CITY DRUG COURT ENJOYS FIRST SUCCESS

Man Stays Sober For 1 Year

City of Poughkeepsie Judge Ronald McGaw doesn't serve cake in his courtroom
very often.

But the judge figured Richard Watson deserved a party. On Tuesday
afternoon, he became the first person to graduate from Poughkeepsie Drug
Treatment Court since the program began more than a year ago.

''You're a different person from the one I first saw here 14 months ago,''
McGaw told Watson during the celebration in the courtroom at city hall.
''We're all proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself.''

Watson is one of a dozen people enrolled in the city's drug court program,
part of a statewide initiative open to those accused of drug-related
misdemeanors.

Working with a team that includes police, judges, prosecutors, defense
attorneys, probation officers and social workers, the defendant signs a
contract agreeing to take specific steps to fight his or her addiction. In
return, the drug court team agrees to dismiss the charges if the defendant
remains drug-free and crime-free for at least a year and fulfills the other
promises in the contract.

Life-changing choice

Watson, 56, was first arrested in June 1993 when a City of Poughkeepsie
police officer spotted him trying to buy crack cocaine. He was placed on
probation for that offense, and when he violated the terms of probation
last year, he was offered the chance to enroll in drug court. He said
Tuesday it was the best decision he ever made.

''I just decided I was too old to be using drugs, and I was on the road to
possibly losing my family,'' Watson said following his graduation ceremony.

''From the first day of drug court I decided what I wanted to do, and it
feels good,'' he said. ''I'm higher today than I ever was on crack.''

Other defendants enrolled in the program said they were inspired by
Watson's success. Paul Heim, who joined the program with Watson last
spring, said he was within two weeks of being its first graduate when he
relapsed on Feb. 28. He got drunk, drove a car and was nearly killed in an
auto accident.

As he recovered from his injuries, Heim said, Watson was there to encourage
him to get sober again.

''I felt like I let everyone down,'' Heim said. ''But Richard told me to
forget about that. He told me I couldn't give up, that life was worth
living. I plan to be the second graduate.''

Watson had other fans in the audience on his graduation day -- including
the officer who arrested him more than four years ago.

''Today proves we all can overcome our problems,'' Officer George Camacho
said. ''I've arrested a lot of people since I made that arrest, but it was
good to be here to see this guy succeed.''