BY KARISSA MILLER

Lucas Callejas appreciates the second chance he was given.

The teen was charged with simple assault after he got into a fight a school. At the time, he was living a risky lifestyle and making poor choices.

“I was never a bad person, just caught up with the wrong people in wrong places,” Lucas said.

The judge in his case decided to give the teen an opportunity to avoid a misdemeanor conviction by referring him to Teen Court.

“The judge empathized with my story,” the 15-year-old said. “She told me I was different from the others. It may have been her job to say that or it may not, but her telling me this lit a fire in me to do good and do a 180.”

Lucas shared his experience with Teen Court during Piedmont Mediation’s Lunch and Learn event Wednesday at Unity Center in Statesville.

Teen Court is a restorative justice program for Iredell County teens charged with certain offenses. A jury of their peers hears testimony and hands down an appropriate sentence.

According to Piedmont Mediation Center’s Teen Court and Restorative Justice Coordinator Sandra Donawa, the diversion program aims to hold a young person accountable for their actions while keeping them out of the criminal justice system.

Lucas said the program worked for him.

“Being held accountable from Piedmont Mediation is what helped me change,” he added.

He recalled feeling a “great deal of shame being put on the stand to testify,” but conceded that “it was the necessary steps to move forward.”

A jury of his peers ordered Lucas to perform community service by serving the homeless.

“Feeding food to the homeless in Statesville definitely helped my heart,” he said. “It made me realize how good it felt to do something for other people instead of causing trouble and degrading people like used to.”

The adults in charge of the program are authentic and have a true desire to help make the community a better place, he added.

“A lot of kids that go through this program don’t want to change. The ones who do have support behind them even if no one else is rooting for them,” he said.

Even after Lucas had completed the program, Donawa continued to check in with him.

“The people who run it are definitely people who don’t come around often — I’ll tell you that,” he said.

Heather Callejas, the teen’s mom, is an Iredell County magistrate. On a daily basis, she sees the consequences of mistakes people make.

Teen Court was an eye-opening experience for Lucas, and it helped him immensely, she said.

“I’m extremely proud of Lucas for using this opportunity as a stepping stone to make changes. He’s making straight As. He’s back in school and has completely changed,” she said.

“Ms. Sandra and her staff went above and beyond to make us feel supported and that he wasn’t just a number. What that judge said, whether she had to say it or not, really did impact my son. It really did give Lucas the ability to see that other people see the potential in him,” Callejas added.

Eighty-two teens participated in the program last year.

Executive Director Jessica Lemons said it is important to remember that the teens who come through the program are much more than their mistakes.

“It’s nice, as a director, not to have to worry about the young people coming through. You know that they are going to be taken care of and their families are going to be taken care of — that they aren’t judged for the little mistakes that they make, but that they are taken care of,” she said.

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