March 17, 2023. Lucas Boring, The Monroe County Buzz
A Mississippi man who visited Monroe County on a motorcycle excursion last year ended up in the hospital and then in the local court system with alcohol-related charges after wrecking on Highway 129.
His name is Winston Stockman, and he is from Monroe County, Mississippi. He was arrested in July 2022.
Appearing earlier this month before Judge Dwaine B. Thomas as one of six Veterans Court graduates, Stockman laid out the series of events restoring him to his family as a healthy father and husband.
Stockman said he crashed his bike on the notoriously snaky road after consuming alcohol. He broke his back, and his leg, sustaining serious injuries that required a lengthy hospital stay. “I’m lucky I’m here today. My two girls are lucky they still have a father.”
Discharged by a doctor, Stockman then faced driving under the influence charge. His arrest in Monroe County Tennessee put him in the local court system where his status as a military veteran led to an unlikely outcome.
He was introduced to Vet to Vet Tennessee, a mentoring group central to Monroe County Veterans Court, and received the option to find treatment for substance abuse. Stockman said in the past he had decided to quit drinking but he wasn’t equipped with the tools needed to kick the habit.
He said he faced what seemed like insurmountable hurdles. Since he was from Mississippi, Vet to Vet Tennessee’s local Veterans Affairs partners was unable to treat him.
Stockman was eventually admitted by the VA in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he received over 100 hours of individual group therapy and 12 weeks of aftercare services.
Stockman was doing everything right, according to his Vet to Vet Tennessee mentor JD Phillips.
He checked in regularly and had committed to rehabilitation. He drove five hours from Mississippi to Tennessee for therapy sessions at McNabb Military Services office in Madisonville, sleeping in his car to avoid lodging costs.
Despite his effort, a previous alcohol-related offense at home in Mississippi threatened to put Stockman in jail. The out-of-state judge did not recognize the work he was doing to pull his life together.
Stockman said he pled to the Mississippi charges, taking a probationary sentence to remain in treatment in Tennessee.
After the minimum six months of observation required by Monroe County Veterans Court, Stockman was approved for graduation, which would nullify his local prosecution. He refused. Stockman told his mentor he “needed a few more months.”
On March 6, 2023, Stockman said he was ready. He and five other justice-involved veterans celebrated commencement at the Monroe County Justice Center.
He told the court the treatment he received gave him purpose and kept his family together. “I’m grateful for this program for giving me a second chance at life.” Stockman’s wife and two small children, both little girls, traveled with him once again to Monroe County, Tennessee. His wife said she was “glad to have her husband back.”
Featured in the photo from left to right are mentor JD Phillips, wife Laurin, daughter, VSO Andy Boyd, Winston, and youngest daughter.
He didn’t get Redemption, as you put it. Have you seen his arrest since this one mentioned above. He left treatment at the VA, which was court ordered, yet nothing ever happens. He recently threatened violence against his wife. He has mentally abused her for years. She left him and he harassess her every hour. This is not a good person. He had us all fooled.