Investigation
A former church member has alleged that Bent told his congregation that "God told him that he was supposed to sleep with seven virgins," including the member's own daughters, then only 14 and 15 years old. The man, John Sayer, refused but continued to allow his youngest daughter to reside at Strong City, while the oldest chose not to return. Although he left the compound with his wife and daughters after being a church member for sixteen years, Sayer returned with his 14-year-old daughter to the cult compound a second time. According to Sayer, she was one of three minors taken into state custody for their own protection in April 2008. A New Mexico state Children, Youth and Families Department spokeswoman said that three minor teens were taken from the compound in the days after an April 22, 2008, investigation. The state judge hearing the case has issued a gag order, and state officials have provided no further details of the investigation.
Two weeks after the children were removed and the gag order was in place, Bent was arrested by the New Mexico State Police. The charges were three counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The ages and genders of the children in state custody were made public: a 16-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl. He was held on $500,000 bond with an arraignment scheduled for May 8, 2008. Following his arraignment, the judge reduced the bail to $55,000; as of May 9, he remained incarcerated.
The initial charges refer to Bent having inappropriately touched three minor girls in 2006 and 2007. According to the state Department of Public Safety, one of the girls no longer lives in the community.
Bent also freely admits having sexual intercourse multiple times with his son's former wife. They were divorced when this took place. Both he and his son state that "God forced Michael" to commit this act of consummation. Bent asserts that though he lay "naked with virgins" and the virgins asked him for sex, he refused.
A June 17 update from Wayne Bent/Michael Travesser's web site and other news reports state that New Mexico authorities released one of the young women previously taken from the compound from state custody.
Both the prosecution and the defense excused one judge in the case. Union County Judge Gerald E. Baca was appointed the case on July 2, 2008. The jury trial started November 17, 2008.
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