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Laramie County approves combined grant applications to support DUI and drug courts
Summary
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved two Wyoming Supreme Court grant applications to fund DUI, drug court and a new mental-health diversion program; Treatment Courts director Fernando Muzkis presented participant counts, retention rates and success stories and asked to use surcharge funds for diversion services.
The Laramie County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved two resolutions Dec. 16 authorizing submission of fiscal-year 27 and 28 grant applications to the Wyoming Supreme Court to fund court-supervised treatment programs for DUI and drug offenses.
Fernando Muzkis, director of the Treatment Courts Office, told the board the DUI court began around 2006 and has produced 308 graduates. He said those graduates accumulated a total of 1,266 lifetime DUIs prior to participation and that 72 graduates have received new DUIs since graduating. "That's a success rate of 94.3 percent," Muzkis said, framing that figure as the share of graduates who have not received new DUIs.
Muzkis also summarized drug court data: the program served 40 participants in 2025, with five graduates, 12 terminations and 23 current participants. He said nine current participants have at least six months sober and five have over a year sober, and reported a 2025 retention rate of about 70 percent. Muzkis credited improvements in drug-court outcomes to a new case manager, saying the success rate rose from 78 percent to about 90 percent after the hire.
The director shared several participant success stories by first name and cited one graduate by full name, Sean Christopher Patterson, who graduated earlier in 2025 and is now a drug court case manager. Muzkis also noted the county has started a mental-health diversion program this year; it served four people and, because of the small cohort, currently records a 100 percent success and retention rate. He said he has requested a portion of surcharge funds be used to support that diversion program and, if funded, would like to hire a part-time case manager and provide incentives for participants.
Commissioners praised the programs during discussion, calling them effective at reducing jail stays and supporting recovery. After a motion to combine Items 5 and 6 and a second, the board voted by roll call with Commissioners Heath, Hollingshead, Thompson, Zwonitzer and Chairman Malm all recorded as voting Aye.
The resolutions authorize the county to apply for the specified Wyoming Supreme Court grants and to provide the stated cash matches (as read into the record). The board did not set programmatic details beyond those presented; any budget or staffing changes tied to surcharge funds will depend on later administrative actions if the grants and transfers are approved.
