Post by: RuthieGix on January 10, 2005, 06:10:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 10, 2005, 06:45:00 PM
Please keep us informed on this startling development. How can we confirm it? Are there any public documents? Please take photos of Newton at this meeting for posting on web if you can.
Thank you,
Wes Fager
Post by: Anonymous on January 10, 2005, 06:53:00 PM
If you need any help in letting others know what kind of a "clergyman" he is, please let us know. We'll Private Message you with our contact info. Thanks for keeping a vigilant eye out. This man has NO business trying to, ahem "minister" :roll: to anyone.
Post by: Anonymous on January 10, 2005, 06:57:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-10 15:53:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Ruthie,
If you need any help in letting others know what kind of a "clergyman" he is, please let us know. We'll Private Message you with our contact info. Thanks for keeping a vigilant eye out. This man has NO business trying to, ahem "minister" :roll: to anyone."
There are quite a few of us that either still live in the area or at least close enough to make the drive for this.
Post by: Anonymous on January 10, 2005, 08:02:00 PM
Looks like he barley slipped under the radar, no matter though...We know about him now, Newt's moves will now be watched more closely..
Post by: RuthieGix on January 10, 2005, 10:21:00 PM
http://www.sptimes.com/ (http://www.sptimes.com/)
Post by: RuthieGix on January 10, 2005, 10:58:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 10, 2005, 11:04:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 11, 2005, 08:28:00 AM
I would bet he plans to turn the church into a "Straight" "KIDS" or some other from of fraud and child abuse torture organization.
PLEASE ADVISE OF NEXT HEARING WOULD LOVE TO SPEAK REGARDING NEWTON AT IT!
I want to thank you folks who live next to him for advising us of this development.
Post by: Anonymous on January 11, 2005, 09:21:00 AM
http://www.ci.madeira-beach.fl.us/meeti ... %20agd.pdf (http://www.ci.madeira-beach.fl.us/meetings/05-01-10%20pc%20agd.pdf)
Post by: Anonymous on January 11, 2005, 10:59:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on January 11, 2005, 11:08:00 AM
http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.ex ... DATION&r5= (http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.exe?a1=DETFIL&n1=N97000006300&n2=NAMFWD&n3=0000&n4=N&r1=&r2=&r3=&r4=CHRISTATSEAFOUNDATION&r5=)
Florida Non Profit
CHRIST AT THE SEA FOUNDATION, INC.
--------------------------------------------------
PRINCIPAL ADDRESS
13280 4TH STREET, E.
SUITE 2
MADEIRA BEACH FL 33708
Changed 09/08/2000
--------------------------------------------------
MAILING ADDRESS
13280 4TH STREET, E.
SUITE 2
MADEIRA BEACH FL 33708
Changed 09/08/2000
Document Number
N97000006300 FEI Number
593463952 Date Filed
11/07/1997
State
FL Status
ACTIVE Effective Date
NONE
--------------------------------------------------
Registered Agent
Name & Address
NEWTON, FR. CASSIAN
13280 4TH STREET, E.
SUITE 2
MADEIRA BEACH FL 33708
Name Changed: 09/08/2000
Address Changed: 09/08/2000
--------------------------------------------------
Officer/Director Detail Name & Address Title
NEWTON, CASSIAN FR
13280 4TH STREET EAST
MADEIRA BEACH FL 33708 CD
SOREN, MICHAEL FR
115 17TH ST
BELLEAIR BEACH FL 33786 VCD
NEWTON, RUTH ANN
13253 BOCA CIRGA AVE
MADIERA BEACH FL 33708 SD
MOSS, ROBERT
13292 113TH AVE N
LARGO FL 33774 TD
--------------------------------------------------
Annual Reports Report Year Filed Date
2002 02/10/2002
2003 01/09/2003
2004 03/01/2004
Post by: Scarstruck on January 11, 2005, 02:02:00 PM
_________________
"You see us coming and you altogether run for cover..We're taking over this fuking town"
RIP..Cowboys from hell
(http://http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v495/Toothfairy_TP/SJR-Philthumb.jpg)[ This Message was edited by: Scarstruck on 2005-01-11 11:14 ]
Post by: Anonymous on January 11, 2005, 03:09:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 11, 2005, 07:13:00 PM
Does Bellair beach really want this? You cannot ban picketers from your neighborhood, it is unconstituitional.
Good luck.
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 07:34:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 07:35:00 AM
Quote
On 2005-01-10 15:10:00, RuthieGix wrote:
"Hi, I'm one of Miller Newton's neighbors. His "church" is located at 13280 4th Street East, Maderia Beach. He lives right across the street at 13253 Boca Ciega Ave. He's applied for special exception for his "church", called Christ at the Sea Foundation, Inc. We're attending the council meeting tonight (1/10) to fight this outrage. Neighbors have signed petitions to stop him."
PLEASE CHECK YOUR PRIVATE MESSAGES.
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 10:09:00 AM
Church question moves toward a new ruling
Madeira Beach's special master will hear testimony Jan. 24 about Dr. Miller Newton's bid for a zoning exception.
By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published January 12, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MADEIRA BEACH - It's a zoning dilemma, fraught with emotions, questions of religious freedom, and revival of past controversies and court fights over alleged abuse in drug treatment programs.
An angst-ridden Planning Commission, who listened to hours of testimony Monday night, could not agree on whether to recommend either approval or denial of the creation of a new church in the city.
"If it turns out a church is a legal, appropriate use and we go with what the citizens want and deny this, are we prepared (to go to court)?" planning commissioner George Gonzalez said.
Now the city's special master must decide whether a controversial personal and legal history trumps a possible constitutional right of religious expression.
Dr. Miller Newton, who is trying to get a special use permit for a "private chapel" at two homes here, says he may take the city to court if it blocks his request.
"We are dealing with a constitutional issue regarding religion," says Newton, who said he is "doing my best to be a good neighbor."
But Newton's neighbors, who repeatedly cited his controversial involvement with two drug treatment programs, Straight Inc. and Kids Centers of America, say they don't "trust" Newton because of his past. They are organizing to oppose Newton's "church."
Resident Marsha Loper told the commission that Newton had previously "misled" the neighbors about the property's use.
"There is a history of not exactly doing what the verbal intent was, so how do we know what they will be doing?" resident Ann Bunting asked.
Resident Byron Holsombach worried that the creation of a church would adversely affect the neighborhood's property values.
"There is a great uneasiness in the neighborhood," resident Dallas Holtman said. "Dr. Newton has a highly controversial past. He brings a lot of baggage to the table."
The city's switchboard busily fielded calls Tuesday from people throughout the state who claim they were abused in Newton's drug programs. They say they are coming here to fight Newton's attempt to legalize the religious activities at the two properties.
Newton acknowledged his controversial history, but insisted it should have no bearing on his application for a special exception to the city's zoning codes.
Newton is a longtime Madeira Beach resident. In 1988 he lost his bid for mayor by only 30 votes. Previously he had run unsuccessfully for Congress. Newton also served on the city's Board of Adjustment from 1982 to 1997, including several terms as chairman and vice chairman.
But it is his history with the Straight drug program, and later at the Kids Centers, that draws the most controversy. Several successful lawsuits were filed in 1983 against the Straight program charging that former clients were abused or held against their will.
Newton left the program that same year to start a similar program in New Jersey with affiliated programs in Texas, Utah and California, where similar complaints and investigations subsequently occurred.
In 2000, Newton's program and others settled a $4.5-million suit filed by a former client. An additional $6.5-million was awarded to former clients in 2003. He said the lawsuit was filed against the program and some associated psychiatrists and not him personally. It was the program's insurance company and the malpractice insurance firm for the doctors who settled, Newton said.
"Yes, the Straight program was controversial, but I really have trouble with this becoming an issue. I am not doing treatment anymore. I am living a very quiet religious life," Newton said. "It's unfair to bring it up."
