When Thomas Dodd Newton put a knife to his throat Monday, he was not trying to attract attention from local media or attempting to harm anyone. Instead, the communications sophomore’s actions were the result of a medical illness, according to his roommate Kyle Daly, communications junior.

“Rumors have circulated that Dodd was attempting to get back at the Loyola Communications Department and gain media attention,” Daly said. “This is not only insensitive but ridiculous. Dodd has a medical illness that neither he nor anyone else was aware of until now.”

Daly said that Newton is currently being treated, and that Newton’s family and friends are confident that he will recover.

“Dodd is one of my favorite people in the world, and I admire him greatly,” Daly said. “He is exceptionally bright and motivated and is a loyal and generous friend to many people at this school.”

The incident began at 8:45 a.m. when Newton closed the classroom door and put a knife to his throat 15 minutes into his Production Theory and Practice class. New Orleans Police Department arrested Newton at 9:31 a.m., escorting him out of the classroom on the fourth floor of the Communications/Music Complex.

He was booked with 18 counts of false imprisonment, police said. A search of his residence revealed a 12-gauge shotgun, a .223-caliber rifle and a .22-caliber rifle. Newton was taken to the psychiatric ward at NOPD’s Central Lockup. Newton is being treated at an Uptown mental health facility.

Daly said the firearms are legally registered, and Newton voluntarily told the police to remove the weapons. Daly said Newton used the guns for hunting.

“Dodd grew up in a family that owned hunting weapons,” Daly said. “The fact that Dodd owned hunting weapons is an entirely separate issue from what transpired Monday morning.”

According to Mary Jackson, communications senior, the class was taking a chapter quiz when Newton closed the door and put a 4- or 5-inch knife to his throat. Jackson said Newton asked for someone to take out a cell phone and call the FBI. Newton claimed someone was after him and that he was in a jam he couldn’t get out of, Jackson said. Newton even said that some people in the classroom might even be after him.

“There was stunned silence,” Jackson said. “I was afraid. I didn’t really know if he was going to harm us. I feared he might kill himself in front of us. There was a lot of praying. It’s a surreal experience. I hope he’s safe, but I’m concerned about other students doing it. I’m still a little shocked.”

Harold Kontz, communications sophomore, said that he considered the possibility of Newton doing something even more drastic.

“For a moment, I really thought he was going to kill himself,” Kontz said. “It was unexpected, and he didn’t seem like that kind of guy before.”

Newton began to apologize for bringing his classmates into his situation, said Anna Mellis, communications sophomore.

“He had a serious panic about him. It was quite a shock after Halloween,” Mellis said. “I wasn’t even going to come to class today because it’s the day after Halloween, but we had a quiz.”

After David Weber, instructor of communications, called University Police, Newton called his friend Maria and his stepfather to inform them he had a knife to his throat. Then, Newton received a phone call, which he told the class was Stacy Cox with the FBI. When Weber asked Newton for the knife, Newton said he was not going to harm anyone but felt safer with the knife.

Daly said that he is certain that Newton would never inflict harm on anyone.

“Dodd believed he was in a dire situation and used the class as a last resort to protect himself from what he perceived to be a real threat,” Daly said.

Jackson said at some point four people from the back of the classroom were able to leave. Then, Newton stood on a desk with the knife to his throat and said no one else was leaving.

Kim Pierre, communications sophomore, said she was the closest to Newton during the incident.

“A survivor’s first instinct is to get up and run,” Pierre said. “But what if he stabs me in the back? He was only two feet away. I didn’t know if he was joking. I was scared. He said people were following him.”

UP told Newton that he was holding the class members against their will. Newton agreed to let the students leave the classroom if they went into the studio where they could watch his actions. Jackson said that she and other students left the area at that time.

According to Christopher Flynn, director of Counseling and Career Services, counselors came to talk to Newton after the students left the room.

Flynn said resources available for students include the University Ministry, Academic Resource Center, the Jesuits and Counseling and Career Service. “We’ll [conseling services] probably hold workshops to help recognize when someone’sin distress,” Flynn said.

Flynn also advised students to recognize someone is in distress by looking for changes in appearance, eating habits and withdrawal from others and getting past the discomfort in approaching a friend in distress.

In an e-mail sent out to the student body, the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president, said he had asked University Ministry and Counseling Services to have a prayer and discussion session about the incident next week. Wildes also expressed concern for Newton.

“I am grateful that Dodd will receive psychiatric care for his concerns and my prayers go out to him, his family, and friends as we hope for a speedy recovery,” he wrote.

Vice President of Student Affairs James Eiseman reiterated Wildes’ comments.

Weber and Duane Prefume, communications instructor, co-teach the class. They said that they were told not to comment.

Communications sophomore Paola Medina said Newton was taking the class for a second time, after failing the first time. Jackson and Pierre said he often challenged the professors.

“I never thought he would do something like that,” Medina said. “I thought to myself, ‘Is this happening?’ At first I thought he was joking. I was freaked out.”

Robert Thomas, director of the Center for Evironmental Communications, said he talked to Newton regularly before the incident and never suspected the student was troubled.

Gene Guillot can be reached at [email protected].