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Ex-director of clinic accused of battery

A St. Petersburg drug rehabilitation center faces a lawsuit filed by a woman who says its chief, who has been fired, fondled her.

By JAMIE THOMPSON
Published December 24, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - An 18-year-old woman has filed a lawsuit against a St. Petersburg drug rehabilitation clinic, accusing its former executive director of sexual battery.

The director, V. Michael McKenzie, was fired last month from Pinellas Bridge, a 100-bed residential drug-treatment program in the Davis-Bradley center in Midtown, nonprofit group officials said.

The woman's allegations, as well as other administrative problems, led to McKenzie's firing, said Lori Constantino-Brown, vice president of Bridges of America. The Orlando group runs the St. Petersburg facility and others across the state.

McKenzie could not be reached for comment.

Constantino-Brown said McKenzie denied the woman's allegations.

"When it's all said and done, this will come down to a "he said, she said,' " she said. "It's really hard to determine who did what."

McKenzie, 58, joined the nonprofit group with sterling credentials: a master's degree from Harvard University and a doctorate in counseling from Syracuse University. He has published two books, Domestic Violence in America and What Every Woman Wants Men to Know.

McKenzie was named executive director of the facility, also known as the St. Petersburg Bridge, less than a year ago, Constantino-Brown said. The group has a contract with the state Department of Corrections, which sentences some offenders to the residential programs rather than prison.

The woman who filed the lawsuit in November, Shannon Steen, had been arrested on a misdemeanor charge in Hillsborough County, said her attorney, Mark J. Aubin. Steen missed a few court appearances and was sent to the St. Petersburg center, Aubin said.

Steen originally was placed with a different counselor, but then McKenzie took over her therapy, Aubin said. From July to October, Steen has said, McKenzie touched, kissed, hugged and fondled her in private counseling sessions. She said he made numerous lewd comments and threatened to kick her out, the lawsuit states. Steen quit the program.

"She hated to leave the place, but it was just absolutely untenable," Aubin said.

Aubin reported the allegations to the St. Petersburg police Dec. 9, a police spokesman said. The police investigation is ongoing, spokesman George Kajtsa said.

In response to the lawsuit, nonprofit group officials said they did what they could.

"We're always going to protect the best interest of the client," Constantino-Brown said. "You try your best to ensure that your employees are doing what they're supposed to do ... sometimes that just doesn't happen."

The nonprofit group is seeking a replacement for McKenzie.

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Jamie Thompson can be reached at 727 893-8455 or jthompson@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 24, 2005, 01:09:13]