Morningside president due in court
The president of Morningside Recovery is scheduled to be arraigned in court Friday on charges that he battered his wife in their home.
Raymond Jeffrey Yates, 44, of Newport Beach was arrested and charged last week with felony domestic battery related to a Dec. 4 dispute he had with his wife in the middle of the night.
At their Dover Shores house in the 1900 block of Commodore Road, police said the couple’s verbal altercation turned physical. Yates was arrested about 1 a.m.
Authorities said alcohol was involved, but would not say who had been drinking.
The Orange County Register first reported the altercation Tuesday.
Yates owns Morningside Recovery, a Newport Beach-based addiction recovery organization with facilities also in Costa Mesa. Yates is in a legal battle with Newport Beach, which is trying to force Morningside out of the city after Morningside’s facilities repeatedly violated city zoning codes related to noise and operating hours.
Morningside and city officials will be in court Wednesday to discuss the issue. Morningside CEO and counsel Mary Helen Beatificato said Yates’ arrest shouldn’t have an effect on the hearing or with his professional role.
“As acting CEO since Sept. 1, I don’t see what personal issues Jeff may or may not have, how that would affect Morningside,” Beatificato said. “It’s just an issue [Morningside critics] are using to muddy the waters … just because something’s alleged doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Yates does not handle day-to-day operations of Morningside or interact with residents, Beatificato added.
Yates is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Friday in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.
Twitter: @JosephSerna