We've been covering the story of two men who died in a "sweatlodge" ceremony led by self-help guru James Arthur Ray last weekend. Investigators from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office continue to investigate to determine whether criminal negligence played a role in the incident. As you may recall, 64 people were crammed into a small, plastic-covered sweatlodge for two hours. Over twenty of them became ill, and two died. A third person is in a coma at a local hospital.
The makeshift sweatlodge, built specifically for Ray's retreat, did not have any building permits issued prior to construction. Reports from the fire department indicated that this isn't the first time that Ray, or the Angel Valley Retreat Center, have been involved in a sweatlodge mishap. Verde Valley firefighters responded to a 911 call in October 2005 about a person who was unconscious after being in a sweat lodge - in a ceremony led by James Arthur Ray.
Meanwhile, Ray's camp is cautiously saying he's "frustrated and confused," and that he's "hired his own investigators" to see what went wrong. While I certainly wasn't there, I'd hazard a guess that the first piece of fail was to stick 64 people into a plastic sweatlodge. I imagine things just went downhill from there.
What do you think? Should James Arthur Ray face criminal charges in this case?
Update at 8:30 pm: According to CNN, the Sheriff's Department has now elevated this to a homicide investigation. Sheriff Steve Waugh told reporters, "We believe there are indications that it was not accidental, and ... we feel that there should be some culpability on some individuals."
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook!
The makeshift sweatlodge, built specifically for Ray's retreat, did not have any building permits issued prior to construction. Reports from the fire department indicated that this isn't the first time that Ray, or the Angel Valley Retreat Center, have been involved in a sweatlodge mishap. Verde Valley firefighters responded to a 911 call in October 2005 about a person who was unconscious after being in a sweat lodge - in a ceremony led by James Arthur Ray.
Meanwhile, Ray's camp is cautiously saying he's "frustrated and confused," and that he's "hired his own investigators" to see what went wrong. While I certainly wasn't there, I'd hazard a guess that the first piece of fail was to stick 64 people into a plastic sweatlodge. I imagine things just went downhill from there.
What do you think? Should James Arthur Ray face criminal charges in this case?
Update at 8:30 pm: According to CNN, the Sheriff's Department has now elevated this to a homicide investigation. Sheriff Steve Waugh told reporters, "We believe there are indications that it was not accidental, and ... we feel that there should be some culpability on some individuals."
Follow Pagan/Wiccan on Twitter or Join Me On Facebook!
i feel that yes the self-help guru James Arthur Ray should be held responsible as the people who went to him for guidence trusted him to help them and when he asked them to all cram into such a tiny space that was never approved to be built he was not only taking his life but the lives of all those present into a dangerous situation
I don’t think the answer is to charge Ray with any kind of homicide charge BUT absolutely some kind of culpability. I have to say I was vastly surprised at the number of people in the lodge and the fact that the sweat lodge was poorly made (never plastic – doesn’t breathe). It was a wtf moment for me as I was astonished that NOONE had any awareness of safety issues here. I mean really? Really? And I like James Ray.