By Meladi Brewer
DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — A Greenville man was granted intervention and held up as a lesson to others in the Darke County Common Pleas Court. Judge Jonathan P. Hein presided.

Michael C. Savoy, 29, attended an ILC hearing Thursday for one count of possession of methamphetamine, a felony of the fifth degree. Both the defense attorney, Nichole Pohlman, and the prosecuting attorney, R. Kelly Ormsby, agreed Savory meets the requirements of intervention in lieu of conviction.

The date of the offense was Dec. 31, 2020, and because the case has been ongoing, Savoy has completed inpatient treatment and has transitioned into a sober living home where he pays $400 a month for room and board. Judge Hein asked him if there was anything he would like to say regarding his journey and asked why Savoy would like an intervention program.

“I know I don’t want to get high anymore. I know that for a fact,” Savoy said. “I felt though my journey and everything, I’m learning that if I need anything, or I have any thoughts, I know I have a group of people I can call if I need to.

Savoy was nervous about appearing in Greenville for his court date in person instead of a Zoom call because he felt scared he would fall back into the same patterns he once was in, and he did not want to be faced with the struggles he used to be involved with. He was commended for facing the issues head on and overcoming them by proving he could change.

“I’ve learned through my journey, so far, there’s a lot more and a better life beyond the drugs I was doing,” Savoy said.

He explained he is now financially independent as well. Savoy says he no longer has to borrow money or ask for the things he needs. Hein commended him for his hard work while explaining how he is an example of how treatment is sometimes a better option than punishment despite what the public may think.

“There’s a certain amount of validity to that, but at some point in time, you cannot beat any person or animal and expect them to be positive,” Hein said. “In being patient and focusing on treatment the goal has always been for you to get to this point.

“You’re probably the poster child for how the public doesn’t see the need to have both accountability and treatment,” Hein added.

Savoy was granted intervention with community supervision for up to 60 months, and he must complete 100 hours of community service. If he does not complete intervention or maintain the rules and regulations given to him during the intervention, Savoy will be found guilty of the charge and can be sentenced to a maximum of 12 month incarceration and a $2,500 fine, all of which is not mandatory.

“Punishment for the wrong person actually makes them a better criminal,” Hein said. “Which is not the goal. It’s just the unintentional consequences that a lot of people don’t realize.”

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].