In the News
Judge Kristina Escalona takes over the 186th district court
SAN ANTONIO – New and re-elected Bexar County judges have been sworn-in and begin working this week.
One of those judges is Kristina Escalona, who is no stranger to the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.
After graduating St. Mary’s Law School, Escalona started at the District Attorney’s office. Then, in 2009, she switched from prosecuting to a criminal defense attorney.
“After that experience, it opened my eyes,” Escalona said. “It made me a better person and made me a better attorney, and then I took that experience and I returned to the DA’s office in 2015.”
Escalona has been there since as a prosecutor but decided to try a new role: criminal district court judge.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A former U.S. Marine is offering a rare glimpse inside Bexar County’s Felony Veterans Treatment Court, a specialized program designed to rehabilitate veterans facing criminal charges.
The veteran, Travis Westbrook, who served in Afghanistan, said his path to the courtroom was shaped by years of unresolved trauma, personal loss and a search for meaning after military service.
“I joined the Marine Corps in 2007,” Westbrook said. “I was stationed in Okinawa, and I deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. I got out in 2011.”
But his motivation to enlist ran deeper than a desire to serve.
“My brother was killed in Iraq,” Westbrook said. “So, I joined not only to finish what he started but honestly … I wanted to pull the trigger on some bad guys.”
Westbrook described carrying “a lot of hate” into combat and said his deployment experience revealed that vengeance offered no healing.
‘I’m thankful’: Veteran shares journey through Bexar County’s Felony Treatment Court
‘I’m thankful’: Veteran shares journey through Bexar County’s Felony Treatment Court
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A former U.S. Marine is offering a rare glimpse inside Bexar County’s Felony Veterans Treatment Court, a specialized program designed to rehabilitate veterans facing criminal charges.
The veteran, Travis Westbrook, who served in Afghanistan, said his path to the courtroom was shaped by years of unresolved trauma, personal loss and a search for meaning after military service.
“I joined the Marine Corps in 2007,” Westbrook said. “I was stationed in Okinawa, and I deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. I got out in 2011.”
But his motivation to enlist ran deeper than a desire to serve.
“My brother was killed in Iraq,” Westbrook said. “So, I joined not only to finish what he started but honestly … I wanted to pull the trigger on some bad guys.”
Westbrook described carrying “a lot of hate” into combat and said his deployment experience revealed that vengeance offered no healing.