Religion Roundup
Leader of Apocalyptic Sect Makes Court Appearance
Associated Press
May 9, 2008
CLAYTON, N.M. - A New Mexico judge has refused to let a self-described Messiah accused of sex crimes against minors be released on his own recognizance.
But Union County Magistrate Ilene Taylor cut Wayne Bent's bond from $500,000 to $55,000.
Bent said he did not have any money to pay for an attorney, so he was assigned a public defender.
Bent 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. Bent's apocalyptic sect lives on a former ranch in a remote area near the New Mexico-Colorado state line.
Bent's son told reporters that his father is innocent of the charges and is being "crucified" like Jesus. Jeff Bent adds that his father is fasting while he's in jail.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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