Why was New Mexico Apocalyptic Church Leader Michael Travesser arrested?”
State police on Tuesday arrested on sex charges the leader of an apocalyptic sect in northeastern New Mexico. Wayne Bent was arrested on three charges of criminal sexual contact, said state police spokesman Peter Olson. There was no immediate information as to whether the alleged victims are minors. “There was no incident, no commotion, no problems,” Olson said. The state Children, Youth and Families Department recently removed three children — two girls and a boy, all under 18 — from the compound on a former ranch in a remote area near the New Mexico-Colorado line. Agency officials have said state police and the district attorney’s office were investigating whether there was inappropriate contact between Bent and minors. Bent, 66, who goes by the name of Michael Travesser, is the leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, which moved to the site in 2000. Bent has acknowledged having sex with followers — including his daughter-in-law — and lying naked with virgins. He said the virgin
Michael Travesser, Strong City Cult Leader, Jailed For Sexual Misconduct With Teens Michael Travesser, the leader of a religious group widely known as the Strong City Cult, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual misconduct with two young girls. Michael Travesser / Wayne Bent Michael Travesser is actually a pseudonym created by a man named Wayne Bent. Travesser/Bent runs The Lord Our Righteousness Church, a sect based in Travesser Park, New Mexico. Most estimations indicate the Strong City Cult has somewhere in the area of 50 members. Michael Travesser/Wayne Bent was convicted of criminal sexual contact with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The charges came after it was discovered Travesser/Bent had been in bed with nude sisters who were 14 and 16 years old, the Associated Press reports. Travesser/Bent insisted the act was “spiritual, not sexual,” saying he never touched the girls inappropriately and that he was “convicted over
Wayne Bent was arrested on three charges of criminal sexual contact, said state police spokesman Peter Olson. There was no immediate information as to whether the alleged victims are minors. “There was no incident, no commotion, no problems,” Olson said. The state Children, Youth and Families Department recently removed three children — two girls and a boy, all under 18 — from the compound on a former ranch in a remote area near the New Mexico-Colorado line. Agency officials have said state police and the district attorney’s office were investigating whether there was inappropriate contact between Bent and minors. Bent, 66, who goes by the name of Michael Travesser, is the leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, which moved to the site in 2000.
