Team 12 Investigates: Westport man accused in child porn investigation also charged with drug possession

A Westport man facing child pornography charges is also being accused of drug possession.
Michael Newman was first arrested on child pornography and obscenity charges, but after police executed another search warrant inside Newman's therapy office on May 19 - he was hit with more charges on Aug. 9.
The second arrest warrant says police found prescription medications and cocaine, a syringe and a marijuana plant.
Police say they located some in a "rear closet of the office in plain view" and "in the file cabinet drawer of Newman's desk." Police discovered two of those medications were prescribed to former and current patients.
A current patient of Newman told News 12 that Newman was his AA counselor, knew him for years and he had a "successful business helping people and kids in the area."
They say they don't know why Newman would keep his client's prescription medications but doesn't believe he would use them.
According to the warrant, a patient told police he was prescribed amphetamine by their doctor and Newman, his AA counselor, advised him it was highly addictive so the patient asked Newman to hold them for safe keeping.
The warrant shows that prescription was from June 18, 2020 and found less than a year later inside Newman's office.
News 12 learned that the Department of Public Health doesn't have any record of licensing Newman as a therapist. A client tells News 12 he heard about Newman through word-of-mouth, as looking him up online doesn't have that many results.
News 12 was able to track down two business names that Newman is associated with on the Secretary of the State's website.
Records obtained by News 12 show the certificate for Personal Recovery Options, Inc. was filed in 1994 and states it was a business to "provide services to those inflicted with or affected by addictive disorders."
That business forfeited back in 2019. News 12 also found another company Newman is president of, which is currently active, called The Education and Prevention Institute of Connecticut or EPIC.
According to the school paper at Staples High School, back in 2011 when the peer advisor program was cut, they reported EPIC was the nonprofit company that agreed to fund the program.
Westport Public Schools says it has no knowledge of the nonprofit.
Newman pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of narcotics.
He's scheduled to be back in court on Dec. 9.