The city's special master, Judge Herbert Langford Jr., will now try to resolve the issue at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at City Hall when he reviews Newton's request to formally allow religious activities, begun several years ago, to continue in a recreation room adjoining two residences owned by Newton's Christ at the Sea Foundation. The properties are at 13280 Fourth St. E.
Newton, who says he is now a priest in the Orthodox Church of Antioch, set up the foundation to own and operate the properties as a residence and prayer center for members of the church.
The recreation room, built in the late '90s with full permitting and approval of the city, has been operating since then as a private chapel.
But it was not until Newton recently put a cupola and cross on the top of the recreation building that residents began complaining and raised the zoning issue. Newton, who says he was told by the county that he could install the cupola without a permit, has been cited for a code violation by the city.
That action triggered the investigation of the religious activities at the site.
Now the city's attorney says because prayer services are the "primary" activity conducted in the recreation room, the site is a "church" and must have a special exception permit under the city's zoning regulations.
The special master will consider 10 "factors" in deciding whether to grant a special exception. Those factors include such things as protection of public health, safety and welfare, compatibility with the neighborhood's character, and the adequacy of landscaping and parking.
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 10:27:00 AM
Quote
Resident Marsha Loper told the commission that Newton had previously "misled" the neighbors about the property's use.
"There is a history of not exactly doing what the verbal intent was, so how do we know what they will be doing?" resident Ann Bunting asked.
To The Neighbors:
First, thank God you guys are doing something about this. If we can be of any help, PLEASE let us know.
Second, you have no idea how true the above statement is. That's part of this guy's M.O. This guy is the stuff that nightmares are made of. Someone else brought up the point of picketing. I have no doubt that if he is allowed to have his "church" that there will be pickets. He should NEVER be allowed to minister to ANYONE. What is it with this guy??? He says he wants to lead a quiet life. Why does it have to include having an influence over other people's lives?? Fucking narcissist.
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 10:35:00 AM
Thank you for posting that.
I called the city, talked to a nice lady there (Paula). She told me that indeed the public hearing regarding this matter would be on the 24th. She said the meeting starts at 7pm and said that "proper decorum" is required. She said that "cell phones must be shut off", so general good conduct & courtesy must be exercised, which of course goes without saying if you plan to attend.
Just passing along the message..
Thanks again for the post of the SPTimes article..
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 10:50:00 AM
727-391-9951 X Ruth on 231
City Mgr:
[email protected]
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 12:28:00 PM
There hasn't been a picture of the guy since court.
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 12:39:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-12 09:28:00, Anonymous wrote:
"PLEASE someone nab and post a pic of him.
There hasn't been a picture of the guy since court."
Working on it. I'll at least have pics of the church.
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 02:25:00 PM
Mayor Charles Parker
[email protected] (http://mailto:[email protected])
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 03:00:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-12 07:09:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Yes, the Straight program was controversial, but I really have trouble with this becoming an issue. I am not doing treatment anymore. I am living a very quiet religious life," Newton said. "It's unfair to bring it up."
Awwww, so it's just not fair to bring up Newton's past. Did you see that, guys?!! He doesn't think it's FAIR to rub his nose in HIS PAST. Gee, didn't he program us to do precisely that to each other every single day??!!
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 03:57:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 04:10:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-12 09:28:00, Anonymous wrote:
"PLEASE someone nab and post a pic of him.
There hasn't been a picture of the guy since court."
I've seen him fairly recently. He looks the same save for a little more grey. Remember that big vein in the middle of his head that would pop out at you like a third eye when he was yelling at you? Well, funny thing. It does the same thing when you yell at him[/b]. There were three of us that saw it the last time it happened. Wish you ALL could have been there to see it. I bet it was bulging big time at the meeting the other night. You know how he hates to have anyone dare[/b] question the great and powerful Newt!! :lol: :lol:
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 07:42:00 PM
[email protected]
Post by: whiterabbit on January 12, 2005, 09:08:00 PM
He should take his own advice:
GET HONEST!!This is the first and most important rule
You think you have problems?You think this is a problem? This is not a problem. Peanut butter and jelly is not a problem. No air conditioning is not a problem.Having no arms and legs now that's a problem!
Get honest about your past!
Why don't you tell the group about your past
You're full of shit. Have a seat.
You're a disgusting little druggie. Your mind is full of filth and we are going to clean it.
I think he should be started over day one. And put on peanut butter and jelly.
Monster.
Here's freedom to him who would read;
Here's freedom to him who would write;
None ever feared that the truth should be heard,
But them that the truth would indict.
--author unknown (circa 1914)
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 09:39:00 PM
http://groups.msn.com/TheOtherStraightA ... ?Page=Last (http://groups.msn.com/TheOtherStraightAlumni/newtonschurch.msnw?Page=Last)
Post by: Anonymous on January 13, 2005, 11:08:00 AM
1999, our beloved friend,
Dr. Miller Newton, converted
to Orthodoxy, was
ordained to the Holy
Diaconate and Holy Priesthood,
and became Father
Cassian. Father Cassian
joins Father Thomas each
Sunday in ministering to
our faithful; additionally, he
is always at work on the
retreat center he is building
on Madiera Beach.
What is the retreat center he built??
Post by: mental torture made me li on January 13, 2005, 11:24:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on January 14, 2005, 06:45:00 PM
couldnt keep his offensive hands off of me. he was performing many red flag touches. i
couldnt believe what the fuck was going on. i told Miller Newton the city would not approve
of a millionaire touching an underage kid for free.
can you believe it?Miller Newton did all this. he picked me off the street, strapped my arms
and legs down in the Straightmobile's passenger seat, and just wouldn't stop fondling my
cock'n'balls.
they definately were red flag touches. the goddamn referee he had in the back seat kept on
raising up this red flag every time he touched my junk but did "Dr." Newton care? NO WAY! he
just kept on doing it. I couldn't believe what the fuck was going on, indeed. I pleaded with
Miller Newton but to no avail. I told him the city would not approve of such a wealthy man
touching an underage kid like me (at the time I was 13) without at least compensating me for
the trauma and the use of my body as his own personal plaything.
this got to him, worrying about his image. he continued to fondle me, all the while ignoring
the referee's red flags. then he drove the Straightmobile to my house and ejected the seat i
was in! it was amazing. but surprisingly, after I woke up the next morning, my bank account
had $150k in it!!! Can you believe it?????????????????????????
Post by: jehudrive on January 15, 2005, 08:33:00 PM
I didn't know about his history until today when these crazed people parked in my driveway saying something rotten about my neighbors, passing out offensive flyers. I did not appreciate it. I think that even if the woman's piss and moan aliby were true...I wouldn't feel a bit sorry for her.
Hypothetically, considering that he may have been a part of these program's abusive natures, I still wonder what a woman in a ragged old van, poorly dressed, obese, looking for sympathy wanted with me? Why on earth would she pass out a flyer to me? I don't pity her. Her incident was 20 or so years ago. The people targetting this man who is now quiet, religious (yeah...I've snooped around the church once..it's not a torcher dungeon), and minds his own business, are sick and need to stop the self pitying nonsense, and instead of seeing a lawyer, they ought to consult a psychiatrist. I am neither religious nor opposed to religion, but I disagree with ANY of this talk about trying to discontinue his church, as it is a house of god and is protected under the law of the United States...just like your lawsuits were.
There are people in this world who have suffered greater tyranny and pain than those attending the S.T.R.A.I.G.T program. Apparently they, nor many of the supporters of this website have been out of the country...where people have died for lesser things than holding three fingers up instead of two for a religious salute.
I am not going to say that you have not been caused pain, but I will say if you were sent to STRAIGHT, it was for a reason. A lot of the kids there were DRUG ABUSERS..yeah. Those kids were the same kinds of kids in my schools today that make life miserable for us good students by getting in fights, exposing others to drugs...etc. Society has a place for you, and it may very well be locked up in an abuse center. I've seen what hard drugs do to people. I wouldn't want my kids hopped up on meth, coke, or extacy either.
