DRUG COURT PRODUCES WINNERS

BUNNELL -- Circuit Judge Kim C. Hammond, a former NFL quarterback,
sat behind his bench, cocked his arm and tossed a small football in a
graceful spiral across the courtroom.

Allison Tonachio's hands shot up and grabbed the ball as she stood
behind a podium.

The autographed football was a tribute to the 36-year-old Tonachio's
ongoing success in the Flagler County Drug Court program, a team
approach that includes prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement
agencies and counselors. Hammond is the leader of the team that aims
to direct nonviolent drug offenders into a life free from substance abuse.

The program currently has 22 participants and in April saw its first
four graduates. Five more people are scheduled to graduate at 3 p.m.
Friday in the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center in Bunnell. Another four
or five are scheduled to graduate in December, if they stay on track.

For the 63-year-old Hammond, a former Florida State Seminoles'
quarterback who also played three seasons in the NFL, first for the
Miami Dolphins and next for the then-Boston Patriots, drug court is a
lot like football.

"In football, you call it a completion when you achieve something,"
Hammond said after last Friday's hearing. "And drug court, as far as
I'm concerned, is likened to a completion: Took a lot of effort; you
had to have a play; you had to have a plan; you had to have someone
who would block for you and support you and help you. You had to have
someone who'd receive the benefit and perform, just like football."

Tonachio said she had been using crack cocaine, which had put her in
bad situations in the worst parts of town, before she was accepted
into drug court.

"It saved my life, absolutely saved my life," she said. "It keeps me
on my toes and makes me realize what a problem I had."

Tonachio is on track to graduate next year, said Michael Greenier,
coordinator of the Flagler County Drug Court program, which started
in December 2006. It's funded through a $250,000 federal grant, which
will expire on June 30, 2009.

The program will then look toward some other funding sources, such as
establishing a nonprofit, seeking money from the county, or tapping
court innovation funds, said Mike Jewell, drug court manager for the
7th Circuit.

Participants pay $20 a week, which doesn't cover expenses but it
makes the program more valuable to them, Jewell said. He said raising
the $20 fee would be considered if it meant the survival of the program.

The program's capacity increases from 33 people to 44 on Oct. 1, said
Greenier, who added that most participants are referred to drug court
by the state attorney's office or public defender's office. Some
participants are recommended by people already in the program, he said.

"The more the merrier," Greenier said.

To graduate, a person must be in the program for a minimum of 48
weeks and be clean of drugs for 240 consecutive days, he said.

Volusia County has had an adult drug court program for 11 years, said
Molly Justice, circuit court spokeswoman. The Volusia program has a
$241,000 annual budget, 149 people enrolled and 468 graduates, Justice said.

Just under 25 percent of people who go through drug court find
themselves back in the court system accused of committing crimes,
Greenier said. But that compares to 75 percent for people who don't
go through such a program, he said.

Greenier said Tonachio received the football for her outstanding
participation. In a time span when she was only required to attend
six Narcotics Anonymous meetings, she attended 14. She also helped
others in the program by referring them to jobs.

For Tonachio, who has logged 91 consecutive drug-free days, the
program has made a big difference, not just to herself but to her
family. She has three children, an 8-year-old daughter and two sons,
10 and 12. The children are with their grandparents in Virginia right
now, which has allowed her to concentrate on drug court.

"When they come back, I'll be a much better person," she said. "I'll
be the parent they deserve."

As for the judge's passing ability, Tonachio said Hammond still has a
soft touch.

"It was pretty good," she said of his throw. "I was expecting to have to jump."