One accusation against Greg Newman still pending

 

HENDERSONVILLE—The North Carolina State Bar reprimanded District Attorney Greg Newman regarding his dismissal of charges to which a former client of his had pleaded guilty. 

A grievance against Newman is also still pending with the Bar Association accusing Newman of failing to notify an alleged child rape victim’s parent of a plea agreement and a new court date for the defendant. The Bar Association is also accusing Newman of wrongly telling the court that the victim had been notified and did not want to make a statement in court. 

Newman disputes the reprimanding for professional misconduct. 

Newman said he does not believe there was a conflict of interest and that he did not remember representing the defendant when the motion for relief was brought in 2016. 

Newman said he was in private practice for 13 years and represented a lot of people in that period of time and there was nothing remarkable in the 2006 or 2007 case that would have caused him to remember it. 

Newman also said he would agree with the conflict of interest if he was doing something to harm the person, but he felt the defendant merited the help so he signed the document that allowed him to request a judge to reconsider his case. The 

A grievance committee with the state bar association reprimanded Newman in May for dismissing charges against a former client Newman represented while he was in private practice. 

Newman represented a client in 2007, who entered a guilty plea on drug charges. The defendant was placed on probation, with the probation being completed in 2008. 

The defendant later filed a motion for relief saying he did not knowingly enter a plea or know the full extent of the consequences for his doing so. Newman, as district attorney in 2016, consented to his former client’s motion for relief, struck the guilty plea and dismissed the charges. 

The bar association found that Newman’s actions constituted a conflict of interest. 

As part of the reprimand, Newman was ordered to pay $350 to cover the costs of the investigation. 

On the pending case regarding an alleged child rape, the Bar Association says that Newman knowingly made a false statement and engaged in conduct involving “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.” 

The complaint against Newman says that the district attorney’s office failed to inform the mother of the victim of the plea or change in court date. 

Newman responded that the father of the victim was contacted on the day of the plea agreement and that the mother did not return a phone call. The complaint alleges that Newman’s statement was found to be false and the victim’s family was not contacted. A hearing date for the complaint against Newman regarding this case has not yet been set. 

Newman represents Polk, Henderson and Transylvania counties.