Second arrest, same charge for Minister Steve

The Rev. Steve Brigham, who oversees the Tent City homeless camp in Lakewood, was arrested again Tuesday on a second set of charges related to an attempt to evict another resident.

According to The Asbury Park Press,

Just hours after the Rev. Steven Brigham was released from Ocean County Jail in Toms River for evicting a 50-year-old woman from the camp, he was back in the jail on similar charges related to an incident at the camp Monday involving the eviction of a 39-year-old man, police Detective Capt. Paul Daly said Wednesday.

Brigham, 52, was arrested at the encampment off Cedar Bridge Avenue at South Clover Street at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when police arrived with a warrant on charges of witness tampering and vandalism related to the eviction of the man a day earlier.

Brigham said Wednesday that he evicted the man because he was using drugs and being disruptive in the camp.

“He is a heroin addict who had been stealing in the camp,” Brigham said. “We asked him to leave, but he wouldn’t leave, so we took down his tent. He told police that I was intimidating him and that I was telling him that if he said something to the police, I would do something to him, which is totally false, totally trumped-up charges.”

The man who made the accusations was back in the camp today and told our fimmmaker Jack Ballo that accusations about drug use and theft were false and that he stood by the report he filed with police.

We'll keep you posted.

The Tent City Project is an artistic look at human rights issues facing residents of a homeless camp in Lakewood, NJ and its connection to the growing number of tent cities across the country. See our Facebook page for more information -- and don't forget to "Like" us.