'Helping a fellow soldier': Expanding the Veterans Treatment Court to federal court

TAMPA, Fla. — For the past decade, Colonel DJ Reyes has worked tirelessly to help veterans in need. He was the first mentor for the Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) at the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.

Now, years later, Col. Reyes finds himself as the lone mentor again, this time at the federal level.

There are about a dozen VTCs at the federal level, but none in Florida.

Across the country, more than 600 VTCs serve countless veterans. Col. Reyes is now fighting to bridge that gap.

"Why is that important?" Col. Reyes told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska. "It's important because veterans commit criminal offenses not necessarily just at the state level; they commit federal level too."

In a new pilot program, Col. Reyes mentored two veterans at the federal level. Both avoided prison time for their crimes, ensuring no veteran was left behind.

Now, Col. Reyes is making it his new mission to get funding to set up the first VTC in Florida at the Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse.

"If we are doing everything we can as a community to catch as a net to catch our veterans or get in trouble with the law with qualifying state offense or qualifying Federal offenses, and not just putting them in jail or putting them in prison, at the federal level, but rather identifying, treating rehabilitating, and then ultimately, reintegrating them back into the community with their family and loved ones," Col. Reyes said.

Paluska was in Federal Court on July 2 for the sentencing of Baruch Roche II.

Roche, a captain in the U.S. Army, was arrested on November 3, 2023, after the federal criminal complaint states "he "approached the gate to enter the MacDill Air Force base and told security personnel he was 'Captain America.'

A search of Roche's vehicle found a Colt AR-15 assault rifled in the trunk, along with five magazines loaded with approximately 125 rounds of .556 caliber ammunition."

The honorable judge, Anthony E. Porcelli, sentenced Roche to three years of probation, with the potential to shorten the sentence if he follows all of the conditions of release and mentors other veterans struggling with their mental health.

Col. Reyes testified in court that taking on the role of mentor for federal defendants "is not a burden for me. I am just helping a fellow soldier."

Col. Reyes will continue to mentor Roche throughout the probation, working the same VTC program that is in place at the state level. Roche is the second veteran to be sentenced in federal court for the pilot program.

During his service to the United States, Col. Reyes served seven tours. He is a hardened combat veteran and knows the difficulties of returning home from deployment. The judge presiding over the state VTC,Judge Michael J. Scionti, is a combat veteran and still enlisted as a Colonel in the Army Reserves.

Paluska watched four veterans facing felony charges graduate from the program, and their cases were dismissed.

"It seems they're lucky to have landed in your court" om?" Paluska asked Judge Scionti.

"That's true, and this is not a court of punishment," Judge Scionti said. "We are their rock. They come here. It is a safe place for them all. The irony is coming to a criminal courtroom is a safe space for them."

Judge Scionti said more than 1,000 veterans have graduated from the program, avoiding jail time and transforming their lives.

Col. Scionti and Col. Reyes walked the same dirt overseas. In a weird twist of fate, they were reunited stateside.

"We were both in the invasion in 2003. He was in the lead ground division of the Third Infantry Division. And I was in the 101st Airborne Division," Col. Reyes said. "We never met in the invasion. We didn't meet until November when he came down to Baghdad to see his friend plus bring a bunch of detainees. That's when I ran into him."

Now, they work together, helping veterans become the people they know they can be.

The website for theMentors of Hillsborough County lays out the facts of why veterans need this type of treatment court, stating:

September 11, 2001, and during the longest continuous U.S. conflict in history (17 years Global War on Terror), over 2.6 Million men and women have voluntarily served in uniform, which is less than 1% of the current U.S. population. Yet, over 20 veterans a day commit suicide. Over 700,000 veterans are in some phase of the U.S. criminal court process. One out of six veterans has a substance abuse problem. And, one out of five veterans has been diagnosed with some type of mental illness or cognitive impairment. This includes Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from roadside bombs and suicide bombers (IEDs). In many cases, upon returning stateside, these veterans subsequently commit a criminal offense which can be directly attributed to a service or combat related injury. Sadly, in many cases, these veterans are not properly identified, and they become lost, in the criminal justice system without the necessary help, medical treatment, and therapies. This encourages a vicious cycle of hopelessness, non-recovery, and ultimately, serious injury or death.

The mentors are a key component of the program.

"The founding Judge of the Veterans Treatment Court, the Honorable Robert Russell from Buffalo, New York, coined it b "st," Col. Reyes said. "He said that the veteran mentors are the 'secret sauce' of the program. Without those mentors, you will not experience the success rate and fellowship. Without the mentor program, you only have another mental health or drug court."

"When these graduates left the courtroom today. And they went out into the world as these transformed folks. What impact will they have on other veterans?" Paluska asked.

"They serve as a shining example that we all have issues and challenges. But there is hope. And there are programs and people who care, that want you to succeed and get well," Col. Reyes said. "You don't want them to end up in this court. This is the court of last resort. You want to be proactive and identify potential triggers or signs of veterans in trouble. And then inject yourself as quickly as possible. Get them the help and the resources that they need."