Honor  Court Presiding Judge- Honorable Taryn Heath
  Honorable  Taryn  Heath  and  Stark  County Honor        Court Director, Michele M. Hammers

Stark County Honor Court  is a specialized treatment court for veterans and active duty service  members that have been charged with felonies in the Common Pleas Court. The program has expanded its criteria from serving low-level, non-violent felony offenders, to also include high-risk offenders, on a case-by-case basis. It is a minimum year-long program that partners with various legal and community organizations to assist veterans in completing the program. 

The Stark County Honor Court Program attempts to bridge the gap to the services available to veterans and create a network of support systems to help them through their probation, and continue on as productive members of the community. The combination of services, supervision, and mentoring is intended to foster completion of probation and draw upon the codes of honor and service instilled in the participants during their military service to our nation. 

Honor Court’s motto is :      "Reclaiming Honor, Dignity and Lives."

The Honor Court Mentor Program allows volunteer veterans from the community to provide peer mentoring to the Honor Court participants.  Facts about Veterans Treatment Courts

Eligibility:

The Honor Court presiding judge has discretion to decide the admission into the Honor Court Program or termination of a participant in the Honor court program in accordance with the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be a Stark County resident
  • Have charge(s) eligible for diversion, probation, or re-entry programming
  • Be a veteran or active duty service member of the United States Military including: Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves
  • Benefit from receiving specialized supervision and services
  • Demonstrate an interest and willingness to participate in Honor Court
  • Enter a plea of Guilty to charged offense(s) and sign waivers and agreements
  • Cannot be a convicted sex offender

To be screened for eligibility, please fill out the three forms below and fax to: 330.451.7626 

The assigned judge on a case-by-case basis will determine each offender’s eligibility status. There will be three procedural tracks in the Honor Court, each with distinct eligibility criteria.

Diversion Track: Current charge is a nonviolent, third/fourth/fifth degree probationable felony; Offender meets admission criteria for Intensive Supervised Probation; Offender enters a plea of Guilty to the offense(s), signs a waiver of rights, and is diverted to the Honor Court in lieu of sentencing.

Community Control Track: Current charge is a probationable felony; Offender meets admission criteria for Intensive Supervised Probation; Offender enters a plea of Guilty to the offense(s), and after consideration of a pre-sentence investigation and found to be eligible, is sentenced to community control with a condition being the successful completion of Honor Court.

Re-Entry/Judicial Release Track: Offender meets admission criteria for judicial release, Intensive Supervised Probation and/or post release control; Offender demonstrates an interest and willingness to comply with the rules and conditions of court-ordered community control and the rules of the Intensive Supervised Probation program upon being granted judicial release; Offender is sentenced based on a plea of Guilty to the offense(s), and after release from prison, is placed on judicial release or post release control with a condition being successful completion of Honor Court.

It is the goal of Honor Court to limit recidivism among program-involved veterans charged with felony criminal charges in Stark County, to make prompt and successful connections between participants and community service providers. Honor Court also strives to connect all veteran participants to all V.A. services for which they may be eligible. The program lends assistance to veteran participants with less than honorable discharge statuses to apply for an upgrade of their discharge status by working with the local Veterans Service Commission.

Oversight for Honor Court is provided by the Stark County Court of Common Pleas Judges, the Honor Court Advisory Committee, and the Honor Court Team. Frequent and ongoing contact is maintained between team members in order to monitor program adherence and stay abreast of new problems and concerns. Comprehensive reports are prepared for each participant and reviewed during a team meeting prior to the bi-weekly status review hearings held on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month. Honor Court incorporates a non-adversarial approach by including both the public defender’s office and the prosecutor’s officer on the Honor Court Team for all status review hearings. Each participant agrees to the terms of the Honor Court Program by signing a participation agreement prior to his or her first Honor Court status review hearing. provided by programs or persons who are appropriately licensed and trained to deliver such services according to the standards of their profession.

Stark County Honor Court provides prompt access to a continuum of approved treatment and community services and collaborates with county, state, federal governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and community stakeholders to encourage successful completion of the Honor Court program, and to address the needs of each individual participant. The services provided are individualized and incorporate evidence-based strategies. All services are gender-responsive and culturally appropriate and effective in addressing co-occurring disorders.

All requirements must be met in order to advance through the three program phases, and to successfully complete the program. A participant’s progress through the phases is not solely based upon set timelines.

Directions to the Stark County Courthouse

The Stark County Courthouse is located in downtown Canton, Ohio on the Northwest corner of Market Avenue and Tuscarawas Street.

Driving Directions

From the North (Cleveland, Akron)

  • Take I-77 South to the Tuscarawas Street exit
  • Turn left at West Tuscarawas Street (Route 172 E)
  • Continue East on Tuscarawas Street until you reach the intersection of Market Avenue and Tuscarawas Street.

From the South (New Philadelphia, Cambridge)

  • Take I-77 North to exit 105 (downtown)
  • Turn right onto Tuscarawas Street (Route 172 E)
  • Continue East on Tuscarawas Street until you reach the intersection of Market Avenue and Tuscarawas Street.

From the East (Alliance, Louisville)

  • Take Route 62 West to I-77 South
  • Follow I-77 South to the Tuscarawas exit
  • Turn left at West Tuscarawas Street (Route 172 E)
  • Continue East on Tuscarawas Street until you reach the intersection of Market Avenue and Tuscarawas Street.

From the West (Wooster, Mansfield)

  • Take Route 30 East to I-77 North
  • Take I-77 North to exit 105 (downtown)
  • Turn right onto West Tuscarawas St. (Route 172 E)
  • Continue East on Tuscarawas Street until you reach the intersection of Market Avenue and Tuscarawas Street.

From Columbus

  • Take I-71 N to Mansfield - pick up Rt. 30 E
  • Take Rt. 30 E to I-77 N
  • Take I-77 N to exit 105 (downtown)
  • Turn right; continue East on Tuscarawas St. until you reach the intersection of Market Ave. and Tuscarawas St.

Parking:

  • Behind the Courthouse on 2nd Street, N.W. is limited metered parking.
  • On the Northeast corner of Market Avenue and 2nd Street, N.E. is the Millennium parking deck with the entrance on 2nd Street, N.E.
  • Handicap parking is available behind the Courthouse off of 2nd Street, N.E. (must press buzzer to alert staff for entrance).