Wrongfully jailed, a former police officer becomes a lawyer to 'help others'
by Brad Bell and Lesly Salazar/ABC7
Friday, April 5th 2019
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (ABC7) — Jonathan Newton is a former police officer who was wrongfully accused of serious crimes. On Friday, he was admitted to the Maryland bar.
In 2011, Newton was working for a boss he considered to be corrupt. He made a choice he says changed his life forever.
"I then blew the whistle on a sitting sheriff in Georgia," Newton said.
In retaliation, Newton says he himself was falsely accused of serious crimes. In 2011 he was indicted and sat in jail for 14 days. His mother says it was the low point of his life.
In jail, Newton decided to become a lawyer. When his name was cleared, he went to law school.
Today he starts a new career. Once wronged by the system, Newton now plans to use the system to help others.
Newton said, "Our job is to make sure the system does carry forth its mission to deliver due process."