Editing Lord Our Righteousness Church (section)

===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, although further investigation found this allegation to be untrue. The two minor children, the state's only witnesses to the facts at trial, both testified in the primary trial, in subsequent court proceedings and by [[affidavit]], that Bent never touched them sexually in any way, and asserted that the charges against him were baseless. The father, John Sayer, 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 compound a second time. According to Sayer, she was one of three minors taken into state custody for their own protection in April 2008.<REF NAME="NYT0504"/> A New Mexico state Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)  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.<REF NAME="NYT0504">[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/us/04church.html Accusations Against Sect in New Mexico], May 4, 2008. [[Associated Press]] report via the [[New York Times]].  Accessed May 6, 2008.</ref>

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 sex of the children in state custody were made public: a 16-year-old boy (no charges of abuse were filed in  connection with the boy), a 16-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4796801&page=1 Sex Charges for Leader of Doomsday Sect] [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]].  Accessed May 6, 2008.</ref> 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.<REF NAME="WP0506"/>

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.<REF NAME="WP0506">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/06/AR2008050601425.html Church leader arrested on sex charges in northeast N.M.]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} May 6, 2008, [[Associated Press]] report in the [[Washington Post]]. Accessed May 7, 2008.</ref>

Bent also freely admits having sexual intercourse multiple times with his son's wife.  Both he and his son state that "God forced Michael" to commit this act of consummation.<ref name="documentary"/> Bent asserts that though he lay "naked with virgins" and the virgins asked him for sex, he refused.<REF NAME="WP0506"/>

A June 17 update from Bent's website and other news reports state that New Mexico authorities released one of the young women previously taken from the compound from state custody.<ref>[http://a.abcnews.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=5188549 Teen From NM Sect Released From State Custody.] [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] Accessed June 17, 2008.</ref>

Both the prosecution and the defense excused one judge in the case. [[Union County, New Mexico|Union County]] Judge Gerald E. Baca was appointed the case on July 2, 2008.<ref name=NMCourts>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nmcourts.gov/caselookup/app?component=cnLink&page=SearchResults&service=direct&session=T&sp=SD-818-CR-200800025 |title=Case Detail for State vs. Wayne Bent |access-date=2008-10-13 |year=2008 |work=NMCourts.gov }}</ref>  The jury trial started November 17, 2008.<ref name=NMCourts/>