In late February 2022, Travis Bookwalter drove through the winding backroads of Hocking County to Jackson County Courthouse. It had been years since he had last seen the inside of that courtroom. 

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In his 20’s, to satiate his addiction – which made him lose multiple jobs and his family’s trust – Bookwalter ended up as a mule, transporting large amounts of drugs from Huntington, West Virginia, to Pontiac, Michigan, crossing through Appalachian Ohio. During one of his trips, in 2015, when he was crossing Jackson County, Ohio, he was stopped by a state trooper. He was later indicted and sentenced to four years in prison for heroin possession.

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Bookwalter explained that he grew up with a feeling of "entitlement” and it took him being in handcuffs to come to terms with his addiction and actions. He looked up briefly at the ceiling of the car and said, referring to a higher power, “He's got a sense of humor. That one!”

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Between 2004 and 2014, drug-involved crime rate in Ohio increased by 58.5%, according to the Office of Criminal Justice Services. Most of those offenses were related to drug possession. For some in recovery, life after addiction is much harder, when background checks could reveal their criminal records. 

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Seven years later, after serving time and opening a recovery center with his wife, Ashley, Bookwalter is finally getting his criminal records sealed. In his eyes, it is an act of letting go of his past.