May 20, 2026 By Mike Jones 4 min read

Three men who had brushes with the law praised the specialized veterans court in Washington County that helped change their lives.

Army veterans John McCormick, Bryan Staley and Christopher Ulanich each described during their graduation ceremony Tuesday how the roughly two-year program gave them the tools to succeed, and thanked the probation officers and court staff that shepherded them to a new beginning.

“It was a blessing for me. It changed my life and the way I lived,” Staley said.

After leaving the Army in 1991, Staley said he got involved in drugs and alcohol which caused problems later in life. After pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges in 2023, he entered the veterans court and began a more than two-year journey that he admitted had its ups and downs.

“Slowly, I learned how to change my life. It was hard, but it changed my life,” Staley said. “I don’t think anything else but (veterans) treatment court would’ve done this for me.”

The veterans court is one of four specialized programs in the Washington Court of Common Pleas, with the other three helping people specifically with addiction issues, mental health problems or facing DUI convictions. The participants must plead guilty before entering the program, but by following its strict rules over the 18 to 24 months under court supervision allows them to graduate and avoid a state sentence that otherwise would have sent them to prison.

President Judge Valarie Costanzo presided over the graduation ceremony after taking over the veterans court in January, but she also invited Superior Court Judge Brandon Neuman, who oversaw the program in Washington County until being elected to the appellate court last year.

“You showed up, did the work and held yourself accountable,” Costanzo said. “You’re not defined by your past decisions. You’re defined by the ones you’re making now and the ones you make going forward.”

McCormick, who was discharged as a sergeant in 2007 after serving in Iraq, recalled waking up in a jail cell in January 2024 not knowing where he was or what happened. His medication had recently been changed, and it led to an episode in his neighborhood in which seven state police troopers had to wrestle him to the ground to subdue him. He recalled the kindness he was shown in jail despite what had happened.

“They took care of me at the jail,” he said. “They were watching over me.”

He credited his Christian faith as being the main driver of his recovery, along with the veterans court treatment program that he entered in 2024 giving him another chance.

“Everything was lining up for me to be alive and make it,” McCormick said.

Ulanich, who was in the Army from 1986 until 1990, said being a part of the treatment court was important to him when he entered in 2024.

“It’s humbled me and restored the faith I’ve lost in a lot of things,” Ulanich said. “I’m thankful for being a veteran … and thank you to all the veterans who served.”

Judge Jesse Pettit oversees the specialized mental health court and DUI court, while Judge Traci McDonald presides over drug court. All offer diversionary programs to give people a second chance while following strict treatment and rehabilitation rules while serving on probation.

Neuman said he was happy to return to his old courthouse for Tuesday’s ceremony, and added that presiding over veterans court is one of the things he misses the most about his former job.

“It’s the whole team that looked at you as an individual to see how we could help you, not punish you,” Neuman said.

Costanzo acknowledged that it might not be an easy road going forward, but she left the graduates with an inspirational message as they try to move on from their past transgressions.

“Please keep believing in yourself,” the president judge said. “Never forget how far you’ve come.”