Woman Charged In Alleged Child-Sex Cult Beaten Behind Bars

Bernard Faces Aggravated Rape Charge

NBC4/May 31, 2005

A woman who was arrested in Central Ohio two weeks ago in connection with an alleged Louisiana child-sex cult was beaten up by other female inmates in a Louisiana jail, NBC 4 reported.

Prison officials in Louisiana said Nicole Bernard's cellmates were angry about her own alleged involvement in the cult in which several children were allegedly raped.

Bernard was transferred from Columbus to Louisiana last week, NBC 4 reported.

She made her first court appearance Tuesday in Franklin County after being arrested on May 19 by Reynoldsburg police at a home in Blacklick and charged with aggravated rape. Bernard's husband, a church pastor and a sheriff's deputy were arrested in Louisiana. All are accused of sexually abusing children -- including some related to them, Burton reported. A search warrant indicated that animals also were involved, NBC 4's Nancy Burton reported.

Nine people in all have been arrested, according to WDSU-TV in New Orleans.

Police said the satanic pedophile ring went on for four years. The sex scandal allegedly occurred at the Hosanna Church, located 60 miles north of New Orleans.

A pastor in Louisiana owns the house where Bernard was living in Blacklick.

According to a search warrant, Bernard told police she had evidence to prove that members of the alleged church cult had assaulted her 5-year-old daughter and other children. She also said evidence was in a storage unit on Morse Road.

Bernard said she had tapes and videos that belonged to the church, Burton reported. The FBI and police recovered bedding, photos and videos that may show some of the alleged sex acts with the children and could help law enforcement identify other children, Burton reported.