Pillars of Strength and Beacons of Hope

Facing about 200 hundred cases a year in five counties, Glasgow Police Department Victim Witness Specialists Jewel Etherington and Margaret Henry don't get much downtime.

"We cover five counties, Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan and Roosevelt," Etherington told The Courier last week. During a normal week,

"I spend one day in Malta then I try to get to Plentywood every other week on a normal basis," Etherington continued. "Then, we hit Scobey. Margaret, my partner, she takes care of Roosevelt, mostly. She understands Tribal [culture and law] so well. She was there for 14 years and knows Roosevelt County. We share Daniels and a little bit of Plentywood. It keeps us busy. We definitely have more cases here in Valley County and Phillips County. They use us a lot more and it works because we can get people through the system."

There seem to be more cases in Phillips and Valley Counties due to both the larger populations and the relationships with law enforcement and officers of the court.

Etherington has been in her current position for about one year, and helps the victims she meet navigate both their trauma and the daunting court process.

"I know bad things always happen, and bad things will continue to happen," she said. "I can't stop them from happening. I enjoy being the person to help [victims] through a crisis."

Because Etherington relives sometimes terrible traumas with her victims as they tell their story, she must have a place where she can turn for support. She said the law enforcement community Valley County offers that in ready supply.

"It is amazing, between [GPD] and the sheriffs department, I feel greatly supported. It works well. No matter what, they come to me when they have an issue and I go to them when I have an issue."

The worst cases for Etherington are those involving children who have been abused, she said.

"I am a child forensic interviewer, so when a child is a victim of a crime, myself and three others are the ones that interview the child. That can be pretty hard. I just think, ' I am there for that child,' and 'I would have wanted somebody to be there for me as a child.' I have been there done that. I have been in some of these peoples' shoes and I understand what they are going through."

Having faced similar circumstances herself, Etherington said she is able draw on the strength she has developed as a survivor to help shepherd the kids through the proceedings.

"I feel like when I am talking to them and telling them 'it is going to be OK,' and they are 'going to become whole out of this,' I can tell them that and I am not blowing smoke. I know it."

A fulfilling part of Etherington's job, and the reason she keeps on doing it, is because she is "able to make that connection with a child and get them through the scariest thing in their life," she said. "This trauma happened, and that is scary, but the court process is scary and the interview process is scary. So, being that neutral party that can be there for them and get them the help they need" is everything.

So is the ability to help families begin the healing process after a conviction is made, Etherington said. Etherington keeps tabs on the courts cases and families, she added.

While cases are active, Etherington attempts to attend all court hearings, especially when the family is unable to attend themselves.

"Mondays are district court days, and I spend most Mondays in court. I try to go to every hearing, no matter how simple it is, that way I know what is going on and can keep the families up to date. I go so I can call them afterwards and say, 'hey this is what happened.'"

Being a middle-man between families and the court is a natural extension of Etherington's former job as a civilian contractor for the United States Marine Corps," she said.

"I worked with a combat logistics battalion," she said. "I as a family readiness officer, which, in civilian terms, is an advocate for families."

In that capacity, Etherington helped the spouses and children of Marines while the service members were deployed away from home.

"I would connect them with resources and kept the family integrated with the battalion," she said. "I was the go between."

Etherington, a native of Liverpool, Ohio grew up in the Ohio River Valley where Pennsylvanian, West Virginia and Ohio meet. She lived in Helena before moving to Glasgow, and has been with GPD for the past year, her first time in a law enforcement capacity.

A year in, Etherington said she has found her calling in life, and expects to be in that position for the foreseeable future.