Military veteran Joe Serna had to go to jail for a crime he committed. Serna lied about a urine test and had to pay the price. But this punishment was very different from many you see that happen across our nation. Judge Lou Olivera, also a military veteran, knew Joe and his backstory – included serving in Iraq and being the only survivor of an accident that killed all of his friends but him.
Serna’s vehicle was traveling along the road when the road gave in. The vehicle started filling up with water and it stopped at Joe’s chin. Because of it, Joe has PTSD and is fearful of closed spaces. As you can imagine, sentenced to a night in a small cell would be hell on this young man. That’s when Judge Olivera made a brave and epic decision.
From Liftable:
A North Carolina judge sentenced a Green Beret veteran to spend a night in jail. But when he remembered his own story and all he had gone through, he couldn’t just let him spend the night alone.
Judge Lou Olivera, a Gulf War veteran, is a district court judge over the Veterans Treatment Court in Cumberland County, North Carolina. He had to sentence Green Beret Joe Serna to one night in jail for a probation violation.
Serna, a recipient of three Purple Hearts, is retired from the military and is having a hard time adjusting back to life after experiencing the battle of war in Afghanistan. Through his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, he turned to alcohol to help him deal with the issues he was having mentally.
This path of destruction soon lead him to the Veterans Treatment Court which helps struggling veterans get back on track. This is where Serna meet Olivera.
“When Joe first came to my court, he was so tight,” Olivera says. “His shoulders were so tense. Over time, you could see his shoulders relax.”
When Serna lied in court about a urine test, Olivera knew he had to hold him accountable for his actions. He sentenced him to spend the night in jail.
But as Serna entered the jail cell, the painful memories of losing companions began to flood his mind and he felt this would be the longest night of his life. Anxiety gripped him and flashbacks began to play in his mind as the door closed behind him.
Without telling Serna what he planned to do, Olivera drove him to the jail and asked the jail administrator if he could spend the night with Serna. The administrator had never heard of such a thing.
“Joe was a good soldier and he’s a good man,” Olivera said. “I wanted him to know I had his back. I didn’t want him to do this alone.”
What a story – and a life-changing one at that. We hope that Joe finds the peace he’s looking for and turns everything around. Judge Olivera is a hero in this story. This is exactly what is needed in this society that too often forgets its veterans.
Do you think Joe will turn everything around? What are your thoughts about the Judge’s reaction to this case?
Share this amazing story with any friends and family who are in the military!
