Judge Rick Williams presided over an Adult Recovery Court graduation in Mohave County, opening the ceremony with a moment of silence for a listed graduate who died last week and introducing WestCare clinical director Bobby DeBata as the keynote speaker. The court presented certificates and commemorative coins to graduates from Bullhead City, Kingman and other program sites.

The ceremony combined celebration and reflection. Williams, who has led the adult recovery court program since it began in January 2012, described the program as the county’s “toughest form of probation,” noting participants move through five phases over roughly 15–18 months with weekly court appearances, weekly meetings with probation officers, at least two random substance tests per week and a typical expectation of about nine hours per week of counseling or therapy.

In his keynote, Bobby DeBata, clinical director of WestCare Arizona, drew on his personal history of addiction and recovery to urge graduates to forgive themselves and rely on community supports. "The opposite of addiction is connection," DeBata said, framing sustained relationships and treatment as central to long-term recovery. He traced addiction’s roots in trauma and marginalization and encouraged attendees to use counseling, peer groups and treatment services rather than isolation.

Multiple graduates shared brief personal testimonies. A Bullhead City participant identified as Christy (introduced in the program as Christy Cheek and who introduced herself as "Christie") said she had been clean for more than a year and thanked Mohave County staff and probation officers; James Mills described 18 months and eight days sober and credited the recovery court with teaching coping mechanisms that replaced harmful behaviors; Joel Nicholas said the program helped him become a reliable worker and parent. Kingman graduates including Marissa Calderon, Lauren and others described use of Mohave Mental Health, Revive and sober living as bridges to stability, housing and family reunification.

Judge Williams presented a commemorative coin stamped "Supreme Court State of Arizona" to DeBata and called out many members of the recovery court team by name, thanking court administration, probation staff and treatment partners for supporting the program. He also noted that program selection uses an objective screening tool rather than being discretionary.

The ceremony concluded with certificates, group photos and a reminder that the recovery court model pairs intensive supervision with treatment rather than purely punitive measures. Many graduates thanked specific probation officers and treatment providers and described measurable changes—stable housing, employment and restored family relationships—as the immediate results of completing program phases.