May 22, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
A new Coordinator has been named for the DeKalb County Recovery Court Adult and Juvenile Programs.
Kate Arnold’s first day on the job was Monday. She succeeds Norene Puckett who had held the position since July 2013 but stepped down after announcing that she was relocating out of state.
Arnold comes to the position with more than 15 years experience assisting the judicial court system. She has worked in the DeKalb County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office on three separate occasions, as a General Sessions Criminal Court Clerk from 2002 to 2006; General Sessions Civil Clerk from 2012 to 2016; and as a Financial and Juvenile Court Clerk since 2018.. She worked as a legal secretary for Smithville Attorney Jeremy Trapp from 2006 until 2011.
A graduate of DCHS in 1999, Arnold furthered her education at Motlow State Community College in McMinnville in 2011-12.
“This is special for me because having been around the court system for so long I have been able to see the success of the Recovery Court. I am excited with this new opportunity for me,” said Arnold.
As Coordinator, Arnold will be expected to participate fully as a Recovery Court Team member and be responsible for the management/administrative aspects of the program (including preparing budgets/grants), participant relations, public relations, collaboration with other community agencies, database management, and the facilitation of all meetings. Arnold will oversee the weekly docket for Recovery Court, orient all new participants and monitor their weekly progress, and submit a weekly report on each. Following input from the team, Arnold will make policy decisions affecting the day-to-day operations of the Court.
Thirteen years after its beginnings in DeKalb County, the Recovery Court program (formerly known as Drug Court) has grown and is making a difference in the lives of more people, juveniles and adults. Recovery Court for adults, started by Judge Bratten Cook, II in 2006, provides an alternative to incarceration for eligible non-violent offenders, who are deemed substance dependent. Judge Cook began the recovery court program for juveniles in 2002.
Team members who oversee the program locally in addition to Judge Cook and Recovery Court Coordinator Arnold are Sheriff Patrick Ray, Assistant District Attorney General Stephanie Johnson, John and Kay Quintero from Haven of Hope, primary treatment providers; Assistant Public Defender Scott Grissom, Probation Officer Jami Hood, Juvenile Case Manager Katie Parker, and Adult Case Manager Rhonda Harpole.