Judge rules on side of religious rights in exorcism case
A mother's attempt to exorcise demons from her 15-year-old son may have been "a course of action the government does not like or does not understand," but it wasn't a crime, a Gwinnett County judge ruled Thursday.
Magistrate Judge Robert Mitchum dismissed charges of false imprisonment and cruelty to children against Sandra Alfred, 46, of Lilburn.
Alfred had called police June 10 to report an "unruly juvenile," according to Lilburn Police Detective Stephen Weed. She was arrested June 12 after an investigation revealed she had periodically used handcuffs to restrain her son. Police said Alfred also deprived her son of food between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. as part of a three-day exorcism process.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said he would review the evidence before deciding whether to seek a grand jury indictment against Alfred. The state Division of Family and Children Services is still investigating the incident. Police did not disclose who currently has custody of the teenager.
Weed testified that Alfred believed her son to be possessed by Satan. The teenager was calling himself "Alfredo," spitting, hissing and flailing his arms wildly. He had to be handcuffed, for his own safety and that of the officers, before he could be transported to Gwinnett Medical Center, Weed said.
The teenager was treated for dehydration and minor bruising to his wrists, Weed said.
Defense attorney Michael Kay said Alfred's actions in handcuffing the boy were no different from what the police do when they encounter an unruly suspect.
The judge said it would be a mistake to discount the possibility that a religious solution existed.
"I have a hard time believing you're going to get anybody to say in Gwinnett County, Georgia, that Satan doesn't exist, that the Bible doesn't exist, that the actual biblical descriptions of possession are not true," Mitchum said. "You're not going to get anybody to say that's all false. So it's going to be really hard to claim that the basic precept behind any of her actions were false, malicious or criminal."
Alfred was released from jail Monday afternoon.
Her roommate, Larry Lee Powell, 50, still has a cruelty to children charge pending against him for allegedly assisting Alfred with the exorcism. He waived his right to a probable cause hearing June 13 when he was released on bond. His case will not necessarily be affected by the dismissal of Alfred's charges, said Porter.
Powell's attorney did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.
