A program that Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Andy Ballard has been promoting for several weeks had its first offender accept Tuesday in Ballard’s courtroom.

Joseph Whaley, 27, of 1111 S. Ninth Street, Ironton, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs (methamphetamine), fourth-degree felonies.

Ballard sentenced him to four years community controlled sanctions (CCS) under intensive supervised probation (ISP) with 17 months reserved, and ordered him to complete the STAR program and 200 hours of community service.

Ballard offered Whaley a “fast-track” recovery program, which he has been setting up with Riverside Recovery Services, Mended Reeds and the prosecutor’s office for a little more than a month, in which offenders who accept will be able to go to one of the recovery sites immediately following completion of the STAR program.

“STAR is a community-based corrections facility. When someone is done with STAR, they are still on probation, but do not have any required follow-up or treatment that they have to complete,” Ballard said. “A big problem we’re facing is that recovering offenders go back to the same places and people that they knew before, often times leading them back to the same mistakes they made in the first place. This fast-track program, if they accept, allows them to go to a recovery facility for four to six weeks and then go from inpatient to transitional housing.”

After Whaley’s completion of STAR, he will go to Riverside Recovery Services for a four to six-week program, followed by living in a transitional living facility, monitored by Riverside, where he will then learn how to create a resume, search for jobs and set up a bank account to save money, among other things.

“The transitional living is as close to independent living as possible,” Ballard said.

Amy Smart, executive director of Riverside Recovery Services, said people who are in its transitional living after completing recovery treatment typically stay about six months, although it can be up to nine.

Whaley said he made a mistake, and that he was going through a hard time following his mother passing, but thanked God for giving him this opportunity.

Although Whaley was not the first person to be offered the “fast-track” recovery program, he was the first to accept from Ballard’s court since it was first implemented.

In other cases:

• Misty Ashworth, 40, of 901 Fifth Ave., Huntington, West Virginia, pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and two first-degree misdemeanors, possession of drugs (Clonazepam) and falsification. Ballard set bond at $7,500 cash or surety and $25,000 OR. Pretrial was set for Sept. 20.

• Joshua Clagg, 39, of 105 Ferry Street, Proctorville, pleaded guilty to burglary, a second-degree felony. Ballard sentenced him to four years in prison with a mandatory three-year post-release control, and was ordered to complete the STAR program as well as pay $2,400 back to the victim as restitution. The state said it does not oppose judicial release from prison after 21 months if Clagg had a maintained a clean report, which Ballard said he would be happy to accept.

• Jeremiah Doss, 32, of 13013 State Route 243, Chesapeake, pleaded not guilty to possession of drugs (methamphetamine), a fifth-degree felony. Ballard continued his $5,000 cash or surety bond from a lower court and set a $25,000 OR bond. Pretrial was set for Sept. 20.

• Matthew Ellison, 19, of 533 Short White Oak Road, Russell, Kentucky, pleaded not guilty to trafficking in drugs (oxycodone), a second-degree felony, and possession of drugs (oxycodone), a second-degree felony. Ballard continued bond at $2,500 cash or surety from a lower court and set a $25,000 OR bond.

• Richard Ferguson, age and address unknown, pleaded not guilty to five counts of trafficking in marijuana, fourth-degree felonies. Ballard set bond at $10,000 cash or surety and $25,000 OR. Pretrial was set for Sept. 6.

• Robert Felty, 54, of 217 Kentucky Street, Ashland, Kentucky, was a no-show for his arraignment. Felty is facing one count of possession of heroin, a fifth-degree felony. It was announced that Felty may currently be in jail in West Virginia, however, that was not confirmed. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

• Chadwick Goodrich, 40, of 2437 Fifth Street, Ironton, previously pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, a felony of the third-degree, and obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor. Ballard sentenced him to three years in prison with three years post-release control. Goodrich also admitted community controlled sanctions violations, and was sentenced to 36 months in prison, which will run concurrent with the first sentence.

• Jeffrey Hall, age and address unknown, had his case nolled due to the indictment not matching up with the charges. He did however have a positive drug screen for methamphetamine, and was admitted to Riverside Recovery Services.

• Jesse Haney, 39, of County Road 44, Pedro, pleaded not guilty to theft of drugs (Clonazepam), a fourth-degree felony. Ballard set bond at $5,000 cash or surety and $25,000 OR. Pretrial was set for Sept. 20.

• Corwin Kahassai, 25, of 1215 South Ohio Ave., Columbus, was a no-show for his arraignment. Kahassai is facing improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, trafficking in drugs (cocaine), a fifth-degree felony, possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

• Debbra Newcomb, 48, of 844 County Road 180, Ironton, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs (methamphetamine), a fifth-degree felony. She was eligible for intervention in lieu of conviction, and sent to Mended Reeds. Ballard also ordered her to complete 200 hours of community service and to complete regular drug tests. Charges will be dismissed following one year of a clean record.

• Cody Perkey, 21, of 108 Sharon Court, South Point, pleaded not guilty to receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony, and failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a first-degree misdemeanor. Ballard set bond at $1,500 cash or surety and $25,000 OR. Pretrial was set for Sept. 20.

• Danny Sellards, 35, of 84 Township Road 1337, South Point, pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and escape, both third-degree felonies, and vandalism, a felony of the fifth-degree. He also admitted CCS violations. Ballard set bond at $250,000 cash or surety.

• Branden Sites, 28, of 1947 County Road 415, Pedro, pleaded not guilty to complicity to counterfeit controlled substances, a fourth-degree felony. Ballard continued bond at $7,500 cash or surety from a lower court and added a $10,000 OR bond. Pretrial was set for Sept. 20.

• Joshua Smith, 25, of 521 S. Seventh Street, Paducah, Kentucky, pleaded not guilty to possession of drugs (methamphetamine), a fifth-degree felony, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, a minor misdemeanor. Ballard set bond at $5,000 cash or surety and $25,000 OR. Pretrial was set for Sept. 20.

• Christopher Sowards, 30, of 1043 Park Ave., Culloden, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, a felony of the fifth-degree, and theft and falsification, both first-degree misdemeanors. With the guilty plea, his CCS violation was withdrawn. Ballard sentenced him to four years CCS under ISP, ordered him to complete the STAR program, 200 hours of community service and pay court costs. Sowards requested that $207 taken from him as evidence be returned to him, in which Ballard and the state agreed.

• Charles Waddell, 41, of 514 Railroad Street, Ironton, pleaded not guilty to felonious assault, a felony of the second-degree. Ballard continued bond at $15,000 cash or surety from a lower court and set a $25,000 OR bond. Pretrial was set for Sept. 20.

• Bernard Waller, 27, of 21690 Bennett Street, Detroit, Michigan, pleaded not guilty to trafficking in drugs (oxycodone), a second-degree felony. Ballard continued his bond from a lower court. Pretrial was set for Oct. 26.

• Keith Wetzel, age and address unknown, admitted CCS violations. Ballard sentenced him to seven months in prison with credit for 34 days served.