey, and members of the 12-step group he attends.

“As a result of being in the program, I’m a conscientious and more-productive person at work, and a better father,” Coller added. The program “has given me a chance to build my self-esteem, to fight this disease with the support of my family.”

Shawn Cremer “had the body by methamphetamine,” Gonzalez said. “He was physically very gaunt. His jeans literally were falling off him.

“You don’t even look like the same person today,” she said.

Unemployed, and without a high-school diploma or even a driver’s license, Cremer now has a commercial driver’s license, a full-time job, and is taking night classes working on his diploma.

“You are a better man,” she said. “May you have many more successes.”

“Starting from the day I got busted, I tried to (use) excuses,” Cremer said. “I still didn’t care. Then I met (James) Itamura,” his defense attorney, who introduced him to Drug Court.

Cremer first said he agreed to join the program “thinking it was an easy way out. I played along with them.

“But once they sent me to O‘ahu,” he said, “I knew the game was over and I lost. I knew starting over wasn’t going to be easy.”

He’s now changed his life, he said, and he’s not looking back.

The third member of the graduating class had two reasons to quit: herself and the child she was carrying.

Three months pregnant when she was arrested, Manoi is now the proud mother of a healthy baby girl, to go along with three boys.

But that didn’t mean she was happy to go along with the program.

“Drug Court meant supervision on a leash,” she said. “It meant a seven-day curfew at 7 p.m. It was a bit too much, but I only had myself to blame.”

“Cherrie was an angry person when she came to the office,” Gonzalez said. “At the time she was pregnant, homeless, on methamphetamine, and in a violent relationship which ended in trips to the emergency room.”

Now Manoi has a full-time job in the hotel industry, is taking care of her four kids, and she’s planning to start classes at Kaua‘i Community College.

“She gave a chance to her beautiful baby,” Gonzalez said. “Cherrie has the willingness to do the work.”

“In the beginning, I resented the program. It was too much to comply with,” Manoi said. “It was like my freedom was taken away.

“The biggest change” she said, was when she realized one day that “I didn’t want to harm my baby by my actions.

“I put my baby’s health and welfare first, and everything fell into place,” she said. “Araceli was a wonderful support. It took a while for my family to come around,” but they support her today.

“I’m just filled with joy and excited. I’m happy that I actually made it,” Manoi added. “It didn’t hit me until I came into the courtroom. The burden has been lifted.”

As for whether she’s worried about the future without Drug Court personnel’s support, she said, “I’m not worried. I don’t want to go back there.

“I feel so free,” she said.

Drug Court coordinator Alton G. Amimoto said that almost 30 people are currently involved in various stages of Drug Court, a one-to-two-year program.

There is currently a waiting list, but “Everybody is evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

Each case is handled differently, depending on a client’s needs, he said.

Different treatment options, such as intensive outpatient (meets three to four times a week) and residential (in-patient at an O‘ahu center) are decided by Gonzalez’s evaluation.

“All had the same sanctions, but they were ready to change and live the real life,” Amimoto said. “The reward is big. They’re free.”

Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.