Editor’s note: This story is the first of a two-part series covering the 39th graduating class of the Ray County Adult Drug Court. Part one features opening remarks, guest speaker Chad Judd and graduate Curtis Williams’story. Part two will continue with graduates Stacey Beck and Michael Meierer. What began as a courtroom of consequences has become a place of redemption for hundreds of Ray County residents. That transformation was felt again as the county’s Adult Drug Court honored its 39th graduating class, recognizing three participants who found strength in recovery and faith in themselves. Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Kevin Walden opened the ceremony by reflecting on the two decades of progress since the county’s first treatment court session, noting how both science and strategy behind recovery have evolved. “Our program here is now 20 years old,” said Walden. “Lots of things have changed in how treatment courts work, the knowledge and information we have, what makes…