A man who had served in four tours of duty for the US Military, received three Purple Hearts, experienced extreme difficulty integrating back into society due to PTSD, anxiety, and having nearly been killed multiple times in war. Once back home, veteran Joseph Serna was on probation for his alcohol struggles, which he used to fight the demons of his mind.
Sadly, the Judge had to sentence the decorated serviceman to one night in the county jail. Shockingly, Judge Lou Olivera, after driving Serna to the jail, joined the fellow military man in the jail cell for the night so his comrade could make it through and have someone there to talk to, as the Judge too had served in the military in the Gulf War. The article from WRAL says: “A judge’s act of compassion has a former Fort Bragg soldier promising to get his life back on…