A veterinarian who has treated Plymouth-area pets since 1974 is now behind bars without bail after a state trooper noticed him driving unusually slowly through the Plymouth County Courthouse parking lot and found him with roughly 400 Xanax and gabapentin pills and a crack pipe in his car. Arthur Richard Newman, 77, was already facing an indecent assault and battery charge from a former employee when the new arrest happened, and a judge has now revoked his bail on both pending cases.
According to the Plymouth Independent, Massachusetts State Trooper Kas-Wayne Samuels spotted Newman driving a 2016 Honda Odyssey slowly through the courthouse lot before stopping him. The trooper's report indicates Newman was found smoking crack cocaine from a glass pipe and was carrying approximately 400 Xanax and gabapentin pills, according to the report. Newman told the trooper he was a veterinarian licensed to possess drugs, per the trooper, but his license to dispense drugs had expired in 2025. He was charged with drug offenses and driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
Under state licensing rules, veterinarians must hold an active Massachusetts Controlled Substance Registration for each location where they administer or store controlled substances, according to Mass.gov. Those registrations were synchronized in March 2023 to renew annually alongside veterinary licenses for a $150 fee, per the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association — the exact cycle that appears to explain why Newman's dispensing permit had lapsed by the time troopers searched his car.
An Escalating Legal Timeline
Newman's criminal case dates back to November 2024, when a former employee reported to police that he had been groping, kissing and forcing her to touch him sexually since the summer of 2023, per the same account. He was formally charged with indecent assault and battery and criminal harassment that December, and a court ordered him not to contact the former employee in any way.
The case took another turn in February, when the former employee reported receiving an email she believed was from Newman that linked to a fake porn site and an inappropriate picture. Newman was arrested for violating the harassment prevention order and charged with illegal drug possession after Plymouth Patrol Officer Callahan Gibbs discovered pills at his home for which he lacked prescriptions. Newman admitted to sending the email but said he intended it only for his lawyer, according to Officer Gibbs. He was admitted to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth that same month.
Newman has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was scheduled for an examination in July to determine his competency to stand trial in the indecency case, and authorities have held hearings to assess whether he is mentally competent to proceed. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 123, Section 15(a), a judge may order a court clinician, psychologist or psychiatrist to evaluate a defendant's competency whenever doubt exists about their ability to understand the proceedings or assist their own attorney, per the Law Office of Kevin R. Collins. If an initial evaluation is inconclusive, Section 15(b) permits a court to commit a defendant to a psychiatric facility for up to 20 days of further observation, according to research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
Arrested Steps From a High-Profile Murder Trial
Newman's courthouse-lot arrest happened amid heightened security surrounding the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, which began in late July at Plymouth County Superior Court and reached jury deliberations on August 27, drawing intense public attention to the same building's parking area, according to the Associated Press. Plymouth District Court Judge Shelby Smith revoked Newman's bail on both of his pending criminal cases following the new charges. Massachusetts law allows a judge to detain a defendant without bail for up to 90 days if probable cause exists that they committed a new crime while released on other pending charges, per Urbelis Law. Newman is currently being held without bail at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility and is due back in court on September 17.
A Beloved Vet's Practice Now Shuttered
For decades, Newman built a reputation as an affordable, well-liked presence in the Plymouth veterinary community. He operated a pop-up practice called Vet Pet Pals Inc., which historically ran weekly low-cost vaccine and exam sessions on Wednesdays out of the Little Red Schoolhouse at 1144 Long Pond Road in Cedarville, according to community posts on Facebook. That business is now listed as closed, though Newman still holds an active veterinarian license. One of his clients told the Plymouth Independent simply that he's the best.
Newman's own words have taken on an unusual tenor amid the proceedings. He has said that they don't just tell a story, they engineer a narrative, and separately remarked that the truth won't actually set you free, according to the Plymouth Independent's reporting.
What Comes Next for His License
Beyond the criminal courts, Newman's active veterinary license could face separate administrative scrutiny. The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine enforces a code of professional conduct under 256 CMR 7.00 that prohibits verbal abuse, fraud or conduct reflecting unfavorably on the profession, according to Mass.gov. Whether the state's Division of Occupational Licensure will move against Newman's license in light of his expired drug registration and pending felony charges remains an open question. Separately, Massachusetts law shields veterinarians providing emergency animal treatment from civil liability except in cases of gross negligence, while also requiring them to report suspected animal abuse under Chapter 112, Sections 58A and 58B.