You shouldn't continue to dwell on this. It is ridiculous. That ragged woman in her ragged van could have probably procured a nicer vehicle...and probably wouldn't be so overweight and homely (ie. taken better care of her appearance..or maintained at least a litte amount of femininity) if she had spent less time feeling sorry for herself and more time picking up the pieces and moving the hell on. Nobody's life has been terrific. And the people who complain and whine and bitch about how bad their life has been, and how emotionally scarred they are...those are the people who never get anywhere. My childhood was not great- but I don't go terrorizing the people who treated me poorly. I pick myself off, trust that they will get theirs, and move the fuck on.
To all of you who say that Mr. Newton molested, harmed or attacked you...great, I'm sure he very well could have. You don't seem to be telling anyone how you got to one of those programs in the first place...and you havent taken the precident to move on with your life.
I will speak on Mr. Newton's behalf by saying first that if he was not a good person before, he has shed his poor judgement and has turned to religion for peace. Everyone makes poor decisions. He is NOT some uber billionaire either. He also sent his own damn kid to one of those programs.
And the last thing is...you guys are invasive, disregard other people's privacy and property, you are self-pitying, and you need to refrain from coming into our quiet beach town and causing a tiff over an interpersonal matter that should have been dealt with a long time ago. Find a good psychiatrist, please!
Post by: jehudrive on January 15, 2005, 08:49:00 PM
I really don't care about the allegations concerning Newton. I just want the whackos out of the neighborhood, roaming around, trying to solicit the neighborhood, parking in people's private driveways.
It was quieter when Newton ran his church without people trying to target him. As a nearby neighbor, I don't want a bunch of people causing commotion over nothing. Who cares if the dude makes money and who cares what he did 20 freaking years ago. I suggest you guys stop trying to conspire amongst eachother and perhaps instead of financial statements, you should ask newton for a tour of his church, I'm sure he'd be glad to give you one.
Post by: Anonymous on January 15, 2005, 08:59:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
The people targetting this man who is now quiet, religious (yeah...I've snooped around the church once..it's not a torcher dungeon), and minds his own business, are sick and need to stop the self pitying nonsense, and instead of seeing a lawyer, they ought to consult a psychiatrist.
Funny you should mention that. Quite a few of us have consulted a psychiatrist....and as a result have been diagnosed with PTSD from the abuse suffered at the hands of Miller or Cassian or whatever the fuck he calls himself nowadays.
Quote
I am not going to say that you have not been caused pain, but I will say if you were sent to STRAIGHT, it was for a reason. A lot of the kids there were DRUG ABUSERS
Oh, quite the contrary. Most of the kids that were sent there were doing mainly normal teenage shit. Rebellion is a part of growing up. Newt came in the intake room when I was put in there, pulled my lower eyelid down and told me that he knew for a FACT that I had done cocaine the night before. I had never even SEEN cocaine then. There were at least 20 kids that I can think of off the top of my head that IN NO WAY had ANY KIND of a drug problem.......AT ALL. Newt said they had 'druggie attitudes'. Kinda like incarcerating someone for something they MIGHT do.
Quote
My childhood was not great- but I don't go terrorizing the people who treated me poorly. I pick myself off, trust that they will get theirs, and move the fuck on.
You didn't have years of your life stolen. You didn't suffer beatings at the hand of this man. I personally witnessed some of them. One in particular when he picked up a 12 YEAR OLD GIRL off the ground by her hair and then dragged her by the hair all the way across the warehouse. I also heard him call 12 and 13 year old girls SLUTS, WHORES etc. 12 and 13 year old VIRGINS. I also saw and heard him direct that several girls be put on peanut butter diets for WEEKS ON END. Nothing but peanut butter between 2 slices of bread 3 times a day and a dixie cup of water......for WEEKS. WEEKS. What does that do to the physical development of a kid?????
Quote
To all of you who say that Mr. Newton molested, harmed or attacked you...great, I'm sure he very well could have. You don't seem to be telling anyone how you got to one of those programs in the first place
So if someone as a teen gets into trouble, then it's perfectly acceptable to beat, starve and humiliate them??????????????
Quote
I will speak on Mr. Newton's behalf by saying first that if he was not a good person before, he has shed his poor judgement and has turned to religion for peace.
No, I'm quite sure he turned to religion so that he would continue to have influence over other people's lives. He can't STAND it if he doesn't. He absolutely REVELS in the adoration he got from the parents back then and now with his flock. He continues to stand behind everything he did in those programs and refuses to acknowledge that what he did destroyed many, many people.
Seems that there are many of your neighbors who want him out too. Guess you're just going to have to let this one play itself out.
Post by: Anonymous on January 15, 2005, 09:02:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:49:00, jehudrive wrote:
"
I really don't care about the allegations concerning Newton.
We do. I'll be out to take some more pictures soon. Maybe we can have coffee and talk this out. :lol: :lol: No, I wasn't there today or yesterday, but I was a few days back. I drive a motorcycle.
Post by: Anonymous on January 15, 2005, 09:18:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 15, 2005, 09:22:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
I see him and his wife walking 3 and 4 year old children to the church.
Thanks for the tip. I wasn't aware he was involved with kids again. We'll be sure to get right on that!!
Quote
I will speak on Mr. Newton's behalf by saying first that if he was not a good person before, he has shed his poor judgement and has turned to religion for peace. Everyone makes poor decisions.
Well, let me know when he decides to own up to his "poor judgement". Narcissists NEVER admit fault. Actually, that might make some difference to me. I would love to know that he actually feels bad about what he did. I would love to know that he realizes that what he did to us was abusive. I'd love for him to apologize to all the families he tore apart. If he truly has seen the error of his ways, I'm willing to listen. I won't hold my breath though.
Post by: Anonymous on January 15, 2005, 09:29:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:59:00, Anonymous wroteQuoteI will speak on Mr. Newton's behalf by saying first that if he was not a good person before, he has shed his poor judgement and has turned to religion for peace.
No, I'm quite sure he turned to religion so that he would continue to have influence over other people's lives. He can't STAND it if he doesn't. He absolutely REVELS in the adoration he got from the parents back then and now with his flock.
Oh, and to get around that pesky little ruling that says he can't counsel kids unless he does it under a professionals supervision.
Post by: Anonymous on January 15, 2005, 09:33:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:49:00, jehudrive wrote:
separate areas where people will stay as part of a mission.
That's one of the scariest things I've read in a long time. I'll ask again, what is it about this guy that he just can't stand to live a regualar life? Why does he have to always be in a position of influence over people? Is he really so small of a man that he can't live without the adoration of a following????
Post by: mental torture made me li on January 15, 2005, 10:38:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
"...a ragged old van..."
sounds like a cool van!
as for the woman driving it, she sounds cool too, what a cool person, to be so passionate and dedicated, willing to walk up to complete strangers, in order to get the facts out about Newton and his extensive history of child abuse.
she sounds like an excellent person!
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 09:42:00 AM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:49:00, jehudrive wrote:
As a nearby neighbor, I don't want a bunch of people causing commotion
Well, get ready cause I'm sure if he's allowed to expand there WILL be protests!!!
Quote
Who cares if the dude makes money
The people to whom he owes $11,545,000.
http://thestraights.com/articles/newton-settles.htm (http://thestraights.com/articles/newton-settles.htm)
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 10:08:00 AM
http://www.fornits.com/anonanon/article ... 320-10.htm (http://www.fornits.com/anonanon/articles/200003/20000320-10.htm)
Closure for a Quack Victim
Date: 2000-03-20
Closure for a Quack Victim
By Tim O'Brien
In 1993, V. Miller Newton titled his doctoral dissertation in clinical neuropsychology, "Guiding Youth Through the Perilous Ordeal." To hundreds of teen- agers who have been subjected to his bizarre methods at the rehabilitation treatment centers he ran in New Jersey and three other states, the title is rich irony.
Their ordeal was documented in a suit by one of those patients, Rebecca Ehrlich, who, like others in Newton's program, never got the treatment for the disorder that led to her enrollment.
