Johnson County’s Veterans Treatment Court honored its latest program graduates with a ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the Johnson County Courthouse.

Two veterans were honored during the graduation: Evan O’Dell (Navy, 2007-11) and Aaron Crouch (Army, 1993-96). After Wednesday’s ceremony, a total of 85 veterans have graduated from VTC in Johnson County.

District Court Judge Timothy P. McCarthy, who spearheaded the effort to bring VTC to the county, presided over the recognition ceremony. Courthouse and county officials were present for the ceremony.

Johnson County District Court founded the first treatment court for veterans in the state of Kansas in January 2016. A year later, VTC recognized its first veteran to graduate from the program.

A behavioral health court and an adult treatment court launched in 2023, joining the county's veterans treatment court in serving individuals’ mental health and substance use disorder needs. The county honored its first adult treatment court graduates during a ceremony on May 16.

VTC’s mission is to identify veterans in the criminal justice system and to place eligible service people into treatment and court supervision as an alternative to incarceration.

In 2008, Judge Robert Russell in Buffalo, New York, began the first docket dedicated to veterans after he saw an increase in the number of military servicemen appearing on his drug and mental health court dockets.

Learn more about Veterans Treatment Court  and court services available in Johnson County.