On June 30, 2008, it was reported that two people were arrested on a case that prosecutors allege to be connected to Satan worship as he told a take of dog cages, beatings and rape. Yesterday a third person was arrested in connection with that case.
The prosecution claims that the couple met another man and woman through a shared interest in Satan worship and from there they describe crimes involving being shackled to beds, dog cages, starving the couple, beatings with a cane and a cord and raping the woman.
Craig's bond was set at $590,000 and Johnson's at $270,000 in a court in Durham, North Carolina.
Both operated a business with a website, which has since been disabled although it is said that the problems are technical and not stemming from the allegations against Craig and Johnson.
It was reported also that Jonson was involved in a number of organizations, a couple of which she resigned from after the charges were brought against her.
One of those groups was the Durham County Democratic Party to which she held the position of the third vice chair.
That is where yesterday's arrest comes in.
Diane Palmer surrendered to police on Wednesday and was charged with accessory after the fact of assault with a deadly weapon, and was subsequently released after posting a $30,000 bond
Palmer's attorney William Thomas, says that his client "vehemently denies" any association with satanism or cult activities.
Where Johnson was the third vice chair of the Durham County Democratic Party in North Carolina, Palmer is the first vice chair of the same organization.
She is defended in the media by the Durham County Democratic Party chairman, Kevin Farmer, who says, "Diana is extraordinarily trusting and caring. I don't think she would ever knowingly do anything wrong."
When Johnson resigned her position as third chair, she also resigned her position as vice-chair for the Young Democrats, which is another organization.
Johnson's resignation was announced by the state Senator Floyd McKissick, who described Johnson as, "very open, reasonable, responsible person", then further added that everyone who knew her was shocked at the allegations.
McKissick speaks of this latest arrest as well saying the arrest of Johnson and Palmer are "an isolated incident" and that he doesn't expect any other Democratic Party activists to be implicated in this case.
In looking for more information about this case, I ran across an article from ABC News that described the original allegations against Johnson a little more clearly, saying her charges stem from her "instigating and encouraging" her husband as he allegedly forced the handcuffed male into a cage.
That article also describes a little more about what Palmer is accused of doing, after the fact:
A Durham police spokeswoman said Palmer attempted to take objects from the house where the alleged crimes took place but would not elaborate.
The charges leveled at Craig are, three counts of second-degree kidnapping, one count of second-degree rape, one count of second degree forcible sex offense and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
The charges against Johnson are several counts of felony aiding and abetting.
The case has been laid out, the arrests made and charges filed, but in researching the accusers allegations, there seems to be some things that would lead to skepticism about their claims.
Due to the serious nature of the charges as well as the fact that two Durham County Democratic Party officials are involved, it bears noting some inconsistencies being reported.
The unnamed accusers originally stated that they met Johnson and Craig because of their "shared interest" in Satan worship.
The accusers also admit that they met Craig and Johnson online and went to their home voluntarily, but that they had not consented to the abuse.
One specific line stands out from the ABC News article, page two, which says "Both alleged victims listed Craig and Johnson's address as their own."
In another report from the Charlotte Observer, we see that the allegations stem not from just one incident but, according to court documents that were filed, occurred in December 2007 and in January and May.
The shared addresses indicate that this group of at least four lived together, the dates listed indicate that it was an ongoing association and/or relationship with sexual overtones.
With these specifics brought into the equation, is it not possible that this was a Dominant/submissive- BDSM type relationship, gone very bad, and not related to Satan worship at all?
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