A rehab center in the hills of rural Cannon County has been shut down after a 911 call led investigators to a locked facility.
Inside, they found scientologist literature, but more important, investigators said the staff wasn't qualified to care for its patients.
The facility was called Life Center for a New Tomorrow. Deputies said they arrived to investigate a 911 hang up there back in February.
Inside, deputies said they found someone who said he was being mistreated, falsely imprisoned and treated through scientology.
“The workers there, the manager and other staff were scientologists, there was a great deal of scientology paraphernalia found throughout the facilities,” said Trevor Lynch, Assistant District Attorney.
Lynch said deputies found two patients there, one of whom had a mental illness, the other was being treated for substance abuse.
“This facility was not capable for caring for the individuals it was taking in,” Lynch said.
Three people were eventually arrested. Dennis Flamond and Hans Lytle were charged with false imprisonment, and another man, Marc Vallieres was charged with facilitation of kidnapping.
All of them pleaded either guilty or a plea that’s similar to no contest, and entered judicial diversion, meaning the charges could be expunged if the three stay out of trouble.
The three agreed to shut down the facility they were running.
NewsChannel 5 tried contacting the attorney representing the people arrested, but our phone calls were not returned.
This was not the first time that Life Center for a New Tomorrow has faced scrutiny. In 2014, the state cited the facility for not having records of background checks or annual training for employees on file, and having residents at the facility that they weren't licensed for, among other violations.
