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Thursday, May 08, 2008
Self-Described Messiah Makes First Court Appearance
By Deborah Baker
Associated Press
CLAYTON — A judge today rejected a request by a self-described Messiah accused of sex crimes against minors to be released on his own recognizance.
But Union County Magistrate Ilene Taylor cut Wayne Bent's bond from $500,000 to $50,000.
Bent, 66, said he did not have any money to pay for an attorney, so was assigned a public defender, Sarah Montoya, who tried to enter a plea of not guilty.
Taylor said Bent's first appearance in court was not the appropriate hearing to enter a plea. The purpose of the appearance was to read Bent his rights and the charges against him.
A preliminary hearing would be held for Bent within 10 days, unless he posts bond, in which case the hearing would be within 60 days.
Bent, the leader of an apocalyptic sect in a remote area near the New Mexico-Colorado line, is charged with three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to an affidavit for the arrest warrant, Bent — who calls himself Michael Travesser — touched three underage female followers, one of whom was 12, when they lay naked with him.
District Attorney Donald Gallegos said he will convene a grand jury in Clayton to hear the allegations against Bent. If the grand jury returns indictments, the charges would be filed in state District Court. A grand jury would have to meet by May 22, Gallegos said.
After the court appearance, Bent was returned to the city-county jail, where he has turned down food and water since he his arrest Tuesday.
Bent's son, Jeff Bent, said his father drank some orange juice after his court appearance. Jeff Bent also said he did not think his father intended to eat or drink once he was back in jail.
"This case is basically a witchhunt ... the state is determined to bury this man. He's a good man," Jeff Bent said.
Gallegos objected to reducing Wayne Bent's bond, saying he had information that Bent posses "at least substantial material goods if nothing else."
Bent said: "My great wealth consists of a small pension and some Social Security. I have no funds to hire an attorney."
Montoya asked the judge to release Bent without bond to return to his compound, called Strong City.
"The flight risk is nil ... we do not believe he poses any threat to any person," she said.
Bent's followers "live there in peace. They're very kind and gentle people. They do not break the law," Montoya said.
About 10 followers attended the hearing. Bent, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit and a sweat shirt, was allowed to meet with them in the courtroom after the approximately half-hour hearing.
Clayton Police Chief Scott Julian said Bent is refusing to eat or drink and is "extremely thin."
"His statement was, 'You need to take the food and juice out of my cell. I don't want it,'" Julian said.
"Right now I don't feel there is a medical emergency. He is not complaining of any sickness," Julian said. "We don't feel he is in need of any medical attention, but we're watching him really closely."
Bent was keeping to himself and not talking to the handful of other inmates in the jail, Julian said.
The charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred in 2006 and 2007. Bent is the leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, which has occupied the former ranch since 2000.
In a posting Wednesday night on the sect's Web site, a follower identified as Danielle proclaimed Bent's innocence.
"He is not guilty of any of the charges," the posting said. "He is innocent and free, and soon the whole world will see the truth with their very own eyes. They will not be able to keep him in a jail cell, for the power of God is coming quickly to bring justice to this unjust nation."
Bent has acknowledged having sex with followers and lying naked with virgins, but he denies any children or adults were molested at the community. He has said the virgins asked for sex and he refused.
According to the affidavit, one of the girls, now 17, said in an interview that Bent "touched and kissed her breasts" as they "lay naked" in early 2006.
Jeff Bent, 44, said his father told him that the allegation that he touched the breasts of one of his followers is "completely false."
The charges grew out of a state investigation. The Children, Youth and Families Department removed three teenagers — two of the girls named in the affidavit and a boy — from Strong City in late April. Authorities interviewed them, along with another teenage girl who had left the site earlier.
Bent — whose adopted name Travesser is the name of a creek in the area — is a former Seventh-day Adventist minister who separated from that church in 1987 and formed The Lord Our Righteousness movement. He announced in 2000 that he is the Messiah.
Copyright ©2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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