At age 14, Ehrlich was placed in KIDS of Bergen County Inc. in Hackensack by her parents on Feb. 24, 1987. They sent her there not for drug or alcohol use, school problems, juvenile delinquency or running away, but for family and behavior problems.
Ehrlich, a freshman with a B average at Wayne Hills High School in Wayne who never tried drugs or alcohol, was an obstinate, rebellious teen-ager. Like most parents who came to Newton's program, Rebecca's family was desperate for a solution to their daughter's problems and for family peace.
Ehrlich was pulled out of school; cut off from family and friends; imprisoned in locked, guarded rooms; strip-searched; denied books, telephone calls and letters; denied the right to read anything or speak to anyone privately; and deprived of sleep.
For six years -- until she was graduated in June 1993 -- she was a virtual prisoner, moving about with an "old timer" constantly holding her by the back of her pants, a practice called belt-looping.
She was the victim of routine physical and emotional abuse. She couldn't shower or defecate in private. She was roughed up for so much as crossing her legs or making eye contact with another patient while being forced to sit ramrod in a plastic blue chair, locked in 12 hours of so-called group therapy sessions seven days a week. Even lunch and dinner was eaten in the blue chairs.
All this, for $9,500 a year.
On Dec. 23, 1999, after five years of teeth-pulling discovery and obfuscation by Newton, Rebecca Ehrlich -- now 27 -- got some compensation for the pain the six- year ordeal caused: a $4.5 million settlement of her suit in Hudson County Superior Court. The settlement, reached 11 days before a trial to be heard by Judge Maurice Gallipoli, ended the case of Ehrlich v. KIDS, HUD-L-4592-95.
The money is to be paid by malpractice insurers for Newton, his wife, his nonprofit corporations, and four defendant psychiatrists, Raymond Edelman of Teaneck, Zisalo Wancier of Closter, Harry Panjwani of Ridgewood and Alvin Galitzin, who died about 10 years ago.
Newton's insurance carrier will pay $2 million of the total. The psychiatrists' carriers will pay the total of their policies, which comes to $2.5 million. Ehrlich will receive $3.5 million up front and $1 million paid over time.
'Renting Signatures'
Meanwhile Newton, whose centers have now been closed down, has retreated to Madeira Beach, Fla.
Ehrlich's lawyer, Philip Elberg, had said in court papers that he would argue at trial that "Dr. Newton" was a cult leader, charlatan and insurance fraud artist.
Elberg, a partner with Medvin & Elberg in Newark, charges that Newton, who received his master's degree in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and sports a nine-page, single-spaced resume, lacked credentials or qualifications to be a "clinical director" or to provide treatment for compulsive behavior problems. KIDS had held itself out as a place for treatment of such problems, as well as for drug and alcohol abuse and eating disorders.
The psychiatrists named in the suit -- all medical directors at KIDS -- admitted in depositions that they allowed program graduate staffers or senior patients at the Hackensack rehabilitation facility to stamp their signatures on necessary regulatory forms, charts, letters and insurance claim forms. Elberg called the practice "renting signatures."
Ehrlich's 1987 intake diagnosis, for instance, was rubber-stamped with the signature of Panjwani -- five years after Ehrlich was admitted. Panjwani later swore he never saw her, or evaluated her, and "would not know her from a hole in the wall." He explained that his rubber-stamp was used for the "bookkeeping ... and record keeping ... required by accreditation."
At the end of discovery in Ehrlich's case, Newton admitted that no one with any professional license ever diagnosed, evaluated or treated Ehrlich. (Years later, a New York psychologist would diagnose her as having a bipolar disorder and associated mental problems.) Newton also said that all such evaluations or treatment were done by unlicensed and untrained "peer counselors," namely, participants who had gone through the program's five phases.
Newton was also forced, by a demand for admissions, to concede that he could find no published study, report or book that advocated his treatment protocol.
Instead, he pointed to his own unpublished studies. Two such studies were cited in footnotes in a book he wrote. But after three motions demanding production of those studies, Newton certified that he couldn't find them.
Defendant Wancier admitted that he signed treatment plans for Ehrlich eight months after the plan allegedly was put into effect. He, too, conceded never actually meeting with Ehrlich. "I may have seen her in the hallway."
Wancier acknowledged that Newton had him sign treatment plans so they could be submitted for insurance claims. He later left the program, partly because his paychecks bounced.
Fellow psychiatrist Edelman said in a deposition that he tried to get Newton to change his methods, but Newton would not take the advice of a doctor.
Newton has an unlisted number in Madeira Beach, and could not be reached. His attorney, John O'Farrell of Morristown's Francis & O'Farrell, said he does not discuss his cases with the press. The lawyers for three of the psychiatrists did not return telephone calls seeking comment. The lawyer for Galitzin, Justin Johnson of Fairfield's Lunga, Evers & Johnson, confirmed the settlement but declined to comment.
Warning Signs From Early 1980s
Though Newton, 61, is finally out of New Jersey, Ehrlich, Elberg and his co- counsel, Robert Jones, don't deserve all the credit.
State regulators, prosecutors, insurance carriers, other patients-cum- plaintiffs and investigative print and broadcast journalists have been after Newton -- a former Methodist minister and failed politician -- since he reinvented himself as a rehabilitation guru in Florida.
But he always seemed to survive, billing himself as Dr. Newton, the clinical director, even though his initial Ph.D., awarded in 1981, was in public administration and urban anthropology from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, which bills itself as an "alternative ... learner- directed" school with no campus or attendance requirements. Later resumes describe Newton's Ph.D. as being in "medical anthropology."
His clinical neuropsychology doctorate was awarded from the same school, in September 1993, 13 years after he became a clinical director at a similar Florida treatment program and nine years after he opened KIDS in New Jersey.
In early 1998, the state Department of Human Services threatened to cut off Medicaid reimbursement for Newton's program unless corrections were made. The program had depended on the money because most of its patients no longer were suburban youths covered by private insurance but urban teen-agers.
The state cited, among other things, the use of physical restraints and the use of senior patients with no qualifications to help run the program. In Ehrlich's case, records show, she was restrained more than 100 times, for such offenses as having a penny or a hair barrette in her possession.
By then, KIDS had been kicked out of its Hackensack location for nonpayment of more than $400,000 in back rent. But, relocated in Secaucus and redubbed KIDS of North Jersey Inc., Newton's center fought on, winning two stays from the Division of Mental Health Services in order to file two plans of correction.
On May 1, 1998, when the agency finally pulled the plug, Newton pushed for reconsideration, which led to hearings before Administrative Law Judge Daniel McKeown in the fall of 1998. After the hearing, when more former patients and parents testified about sleep deprivation, beatings, kidnappings of escaped patients, a total lack of privacy for so-called newcomers, and a total "blackout" from the outside world, McKeown recommended that Newton's final appeal be dismissed.
Simultaneously, Elberg and Jones were tightening the noose in Hudson County. They obtained a highly damaging deposition by a former staffer who said Newton doctored and withheld records. The attorneys also moved, successfully, to unseal part of the hearing before McKeown, which had been closed by the Office of Administrative Law.
By the fall of 1998, Newton was close to throwing in the towel and closing his remaining KIDS center. Regulators had shut him down in Texas, Utah and California, while some insurers and governmental agencies had stopped paying claims because the treatment had not been provided by doctors. His goal of opening up to 25 KIDS of America centers is now in ashes.
KIDS of North Jersey finally closed on Nov. 2, 1998, and Newton and his wife, Ruth Ann, the KIDS assistant director, returned to their home in Florida.
In June 1999, the state filed an action against KIDS for $1 million in Medicaid overbillings. Human Services officials expressed little hope of recovering anything, but the action is pending.
An 18-Year Run
But the remarkable aspect of this story is that it took so long to shut Newton down, given all the accusations swirling around him and his treatment protocol.
As far back as 1984, as Newton was starting up in New Jersey, CBS's 60 Minutes broadcast an expose on Straight Inc. in St. Petersburg, Fla., where Newton had started out, working his way up to national clinical director by 1982 and running Straight's clinic in Sarasota. Newton said he got involved after placing his 15- year-old son in the program for drug abuse.
