Another Democrat chief arrested in satanic torture

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice* | July 3, 2008

Victims allegedly shackled to beds, raped, locked in cages without food
The North Carolina case of an alleged satanic torture involving a Democratic Party official and her husband has now expanded to include a third suspect, an even higher-ranking Democrat.

Diana Palmer, the first vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party, joins her political colleague Joy Johnson, the third vice-chairwoman of the party, and Johnson’s spouse, Joseph Craig, in facing charges.

Palmer, 44, surrendered to police in Durham, N.C., this afternoon and was charged with being an accessory after the fact of assault with a deadly weapon. She’s being held at the Durham County Jail under $95,000 bail.

Additional charges were also filed today against Johnson and Craig.

Craig, 25, is now charged with second-degree rape, second-degree forcible sexual offense, three counts of second-degree kidnapping and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for incidents in January and May. Johnson, 30, is charged with four counts of aiding and abetting, as she’s accused of watching and encouraging her husband commit the alleged abuse of another couple who reportedly shared an interest in Satan worship.
According to broadcast and published reports, that couple was reportedly caged to learn more about satanic practices, but did not consent to physical abuse.

Craig allegedly shackled his victims to beds, kept them in dog cages and starved them inside his home. Police say he beat the man with a cane and a cord, and raped the woman.

Prosecutors today asked for higher bail for Craig and Johnson, but Judge Nancy Gordon refused, leaving Craig’s bond at $500,000 and Johnson’s at $270,000.

Also today, Durham County’s Democratic Party disabled its website, but a cached version of its “Who We Are” page lists both Palmer and Johnson as top officials.

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