Church leader arrested on sex charges in N.M.
SANTA FE, N.M. - The leader of an apocalyptic sect in northeastern New Mexico was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony sex crimes against children.
State police arrested Wayne Bent, 66, on three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, said Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson.
Bent was being held on $500,000 bond at the Union County Detention Center in Clayton and was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.
According to the affidavit for the arrest warrant, Bent is alleged to have touched three girls in 2006 and 2007. All of them were under 18 at the time, and one of them was 12.
Bent, who goes by the name of Michael Travesser and claims to be the Messiah, is the leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, whose members moved in 2000 to a remote, former ranch near the Colorado line.
Bent has acknowledged having sex with followers — including his daughter-in-law — and lying naked with virgins. He said the virgins asked for sex, but he refused.
A posting attributed to Bent on the church’s Web site Monday said:
“Jesus had not committed any crimes, so the authorities had to invent some crimes to crucify him over. It is the same for me also. I have committed no crimes, but many crimes are being imagined and concocted in the minds of men to try and kill me again.”
Bent had predicted the end of the world last Oct. 31.
He admits to having sex with his followers, laying necked with virgins, he compares him self to Jesus and has made failed prophecy’s yet people still fallow this jack ass.
He admitted having sex with his followers including his daughter in law and he admits to and he admits to laying necked with virgins. Now I know this doesn’t prove that hes molesting any one but when some one that does that is accused of molestation, he looks very, very guilty.