That show highlighted a suit brought by 19-year-old college student Fred Collins who went to Straight to visit his brother and was coerced into the program himself. He was kept against his will in the intake room for more than 10 hours, without being allowed to talk to his parents, until he signed himself in. Collins told 60 Minutes of routine beatings by peer counselors, patients in the advanced phases, who exercise total control over newcomers.
Collins busted out by smashing a locked window. (Others in the four KIDS centers have told reporters and testified that they jumped from moving cars, jumped off roofs and ran naked from a host home in the dead of night. Straight and KIDS use such homes in which parents of longtime patients take in and lock up newcomers each night).
Collins said he tried to get out because he was an adult, and made the obligatory written request to leave. But his request went to a 15-year-old girl who told 60 Minutes she tossed it in the trash, which she was instructed to do.
In Rebecca Ehrlich's case, Elberg obtained two notes from his client in which she requested to speak to the county prosecutor and leave. But records show she did not use the right form or correct request procedure, so her requests were ignored. One note, handed over in discovery, is marked "wrong C of C" (chain of command). Elberg says the staffer who wrote that note testified he did not know what form should be used.
Newton instructed staffers to toss requests to leave or speak to someone, former patients and staffers have said in litigation and to reporters.
In 1989 and 1990, Bergen County Prosecutor Larry McClure investigated KIDS. He found no criminality, but recommended that the state Attorney General's Office probe the operation. In one raid conducted by his office, a dozen youths told county officials they wanted to leave the center and they were escorted out.
The 60 Minutes segment also showed Straight Inc. director Bill Oliver belittling the idea that Collins couldn't go anywhere he wanted. "We have no record of Fred Collins asking to leave this program at any time."
The jury awarded Collins $220,000 for his five months in what his attorney called a private jail.
The Florida Attorney General's Office investigated Straight in 1983. In 1989, Florida state prosecutor David Levin described the program for ABC-TV's 20/20 as "... a sort of private jail, utilizing techniques such as torture and punishment which even a convicted criminal would not be subject to."
Newton responded on 20/20, "I don't like the word imprison. Imprison implies punishment." Call it "an isolation ward if you like," he said, adding that he opposes violence. Distancing himself from Straight years later, he said that when "I became clinical director and suddenly found out that there was this thing going on, I never heard of it before, then I walked in and said, 'For god's sake, I am against any harm to any kid at any place, tell us what the problem is so we can fix it.'"
But other former patients sued, including one who was awarded $721,000 in 1990 and settled for $400,000. The plaintiff's lawyer, Karen Barnett of Tampa, told The Record of Hackensack, "Every case we had involved assault and at least two of them involved assault directed by Newton."
In the midst of the Florida investigation in late 1983, Straight's Sarasota program closed and Newton moved to Hackensack, where he started KIDS. Dozens of ex-patients have said, some in litigation, that he took Straight's model to more excess in New Jersey.
How excessive? In April 1992, Secaucus Municipal Judge Emil DelBaglivo convicted three male KIDS peer counselors, all 23, of simple assault for dragging 17- year-old Channery Soto into a room and pummeling him for a half-hour. DelBaglivo was quoted in The Record as calling KIDS a "highly questionable" place. He said something was "radically wrong" if the program's director would condone what the judge described as "almost unbelievable" conduct. "Someone should look into it," he said.
The article also quoted one of the defendants, peer counselor Michael O'Connor, as saying, "We knew it was wrong, but [Newton] told us to do it. I was under his command and that's why I left."
In another case reported on a 1989 broadcast of ABC-TV's West 57th St., a peer counselor was arrested for assault after jumping an 18-year-old man who had just left the program, and forcing him back with help from another patient. The victim, beaten bloody, was treated at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck.
Newton told the show he had no knowledge of the incident, but program graduate Christy Johnson countered that Newton told her to try to persuade the victim to drop the charges. In return, she said she told the victim that KIDS wouldn't come after him anymore.
And in 1996 Newton was sued by the federal government for billing the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program for treatment by physicians when the physicians signing the claim form provided no services. Newton, admitting no wrongdoing, agreed to return $45,000 for 245 claims.
There's much more. As far back as 1989, another administrative law judge, Edith Klinger, concluded after a hearing that KIDS was not in compliance with a host of state safety and health regulations. She pushed for having the place closed unless it applied for a certificate of need from the state Health Department.
Klinger conducted a hearin on a certificate of need application by KIDS rug abuse treatment center. For five years, KIDS was not licensed by any state agency, in part, according to state records, because it held itself out as a program that was following the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. In fact, KIDS had little resemblance to AA. Newton cut the steps down to eight and overlaid the operation with what Ehrlich's experts call cult-like mind control. All patients and parents, in or out, were designated as in good or bad standing; no contact was permitted with those in bad standing.
Klinger concluded that Newton lacked the statutorily required good moral character to get the program certified, urging further investigation.
By late last year, Elberg and Jones had more documented information about KIDS and Newton than anyone else had amassed. They had 28 depositions, including four by Newton. Most important, they had the original, unredacted treatment records, documenting every restraint and incident, as well as every ersatz psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis or treatment, which staffers testified was essentially the same for everyone at KIDS.
Elberg says three key turning points led to the settlement.
First, Judge Gallipoli ruled last March that Elberg could argue for punitive damages if he got to a jury and allowed the attorney to take discovery on the personal assets of all the defendants. "That forced the psychiatrists to think twice about losing their house," Elberg says.
Second, a deposition of staffer Jeffrey Stallings in January 1999 disclosed that Newton hadn't turned over many of the original records subpoenaed earlier. Stallings -- who, like others, left when he didn't get paid for three months -- testified that Newton altered records in anticipation of an inspection of the program by regulators. He also said Newton withheld some records.
"Getting the unredacted original records was key because then it didn't matter what Miller Newton said, and I didn't really need witnesses," said Elberg.
Third, in finally obtaining all the records, Elberg says he could develop an overall strategy of "showing the perverseness of Rebecca's treatment, especially all her many setbacks to Phase 1 for unbelievable reasons, including eating cookies." KIDS claimed that Ehrlich, who spent about 3 1/2 years in Phase 1 and was overweight, had an eating disorder.
In the end, the case boiled down to garden-variety counts -- consumer fraud, civil rights violations, breach of contract, assault and medical malpractice.
The damages, according to the plaintiff's papers, are the harm done to Rebecca, who really needed mental health care for her bipolar disorder. Instead, her condition worsened.
Ehrlich, like dozens of other ex- KIDS clients, was later treated for post- traumatic stress disorder, and it was her private psychiatrist who suggested she find a lawyer and seek closure.
Says Elberg: "She said what so many have said, that while parents took kids off the street for safety, the kids were never in a more dangerous place than when they were in that place."
Newton, meanwhile, is back in Madeira Beach, where he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1972 and 1976, and unsuccessfully for mayor in 1988, while he was heading KIDS in Hackensack.
As long ago as the mid-1980s, Newton was spouting about the wholesome nature of his program. He told 20/20 at that time: "Our program is construed as a teen- age peer culture that is anti-drug, pro- responsible behavior, pro-achievement, pro- family, pro-good appearance, and pro-good moral values."
But when his Medicaid funding was finally pulled by the state, one key reason was the conclusion by state Human Services officials that KIDS was, in fact, a program that failed to bring families back together.
Like many others, Rebecca Ehrlich today has reconciled with her parents, and continues to be treated for her bipolar disorder.
Web Published Monday, January 24, 2000 Published in New Jersey Law Journal on: Monday, January 24, 2000
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 01:51:00 PM
You know , as the "woman in the van". Let me just say this. What exactly is it that you are afraid of? I refuse to use this venue or any other to attack the credibility of a "child" but my guess is you know very little about having kids, you know even less about why we were there. We were NOT there because of drug problems, see you need a licensed , clinical psychiatrist to diagnosis that . THERE WERE NONE and most of us had either not done drugs at all or if we had had only done "pot" several times. I really dont you are qualified to talk about what is and is not a drug addict.
