LITTLE ROCK — A man with ties to the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries has been released from jail while he awaits trial on a child-abuse charge in a 1988 beating at the ministry's compound in Saugus, Calif., a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said Tuesday.
Douglas Christopher, 55, had been jailed in lieu of $100,000 bond since his arrest Jan. 20 inthe beating of 11-year-old Jeremiah Justin Miller.
After the beating, the boys' family sued the ministry in U.S. District Court in Fort Smith, citing the beating, unfair labor practices and other grievances, and was awarded more than $1.4 million.
Christopher's attorney, Dmitry Gorin of Van Nuys, Calif., asked at a hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Courton Monday for his client to be released on his own recognizance. Judge Robert Schuit granted the request over the objections of prosecutors, who argued that Christopher could flee, district attorney's office spokesman Jane Robison said.
Gorin has asked for the charges against his client to be dismissed. A hearing on the request is set for May 20.
Arkansas, Pages 16 on 05/14/2009