Judge J. Andrew Toynbee speaks during a Lewis County Drug Court graduation ceremony for Jeremy White at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis on Monday, Feb. 23.
Ridley Hudson | ridley@chronline.com
Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2026 4:20 pm
By Jacob Moore / jacob@chronline.com
Not recovered, but reformed.
Those words were used to describe Jeremy White, who has spent more time in the Lewis County Drug Court program than any other participant.
Following a Monday ceremony, he has officially completed the program after roughly four years.
Lewis County Drug Court celebrated White’s graduation after he spent 1,316 days in the program.
Friends and family crowded the courtroom to celebrate the final dismissal of two charges, marking White’s exit from the program.
Drug Court requires participants to commit to drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation, find a job, earn a license and more, with the end goal of having their charges dismissed.
During the ceremony, as is tradition, White was presented with a word intended to describe him and the person he has become.
White earned the word “reformed.”
But as Lewis County Superior Court Judge J. Andrew Toynbee kicked off the ceremony welcoming White, he joked that he was awarding White a backup word: “most.”
According to the judge, White spent more days than anyone before him in the long-running program while receiving the most petitions for removal from the program.
Toynbee also remarked that White never gave up through his nearly four years in the program and may have also set a record for having the most loyal supporters.
“You had a long time in this program, and I think you had enough time in this program, and I think you needed to be here,” Toynbee said.
To start off the graduation ceremony on Monday afternoon, Toynbee first asked White to come to the front of the room and introduce his family and friends. White walked to the podium followed by three eager children determined to not be separated from him.
During introductions, 10 former program members stood for recognition and to show support for White.
After his joking remarks about White’s time in the program, which were received by chuckles throughout the room, Toynbee shared some of his experiences with White. Toynbee announced that he wished to apologize for once calling White a “jerk” after White had spent more than a year in the program and was not showing signs of progress.
Toynbee said he was sorry for calling White the name, but, looking back on it now, he said maybe it was something he needed to hear at the time. Whether it was from that interaction or a great many other factors, White began to turn things around shortly after that incident.
“I’m sorry I called you a jerk, and in a way I’m not sorry,” Toynbee said. “I think that might have been something I needed to say, and I think that might have been something that you needed to hear.”
Many members of the Drug Court team spoke of White, including Program Administrator Stephanie Miller. One member of the team, Guardian Ad Litem Angela Cothern, gifted White a book written by a social worker titled “Maybe: A story about the endless potential in all of us.” She urged White to treat it as more than a bedtime story, but as a legacy and teaching moment for himself and his children.
“It reminds us that maybe you’re stronger than you think. Maybe you’re greater than you believe,” Cothern said.
Before the final part of the ceremony — when a member of the Drug Court alumni foundation and one of White’s sponsors presented him with his word — Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Tiffini Walker, another member of the team, presented two papers of dismissal for the court cases that landed White in the program in the first case.
Before walking to the podium to hand the documents to Toynbee for signatures, Walker recalled a moment in White’s journey when she stopped worrying about him. She remembered switching from concern to excitement at what he was doing to improve his life and his family’s lives. On her way to Toynbee, she also presented White with an achievement coin for graduating the program.
“I’m happy to present to you a coin for your dedication and commitment to the program,” Walker said. “And to pass to the judge two orders of dismissal for your court cases.”
The room broke out in applause, hoots and hollers as Walker finished. Family members, friends and supporters applauded White and celebrated a day some thought might never come.
Finally, White’s sponsor presented him with a piece of wood with the word “reformed” carved into it.
That sponsor, Brant Byrd, also a graduate of the program, started off strong, much like Toynbee. Byrd said that when he first met White more than four years ago, he was the most “stubborn, egotistical, arrogant” person he had met, generating chuckles in the audience.
But Byrd added that he was truly honored to present the word to White. As he spoke, he focused on a message of self-service and service to society, asking White to always serve himself and his family. Byrd also touched on White’s love of sports, celebrating his participation on the Drug Court softball team, but also reminding him “softball doesn’t equal recovery.”
The graduation closed with a slideshow from White sharing some of his story, including introduction to substance use at an early age, challenges with drug abuse in his early 30s and a lifelong love of sports.
White spoke to the crowd, starting by saying he would keep the words short and sweet. With a smile on his face and surrounded by his children, White thanked the family members and friends in the audience for years of support.
“You guys didn’t give up on me when I wanted to give up on myself,” White said. “It’s gotten me where I am.”