Please, do us all a favor and do not speak on things you know nothing about. And please, dont let Miller use you to speak for him. Miller should be man enough to talk to me to my face not use a seventeen year old to send me a message.
Miller Newtons abuse of me and the abuse he allowed to this day , cost me fifty thousand dollars every five years in medical bills for the last twenty five years. Yes, it was years ago the problem is it does not end for us. I am still paying for it. Until you have faced those kinds of bills, with those kinds of medical problems as a result direct or indirect of someone elses choices please refrain from acting as if you know what we have been through. You dont. God, willing you never will...
Oh yeah, did you also know that one of the things Miller taught was to humiliate each other, name call until you tore each other to shreds and verbal attacks. Luckily Ive been immunized to such juvenile attacks.
The "obese" woman in the van.
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 03:09:00 PM
covered Saturday's incident in Maderia Beach
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 03:12:00 PM
Post by: Antigen on January 16, 2005, 03:29:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
And the last thing is...you guys are invasive, disregard other people's privacy and property, you are self-pitying, and you need to refrain from coming into our quiet beach town and causing a tiff over an interpersonal matter that should have been dealt with a long time ago. Find a good psychiatrist, please!
There's obviously a lot you don't know, kid. A lot about life that you just don't understand yet and a lot of factual information that you simply have wrong.
Most of the kids in these programs were not addicts. Virgil didn't recently find religion, he started out as a Metodist minister (LOL!) Hard to imagine, I know. I landed up in Straight because Virgil misrepresented himself as some sort of medical professional when his 'doctorate' was in social anthropology out of a diploma mill in Ohio. Playing the part of the "doctor", Virgil lied to my father, telling him that he (Virgil) could tell by "telltale physiological signs" in my eyes that I had done coke and LOTS of it! Of course, this sealed it for my dad. He'd never seen coke any more than I had. But he knew it was bad business, for sure! So, for the next two years, Virgil and his merry band of sadistic lunatic followers tried everything imaginable to convince me that I was a coke head.
Those are just some of the facts that I can personally attest to. But it doesn't matter what has gone in the past, you're right about that. What matters is that you've got a neighbor who has so thoroughly pissed off so damned many people that, evidently, he can't hold prayer meetings in his house w/o causing one hell of a scene. I can't change this. You can't change this. Believe me, Virgil would change it if he could (he really doesn't like to think about the past) but he can't.
So what you're left with is that if this sadistic son of a bitch is going to try and establish a following yet again, you're likely to be annoyed pretty frequently by some of his former followers who will likely come around pretty frequently to remind everyone about that trouble past of Virgils. Oh, and did I mention that there are tens of thousands of them? This was no Mickey Mouse operation, kid. Straight had nearly 30 locations around the country over the course of almost 20 years. That's a whole bitch of a lot of bad karma!
All religions have been made by men.
--Napoleon Bonaparte, French emperor
Post by: Antigen on January 16, 2005, 03:51:00 PM
I have to wonder (have to, it's a curse, I can't make it stop!) who the hell is this?
Anon, if you don't mind my asking, how much contact have you had w/ Virgil over the years? Are you really just a disinterested neighbor? Or are you, maybe, one of the Moss kids or something?
Curioser and curioser, isn't it?
Ministers say that they teach charity. That is natural. They live on hand-outs. All beggars teach that others should give.
--Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and lecturer
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 03:53:00 PM
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?se ... L&zipcode= (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&address=13253+Boca+Ciega+Ave&city=Madeira+Beach&state=FL&zipcode=)
?
?
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 03:55:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-16 12:51:00, Antigen wrote:
"Come to think of it, does this sound like any 17yo you might happen to meet at the mall or something?
I have to wonder (have to, it's a curse, I can't make it stop!) who the hell is this?
Anon, if you don't mind my asking, how much contact have you had w/ Virgil over the years? Are you really just a disinterested neighbor? Or are you, maybe, one of the Moss kids or something?
Curioser and curioser, isn't it?Ministers say that they teach charity. That is natural. They live on hand-outs. All beggars teach that others should give.
--Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and lecturer
"
Wonder if he was one of those kids who came to Newt's rescue in the red truck.
Post by: Antigen on January 16, 2005, 04:36:00 PM
You should be allowed to do whatever you want with your own person and property, as long as you don't physically harm the person or property of a nonconsenting other.
Peter McWilliams - Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
Post by: Antigen on January 16, 2005, 04:40:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-16 12:55:00, Anonymous wrote:
Wonder if he was one of those kids who came to Newt's rescue in the red truck."
Again, with the red truck! Ok, what's the story w/ the red truck?
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 04:42:00 PM
from:
http://thestraights.com/index.htm (http://thestraights.com/index.htm)
Post by: Antigen on January 16, 2005, 04:55:00 PM
Anybody know anything? C'mon!
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys
--P.J. O'Rourke
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 05:01:00 PM
Post by: Antigen on January 16, 2005, 06:52:00 PM
Ministers say that they teach charity. That is natural. They live on hand-outs. All beggars teach that others should give.
--Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and lecturer
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 07:05:00 PM
http://www.tampaindymedia.org/bin/site/ ... 140625.dat (http://www.tampaindymedia.org/bin/site/templates/default.asp?area_2=imc/open%20newswire/2004/Dec/45902.140625.dat)
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2005, 09:26:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
"Alright. I live right near the Newton residence. I live next door to the church.
So you're one of his new prodigys that he houses in that building next to the church and counsels on life etc.??????? That explains quite a bit. I'm really sorry for you. We'll be here when you need us a few years down the road. Seriously.
Post by: Anonymous on January 17, 2005, 07:47:00 AM
The 2 men in the red truck pulled up on the grass next to umm us.. Asked one of us "What are you doing?" One was approximently mid to early twenties. The truck was older. When they confronted the one , the other was standing right there keeping an eye on them. They arrived within minutes of Newton going inside to call police.
Right after the red truck came the cops.
In my humble opinion, those in the red truck had the look and reminded me of the guys at the door in group. I even said that to the other individual.
Thats really all we can say cause that was about it.
Post by: Anonymous on January 17, 2005, 10:13:00 AM
Post by: PerfectStraightling on January 17, 2005, 03:00:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
"I am not going to say that you have not been caused pain, but I will say if you were sent to STRAIGHT, it was for a reason. A lot of the kids there were DRUG ABUSERS..yeah. Those kids were the same kinds of kids in my schools today that make life miserable for us good students by getting in fights, exposing others to drugs...etc. Society has a place for you, and it may very well be locked up in an abuse center. I've seen what hard drugs do to people. I wouldn't want my kids hopped up on meth, coke, or extacy either."
You don't really know what you're talking about. Many of the kids had never even done drugs, let alone were addicted to them. How can you assume that just because we were there, it was "for a reason." That reason was that the people at S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T. convinced our parents that we would die if we weren't there. Even the ones that maybe were, at such a young age, addicted didn't deserve to be emotionally and physically abused.
Quote
"To all of you who say that Mr. Newton molested, harmed or attacked you...great, I'm sure he very well could have. You don't seem to be telling anyone how you got to one of those programs in the first place...and you havent taken the precident to move on with your life."
So you're saying that some children deserve to be tortured and abused for their behavior?????????
Quote
"I will speak on Mr. Newton's behalf by saying first that if he was not a good person before, he has shed his poor judgement and has turned to religion for peace. Everyone makes poor decisions. He is NOT some uber billionaire either. He also sent his own damn kid to one of those programs. "
This sounds like you know him, personally. Are you really just a neighbor? And just because he may have sent his kid there doesn't make it RIGHT. He could be plain crazy.
Quote
"And the last thing is...you guys are invasive, disregard other people's privacy and property, you are self-pitying, and you need to refrain from coming into our quiet beach town and causing a tiff over an interpersonal matter that should have been dealt with a long time ago. Find a good psychiatrist, please!"
