Ceremony held for latest graduates of CAMO Court

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Two local veterans have become the seventh and eighth graduates of Van Wert Municipal Court’s Veterans Court, commonly referred to as CAMO (Courts Assisting Military Offenders) Court.

Sgt. Thomas Losh (U.S. Air Force) and Sgt. Keith Ratliff (U.S. Army) were honored during a brief ceremony held in the Van Wert Municipal Court courtroom Wednesday morning Family members, treatment team members, court officials and others gathered for the ceremony, which was led by Van Wert Muncipal Court Chief Probation Officer/Van Wert County Veterans Court Director John Wiley and Judge Jill T. Worthington. 

CAMO Court is designed to help veterans who have been charged with crimes related to alcohol and/or substance abuse. It provides necessary  treatment and support to those in the program, and has a high success rate.

“Defendants are screened for CAMO Court and they can be referred to us by law enforcement, corrections or when they identify as veterans upon their initial appearance at the court,” Wiley explained. “They go through a risk assessment and a substance abuse/mental health evaluation.  Once that is complete, Judge Worthington accepts or rejects them.”

Wiley also noted that Van Wert’s CAMO Court is the smallest one in Ohio.

Losh and Ratliff thanked everyone involved with the program for their support and guidance and both men admitted when they started the program, it was a challenge for all involved.

“I did not make it easy,” Losh stated. “I had to screw up to get here so it’s hard to feel proud but at at the same time I know I came a long way and I couldn’t have done it without everybody that’s part of the team.”

“I also offered some pushback when I started this program,” Ratliff told those in attendance. “It took probably a couple of months before I bought into this system and I immediately started seeing results. It’s got me where I am today…I’m not done with this program – I’d like to come back and mentor, I’d like to come back and share what I learned and help people down the road.”

“There is a path to the finish line,” he added.

Losh and Ratliff were each presented with a framed certificate, a gift basket and special military jackets.

The guest speaker was Chris Dziubeck, Brigadier General (Ret.), who retired in 2023 after a 33-year military career. He now serves as a Veterans Service Officer in Lucas County. He offered brief remarks and encouragement and said he’s taking what he’s learned about Van Wert’s CAMO Court back to Lucas County.