Minton Article: "He didn't mean to do it."
Opponent of church acquitted of battery
The defense attorney argues that Scientologists "set up" picket
Robert Minton for a confrontation.
By THOMAS C. TOBIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LARGO -- Defense attorney Denis de Vlaming knew his audience.
Among the six jurors he faced during his closing argument Tuesday were a father
of four and a single mother who turned out to be the jury forewoman.
So he condensed the three-year feud between Robert S. Minton and the Church of
Scientology to a scenario any parent could grasp: a fight between children.
Minton, accused of misdemeanor battery against a Scientologist in Clearwater,
is the kid who finally fights back after being pushed and heckled, de Vlaming
submitted. The church, he said, is the child who started it all -- then cries
foul.
De Vlaming urged the jury to be the savvy parent who sees the truth.
After 40 minutes of deliberation Tuesday, the jury agreed with him, acquitting
Minton after a trial that turned a spotlight on the church's often aggressive
way of reacting to its critics.
"He was pushed," de Vlaming said of Minton. "He was pushed, he was set up and
they (the church) got what they wanted."
Prosecutor Bill Tyson said it was Minton who initiated the trouble, harassing
church members to the point they felt the need to follow him.
"It's hard to argue self-defense when you're the one picking the fight," Tyson
said, adding later that Minton, a New England millionaire crusading to reform
Scientology, is 53 years old.
"This isn't kids pushing kids," Tyson said.
The charge was filed after Minton pushed church staffer Richard W. Howd with a
picket sign the night of Oct. 31, 1999, after a day of cat and mouse.
Minton was greeted that morning by Scientologists at Tampa International
Airport who told him to go home. He had come, he said, to find office space for
a Scientology "watchdog group" that has since opened a headquarters in
Clearwater.
When Scientologists followed him, Minton and a companion drove to Scientology's
Fort Harrison Hotel in downtown Clearwater and began to picket.
After that, Scientologists followed him to his hotel. That night, Minton and
his companion showed up at the home of a prominent Scientologist and videotaped
the property, then went to picket again at the Fort Harrison, where Howd was
waiting with his digital video camera.
Howd shadowed Minton closely, trying, he said, to create a record of everything
Minton said and did. Minton said Howd was invading his space. Howd told the
jury Minton appeared aggressive.
The alleged battery took place after a moment when the two apparently jostled
each other. Minton turned to call police on his cell phone, but whirled around,
pointing his picket sign, to stop Howd from following him. Howd was struck in
the face by the sign and fell to the sidewalk.
The trial became a debate over which party was more guilty of causing the
contact.
Pat Jones, a Scientology spokeswoman, said in a statement that the church
appreciated the prosecutor's efforts.
"Mr. Minton knows what really happened," the statement said, "and we're hopeful
that, regardless of the verdict, this prosecution will at least help to prevent
further acts of violence against our members."
De Vlaming said Scientology staffers choreographed the incident in an ongoing
attempt to get Minton arrested and ruin his credibility.
He put Frank Oliver on the stand, and the former member of the church's Office
of Special Affairs testified that he received special training to go after
church critics.
Tyson noted that Oliver is now on the advisory board of Minton's Clearwater
organization.
De Vlaming pointed to what he said were several indications Minton was set up.
Among them was a video that showed Howd sprawled motionless on the ground, his
eyes closed. The tape then shows him opening his eyes, seeing the camera, then
quickly closing them.
"Look at him," de Vlaming told the jury, ridiculing Howd. "Out cold! Needed an
ambulance!"
Tyson said Minton was the one who stepped over the line. "He has the right to
protest," the prosecutor said, "but one thing he doesn't have the right to do
is break the law."
After the verdict, Minton said his purpose in coming to Clearwater was to tell
the public about Scientology's way of dealing with critics, and the trial, he
said, helped accomplish that.
One juror, Joyce Green of St. Petersburg, said the panel initially voted 5-1 to
acquit Minton, but the vote was unanimous after they reviewed one of the
videotapes of the incident.
There was no serious discussion of Scientology or its practices, she said.
"I think he was provoked, and a lot of it was set up," said Green, a home
health aide. She said she might have reacted as Minton did, adding that Howd
did not appear seriously hurt.
Juror Leroy Joiner of Clearwater, the father of four, said of Minton: "He
didn't mean to do it."
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Keith <kew@>
Wed, 24 May 2000 02:44:38 -0700
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