From: Anton Hein Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: News: "Charges dropped against scientologists in Fla. case" Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 01:41:25 +0200 Message-ID: <48takssv36uctlg1k7vocecrgummq9jdrt@news.xs4all.nl> :===Begin Quote=== Charges dropped against scientologists in Fla. case AOL/Reuters, June 12, 2000 http://my.aol.com/news/story.tmpl?table=n&cat=01&id=0006120645244425 Reuters Jun 12 2000 6:45PM ET CLEARWATER, Fla., (Reuters) - A Florida prosecutor dropped criminal charges on Monday against the Church of Scientology's Clearwater headquarters in the 1995 death of a woman member. Lisa McPherson, 36, died on Dec. 5, 1995, after she had been in the care of Scientology members for 17 days at the headquarters. In 1998, Pinellas County State Attorney Bernie McCabe charged the church with two felonies, practicing medicine without a license and criminal neglect of a disabled adult in McPherson's death. No individual church members were charged with any crimes. In February this year, Pinellas Medical Examiner Joan Wood changed her finding in the cause of McPherson's death from undetermined to accidental after experts hired by the church challenged her original finding. McCabe said because of the change in the autopsy finding, he did not have enough evidence to proceed with the case. ``We're very happy. We think that was the appropriate thing to do,'' Scientology spokesman Mark Rinder said. The church has said it was not responsible for McPherson's death. The case had been scheduled for trial in October. If the church had been found guilty of either or both charges, the only penalty would have been a fine and the costs of the investigations. McPherson, a church member for several years, had been involved in a minor traffic accident in Clearwater on Nov. 18, 1995. After the accident, she took off all her clothes and asked paramedics for help. She was taken to a local hospital, but left a few hours later with several Scientology members. According to an affidavit from an investigator for McCabe's office, McPherson exhibited psychotic behavior. The affidavit said she was held down and given medication without her consent by unlicensed Scientology staffers during her stay at the headquarters. She lost over 40 pounds and was suffering from severe dehydration when she died, according to affidavit. When her condition worsened on Dec. 5, McPherson was driven several miles to a hospital where a doctor who was a Scientologist was on duty, rather than to one a few blocks away. When she arrived at the hospital, she was pronounced dead. Critics of Scientology have frequently demonstrated against the church over McPherson's death. A separate civil wrongful death suit by McPherson's estate against the church is still pending. No trial date has been set. :===End Quote=== Scientology kills http://www.apologeticsindex.org/s04.html Anton -- Apologetics Index: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/ Apologetics and Countercult Information about Cults, Sects, and Alternative Religious Movements - for Research and Ministry.