This is more of a social issue than an interpersonal one. I think people are worried about the well-being of the children attending his church. Aren't you???
Post by: Anonymous on January 18, 2005, 08:31:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on January 19, 2005, 03:00:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
"Alright. I live right near the Newton residence. I live next door to the church. I see Mr. Newton every single day.........................................................................
I will speak on Mr. Newton's behalf by saying first that if he was not a good person before, he has shed his poor judgement and has turned to religion for peace. Everyone makes poor decisions. He is NOT some uber billionaire either. He also sent his own damn kid to one of those programs.
And the last thing is...you guys are invasive, disregard other people's privacy and property, you are self-pitying, and you need to refrain from coming into our quiet beach town and causing a tiff over an interpersonal matter that should have been dealt with a long time ago. Find a good psychiatrist, please!"
What happened??? Where'd you go??? :???: :lol:
Post by: Anonymous on January 20, 2005, 10:13:00 AM
"Yes, the Straight program was controversial, but I really have trouble with this becoming an issue. I am not doing treatment anymore. I am living a very quiet religious life," Newton said. "It's unfair to bring it up."
I know an individual who paid for and received "treatment" for an addiction problem from Miller Newton in Madeira Beach in 2004. The individual is from Atlanta, he spent a few months in "treatment" and returned to Atlanta around 3 months ago. The individual came from a Church in Atlanta that is in the same Archdiocese as Newton's "church".
I wish you the best in stopping him.
Post by: Anonymous on January 20, 2005, 05:06:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 20, 2005, 05:19:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-20 07:13:00, Anonymous wrote:
I know an individual who paid for and received "treatment" for an addiction problem from Miller Newton in Madeira Beach in 2004. The individual is from Atlanta, he spent a few months in "treatment" and returned to Atlanta around 3 months ago. The individual came from a Church in Atlanta that is in the same Archdiocese as Newton's "church".
I wish you the best in stopping him."
Could you give us a little more info so that we can follow up on this please?
Post by: Anonymous on January 22, 2005, 01:18:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-20 14:19:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Quote
On 2005-01-20 07:13:00, Anonymous wrote:
I know an individual who paid for and received "treatment" for an addiction problem from Miller Newton in Madeira Beach in 2004. The individual is from Atlanta, he spent a few months in "treatment" and returned to Atlanta around 3 months ago. The individual came from a Church in Atlanta that is in the same Archdiocese as Newton's "church".
I wish you the best in stopping him."
Could you give us a little more info so that we can follow up on this please?"
::bump::
Post by: Fr. Cassian on January 22, 2005, 01:58:00 PM
Emotions rule the world; Is it any wonder that it's so mucked up?!
Bill Warbis
Post by: Anonymous on January 22, 2005, 02:04:00 PM
Could it be this one? If it is, maybe someone with experience with Newton should talk to Michael Evans so he can warn his church members about Newton.
St. Elias Church (Orthodox Church in Atlanta, GA)
Rt. Rev. Michael Evans
Location:
2045 Ponce de Leon Ave., N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
Phone:
Parish 404-378-8191
Diocese:
Southeast
Web site:
steliasofatlanta.org
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 06:58:00 AM
Special Exception hearing will be held Monday evening, Nanuary 24, 6pm at MadBch City hall. It should be quite interesting. Miller, I'm sure, will be all spiffed up out in his "priest" outfit. Kinda like a civil war re-enactor all decked out as a yankee private, or in Newton's case, a general. Although, big diff between a weekend warrior and a convicted child abuser trying to open up another mill. Come on out and show the dear "Father" your support. Be there or be square, or be a trapazoid, or a rhomboid...do the ramba, yeah............
Post by: RuthieGix on January 23, 2005, 02:53:00 PM
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/23/Neigh ... ient.shtml (http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/23/Neighborhoodtimes/Ex_drug_clinic_client.shtml)
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 02:57:00 PM
I wish we could find some tangible connection with this Atlanta referral issue. That would certainly indicate that he misrepresented himself to the planning commission. Or just any confirmation that he is, in fact, counseling kids.
Anybody???
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 03:40:00 PM
This is the only clue I could find:
"...the individual came from a church in Atlanta that is in the same archdiocese at Newton's..."
Could it be this one? If it is, maybe someone with experience with Newton should talk to Michael Evans so he can warn his church members about Newton.
St. Elias Church (Orthodox Church in Atlanta, GA)
Rt. Rev. Michael Evans
Location:
2045 Ponce de Leon Ave., N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
Phone:
Parish 404-378-8191
Diocese:
Southeast
Web site:
steliasofatlanta.or
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 03:43:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-23 12:40:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Did anyone call the Rev. Michael Evans?
St. Elias Church (Orthodox Church in Atlanta, GA)
Rt. Rev. Michael Evans
Location:
2045 Ponce de Leon Ave., N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
Phone:
Parish 404-378-8191
Diocese:
Southeast
Web site:
steliasofatlanta.or"
Anyone from the early 80s St. Pete remember a guy in there named Mike Evans? I do. I remember his dad too. Obviously that's a very common name...just kinda made me stop and shudder for a sec.
Post by: Antigen on January 23, 2005, 04:45:00 PM
I cannot see how a man of any large degree of humorous perception can ever be religious -- unless he purposely shut the eyes of his mind and keep them shut by force.
--Samuel Clemens "Mark Twain", American author and humorist
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 04:47:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 04:49:00 PM
Dont know if that helps.
Thanks for the info on the clients. That detail will be looked into. Thank you again.
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 04:52:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-23 13:45:00, Antigen wrote:
"The name does ring a bell. I'm thinking maybe staff in Sarasota? Anybody else remember a Mike Evans? It is a very common name, though. I'd want to know his age, see a picture and maybe get some decent background before jumping to conclusions here
His dad was uber involved in the program. I'm vaguely remembering something about Sarasota...it would have had to have been after 83/84 or so. He was in SP with me for almost 2 years. I remember more clearly that he did go on at least trainee for a while....not sure about after that.
Don't worry, I'm not jumping to any conclusions, it just struck me when I heard that name. I hadn't remembered it in a long time.
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 05:04:00 PM
Today, one of the "door knockers" informed me that a cop has already been to the neighboors(Sunday) asking if the "survivors" will be violent or start something. The neighboors responded by saying in all the protest they have had here I've never known of a problem.
Looks like Newton is trying to get protestors arrested if he can.
No thanks newton, none of us have the desire to be jailed AGAIN. So, dont think that we will slip up and do anything other than a peaceful protest. Nice try but a miss.
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2005, 05:22:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-01-23 14:04:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Newpapers, TV has been contacted and should be there.
:nworthy: :nworthy:
Post by: Anonymous on January 24, 2005, 07:53:00 AM
Unfortunately the Antiochian Archdiocese was hoodwinked by this cretin into ordaining him; he joins a list of several other sexist, chauvinist pigs who had no business being ordained either including the recently defrocked "Bishop" Dimitri who was tossed for groping a woman at a gambling establishment. Birds of a feather.
Post by: Anonymous on January 24, 2005, 08:11:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on January 24, 2005, 09:07:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on January 24, 2005, 12:37:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on January 28, 2005, 11:36:00 AM
I have to wonder, although I've only just started looking at this situation, if this man's claims to priesthood have any validity, and if not, how does that impact any rights he MIGHT have to having a "chapel" on this property?
Post by: Anonymous on January 28, 2005, 11:48:00 AM
St. Nicholas Church (Click to visit parish page)
Metro Area(s):
St. Petersburg
Location:
6447 76th Ave., N.
Pinellas Park, Florida 33781-3126
Map it. Get Driving Directions.
Mailing Address:
PO Box 41350
St. Petersburg, FL 33743
Phone:
727-545-3797
Diocese:
Southeast
Web site:
http://www.stnicholasaoc.com (http://www.stnicholasaoc.com)
Supposedly he works out of this parrish, but I've heard it's difficult to confirm that. Last I heard when someone called they said that he was doing "retreats" at his Christ at the Sea Foundation.
