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With June arriving and Franklin County moving into a new recovery-court program, County Mayor Chris Guess had recently proclaimed May as Treatment Court Month.

Guess read a proclamation on May 25 during a special ceremony and signed it, declaring the county’s support for the recovery-court initiative.

Recovery courts, often referred to as “drug courts,” are a type of specialized court in the United States that provide a sentencing alternative of treatment combined with supervision for people living with serious substance abuse issues.

The purpose of the effort is to aid in putting a stop to crime at the source. Drug courts are problem-solving entities that take a public-health approach using a specialized model in which the judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social services and treatment communities work together to help addicted offenders into long-term recovery.

Drugs courts often aim to do this by using and mandating treatment from addiction specialists and programs such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous as well as other support groups.

Guess explained before reading the proclamation that he truly believes in recovery courts.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he said, summing up an old adage he said best describes the recovery court’s objective.

Due to a controversy, Franklin County has moved away from its participation in the 12^th Judicial District Recovery Court and is forming its own Franklin County Family Treatment Court under Recovery Court Director Ron Bailey and General Session Judge David Stewart’s leadership.

Stewart said the focus of the new court, which is expected to begin operations in June, will be to promote drug recovery to benefit families.

He said the program has an objective to sway participants from drug abuse, getting them sober, getting them employed and, in general, turning their lives around so they can again be with their families through a program that can take 18 months to two years to complete.

Guess said he thinks the Family Treatment Court will serve the county well.

He explained that the 12^th Judicial District Recovery Court included participants from throughout a multicounty area who were being housed in the Franklin County Jail, leading to additional costs for local taxpayers.

He said the Family Treatment Court has a much more streamlined geographical focus.

“This will be Franklin County people serving Franklin County people,” Guess said.

He said since the focus involves families, the goal is to get participants sober so they can keep their children and reduce the burden on the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, which intervenes in drug cases where families with children are involved.

The 12^th Judicial District Recovery Court had its operations interrupted in 2022, stemming from a dispute between Chancellor Melissa Thomas Willis and Bailey.

Bailey addressed the County Commission about the issue at a Dec. 5, 2022, meeting and said Willis, Circuit Court Judge Part I Bradley D. Sherman, Circuit Court Judge Part II John H. Cameron Jr. and Circuit Court Judge Part III Justin C. Angel have had little involvement with the Recovery Court and had collectively damaged the program by being at odds with him as director.

The dispute stemmed from differences in June 2022 about how a building at 1045 Dinah Shore Blvd. in Winchester was purchased through grant funds Willis deemed were inappropriate.

Willis and the three judges had drafted a letter that was forwarded to county commissioners, Recovery Court Team members, Sheriff Tim Fuller and Finance Director Andrea Smith that highlighted problems they’ve had with Bailey, leading up to their refusal to refer cases to the Recovery Court and their no longer being willing to serve as volunteers on the Recovery Court Team.

The letter says that former County Mayor David Alexander had tallied a list of issues he had with Bailey’s financial management of a recovery grant and missing financial information relative to grant funding.

Alexander also included a requirement that Bailey provide confirmation about a commitment to work with Centerstone, which provides recovery treatment through a grant with Franklin County.

The letter says Alexander established a timeline for tasks assigned to Bailey to be completed in June 2022, but they were not.

The letter says that Alexander later gave Bailey the option to resign, retire or be fired.

Bailey said he opted not to resign or retire which led to him being fired.

Guess was elected as county mayor in August 2022, and he re-hired Bailey for the position. Guess said he interviewed seven candidates, and Bailey was, hands down, the most qualified.

Bailey said the controversy over the grant stemmed from how the money was to be used. He said it was later discovered that the grant money in question, about $36,000, could not be used toward a mortgage because the grant criteria specified it could only be used for lease purposes. He added that the money was later placed in the proper category to comply with the grant requirements.

The letter says Willis and the three judges had problems with Guess’ decision to re-hire Bailey.

“We further expressed our concern that Mr. Bailey’s choices regarding grant management, lack of cooperation with the treatment provider and overall attitude could not be supported or tolerated, and that his continued management was not in the best interest of the program or the participants,” the letter said. “Chancellor Willis also encouraged Mayor Guess to reach out to District Attorney General Courtney Lynch regarding her concerns about the program as has existed under Mr. Bailey’s direction.

“Mayor Guess agreed to post the position at that time but ultimately chose to re-hire Mr. Bailey, despite concerns of the judiciary and General Lynch.”

Guess explained his stance on the position in a memo he drafted and forwarded to the parties involved in the dispute.

He referred to an Aug. 26, 2022, meeting between Willis, Sherman, Cameron, Fuller and himself.

“I was disappointed in the lack of professionalism demonstrated at this meeting as I was immediately threatened and given an ultimatum concerning the Drug Court coordinator,” Guess said.

He said the Recovery Court director’s position is funded through county taxpayer dollars.

“Therefore, it is my position that it is my responsibility as the mayor of Franklin County to retain the best candidate for the position,” Guess said. “I can assure everyone, after conducting numerous interviews, that Mr. Bailey is, indeed, the most qualified person for the position.

“I have a sworn duty to the citizens of Franklin County to represent them and put their collective interests first and foremost. This has been and always will be my default position on matters such as this.”

Guess said the references toward misappropriated funds from a federal grant are questionable.

“If there were indeed incidents of improper or illegal activities concerning federal funding, why has there not been an official investigation and appropriate charges filed?” Guess asked. “Without an official investigation, all that I am left with are innuendos and accusations with no corresponding proof.

“I think it is also pertinent to mention that the Drug Court has been a successful program since its conception. It has only been in the past year or so that complaints and problems have begun to surface. My question to you is simply what has changed to create controversy and adversity in a historically successful program?”

 The judges and Willis said that although no new referrals are being accepted, those in the program would still go through a recovery process.

“We remain committed to working with the program’s current participants to ensure that their ongoing treatment and supervisory needs are met,” the letter says. “The participants are not to blame for the issues outlined herein, and their individual recovery journeys are still our top priority.

“We are reaching out to grant providers regarding the present and future status of the program’s funding, detailing our concerns and advising them that we have ceased referrals. We are also developing dockets for current participants in order to evaluate individual progress, connect them to resources and transition those participants to the most appropriate level of supervision.”

Willis said later that there’s a misconception that those who had been in the Recovery Court program would be abandoned. She added that those who are already in the program will continue to receive treatment.

Bailey said the judiciary in opposition to his efforts are determined to change the direction of the Recovery Court program and have been doing so by attempting to undermine his guidance and leadership.

“Having failed in the attempt to remove me from the program using fabrications and untruths, they decided to destroy a competent, successful and ongoing program that benefitted everyone but them,” Bailey said. “That’s the sad truth about the situation we are now in.”