Post by: Anonymous on February 01, 2005, 10:01:00 AM
Quote
On 2005-01-15 17:33:00, jehudrive wrote:
"Alright. I live right near the Newton residence. I live next door to the church. I see Mr. Newton every single day. I see him walking his dog. I see him and his wife walking 3 and 4 year old children to the church. The kids aren't abused, but happily skipping along...like normal children often do.
I didn't know about his history until today when these crazed people parked in my driveway saying something rotten about my neighbors, passing out offensive flyers. I did not appreciate it. I think that even if the woman's piss and moan aliby were true...I wouldn't feel a bit sorry for her.
Hypothetically, considering that he may have been a part of these program's abusive natures, I still wonder what a woman in a ragged old van, poorly dressed, obese, looking for sympathy wanted with me? Why on earth would she pass out a flyer to me? I don't pity her. Her incident was 20 or so years ago. The people targetting this man who is now quiet, religious (yeah...I've snooped around the church once..it's not a torcher dungeon), and minds his own business, are sick and need to stop the self pitying nonsense, and instead of seeing a lawyer, they ought to consult a psychiatrist. I am neither religious nor opposed to religion, but I disagree with ANY of this talk about trying to discontinue his church, as it is a house of god and is protected under the law of the United States...just like your lawsuits were.
There are people in this world who have suffered greater tyranny and pain than those attending the S.T.R.A.I.G.T program. Apparently they, nor many of the supporters of this website have been out of the country...where people have died for lesser things than holding three fingers up instead of two for a religious salute.
I am not going to say that you have not been caused pain, but I will say if you were sent to STRAIGHT, it was for a reason. A lot of the kids there were DRUG ABUSERS..yeah. Those kids were the same kinds of kids in my schools today that make life miserable for us good students by getting in fights, exposing others to drugs...etc. Society has a place for you, and it may very well be locked up in an abuse center. I've seen what hard drugs do to people. I wouldn't want my kids hopped up on meth, coke, or extacy either.
You shouldn't continue to dwell on this. It is ridiculous. That ragged woman in her ragged van could have probably procured a nicer vehicle...and probably wouldn't be so overweight and homely (ie. taken better care of her appearance..or maintained at least a litte amount of femininity) if she had spent less time feeling sorry for herself and more time picking up the pieces and moving the hell on. Nobody's life has been terrific. And the people who complain and whine and bitch about how bad their life has been, and how emotionally scarred they are...those are the people who never get anywhere. My childhood was not great- but I don't go terrorizing the people who treated me poorly. I pick myself off, trust that they will get theirs, and move the fuck on.
To all of you who say that Mr. Newton molested, harmed or attacked you...great, I'm sure he very well could have. You don't seem to be telling anyone how you got to one of those programs in the first place...and you havent taken the precident to move on with your life.
I will speak on Mr. Newton's behalf by saying first that if he was not a good person before, he has shed his poor judgement and has turned to religion for peace. Everyone makes poor decisions. He is NOT some uber billionaire either. He also sent his own damn kid to one of those programs.
And the last thing is...you guys are invasive, disregard other people's privacy and property, you are self-pitying, and you need to refrain from coming into our quiet beach town and causing a tiff over an interpersonal matter that should have been dealt with a long time ago. Find a good psychiatrist, please!"
Normally, I ignore this kind of thing. Ignorance is the word that screams from your post.
It is people like you who turn a blind eye when children are raped, molested and beaten.
That is your choice. The weight of these crimes against defenseless children and teenagers should burden you beyond end ? if it should happen again. If Newton falls back to his old ways it is on your head.
He convinced countless officials, the media, parents of his innocence, his good intentions, while he broke the bones of children, slammed their heads into walls, deprived them of necessity, education, nourishment, and endangered their lives and safety daily for decades. Though straight may have existed more than 20 years ago, Kids of Bergen County, Kids of North Jersey did not but rather, lasted well into the late 90's.
It must be strong faith that allows you to forgive more than 2 decades worth of child abuse in the blink of an eye, or perhaps it is your denial. More likely your ignorance and your lack of education.
The reality is that many children as young as 10 years old were held prisoner in Newton's programs. Many did not do drugs at all. If you had done your homework?if you had taken an objective view instead of whining about the inconvenience of someone in your driveway, you might have been enlightened to the kind of man Newton has been for nearly 3 decades. Newton did not discriminate. Though some children may have abused drugs, many did not. Helping these children was hardly his motivation. Insurance fruad was. Greed was. maniacal narcissism was. He has a record of deception and abuse spans nearly 30 years. Your belief that he has now suddenly in a few short years become a wholesome, honest neighbor is baffling if not downright funny.
Newton would not be the first man to hide behind a cloak of religion, nor is he the first "priest" to have a longstanding abuse record. Should these priests be allowed to continue to work with children and families?
These are survivors, Not victims. Your lack of compassion is incredible. How did you become so cold? Many of these survivors HAVE found a "psychiatrist". I think you are missing the point. This isn't about what happened to them, but what could happen to others. It is noble, unselfish, and brave. Should they just allow him to continue to abuse children? The system has failed them because of people like you. People just like you who allowed these horrific things to happen.
The statistics are high. Something like 1 in every 3 girls are sexually assaulted in some way or worse. I pray that you have boys, but then the statistics are what? 1 in 6. This does not even take into consideration plain old beatings and physical abuse that is not sexual. I hope you can protect them, but if your children are molested, raped or abused in some way, I hope that the system and people like you do not fail them the way it has failed these survivors. I hope that you do not fail them with the same lack of compassion that you are showing now. I hope that the clergy member, the neighbor or the perpetrator who is responsible is watched as closely as these individuals are watching Newton?closer?to the grave! I hope the scrutiny is endless, seamless.
This is not about the past?it is about the present, the future. It is out of compassion for other families and other children who might fall prey and have their lives, their homes and families torn apart. These effects will not just dissipate as you seem to wish, but follow them through their lives.
You are just plain mean. The fact that your inconvenience of having someone handing you a flyer in your driveway in the hopes of preventing future damage promted you into some adolescent verbal assault says a lot about you. Calling this woman fat is childish?laughing at her clothes and car because she might be less fortunate certainly paints a clear picture of the type of person you are. I'm glad you're not my neighbor. Certainly not a good person, certainly not a compassionate human being who can be taken seriously when talking about how religiously devoted and reformed a neighbor might be. My guess though, is that this post is from Newton himself, or no, more likely Ruthie, and if so how does it feel to know that your your legacy, your family tree is tainted, that once you have died it can no longer be tainted with lies. How does it feel to know that your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren, your great - great grandchildren will live to know the truth?live to read it in print. I suppose you couldn't find a way to make your name known in the name of good. How shameful. How pitiful. In the end we will breathe the truth in every corner of the continent?we win.
Post by: Anonymous on February 01, 2005, 10:13:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on February 01, 2005, 10:17:00 AM
Quote
On 2005-01-28 08:48:00, Anonymous wrote:
"http://www.antiochian.org/parishsearch?parishname=&citymetro=Pinellas+Park&zone=18&diocese=®ion=&clergy=&Submit=Find
St. Nicholas Church (Click to visit parish page)
Metro Area(s):
St. Petersburg
Location:
6447 76th Ave., N.
Pinellas Park, Florida 33781-3126
Map it. Get Driving Directions.
Mailing Address:
PO Box 41350
St. Petersburg, FL 33743
Phone:
727-545-3797
Diocese:
Southeast
Web site:
http://www.stnicholasaoc.com (http://www.stnicholasaoc.com)
Supposedly he works out of this parrish, but I've heard it's difficult to confirm that. Last I heard when someone called they said that he was doing "retreats" at his Christ at the Sea Foundation."
They had emailed me a response some time ago saying that he does NOT work with children. They did say he was working with families and the elderly. They were very pissy.
Post by: Anonymous on February 01, 2005, 01:19:00 PM