FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office shows James Arthur Ray. Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 on manslaughter charges after three people died following a northern Arizona sweat lodge ceremony he led last year. Ray has been jailed nearly three weeks, and on Tuesday Feb. 23, 2010, his attorneys will try to convince a judge he no longer should be. (AP Photo/Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, File)

FLAGSTAFF (AP) — An Arizona judge has lowered the bond from $5 million to $525,000 for a motivational speaker charged with manslaughter for the deaths of three people, clearing the way for his release as early as Friday.

Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow issued the ruling Thursday, a day after a bond reduction hearing in James Arthur Ray’s case ended. Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter stemming from a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona in October.

Darrow said Ray can post cash or a secured appearance bond, and ordered that he surrender his passport. Ray also cannot organize, supervise or conduct any sweat lodge ceremonies or other activities that might physically harm others.

The order does not restrict Ray from travel in the United States or specifically from conducting self-help seminars he built a business on, but he must first provide a written itinerary to his attorneys and to the court upon request.

One of Ray’s attorneys, Luis Li, said in a statement that he was pleased the bond was reduced and that Ray “looks forward to his day in court.”

Darrow has said a trial date would be set at the next hearing, scheduled in mid-March.

Yavapai County sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said Ray likely would be released Friday, once his passport is surrendered.

The bail is less than the $1.5 million that prosecutors had contended was appropriate to ensure Ray’s appearance in court. A spokeswoman for the prosecutors’ office declined to comment on the bond, citing fair trial rights.

Ray’s attorneys had asked that he be released without bail or that bond set at a minimum. They argued he could not afford even a $1 million bond, isn’t a flight risk or a threat to public safety and has no criminal record.

Hermia Nelson, 45, said she and others have been holding conference calls and prayer circles in support of Ray’s release and was hopeful that he now might speak out about his side of the story and continue his teachings.

“His teachings absolutely need to go on, in whatever form I’m sure it will become clear down the road what that will be,” said Nelson, of New York.

The mother of a woman who died following the sweat lodge ceremony said Ray’s very words are harmful and questioned how a man who publicly bragged about his wealth and his ability to teach others to become wealthy couldn’t afford the $5 million bond.

“I’m shocked that what had been asked for wasn’t within his means based on everything he said he had and who he was,” said Virginia Brown from her home in Westtown, N.Y. “Was he lying then or is he lying now?”

Exactly much money Ray has was the focus of the bond reduction hearing that stretched over two days.

A witness for the prosecution testified that Ray was worth a “conservative” $2.4 million and questioned why some of his money was unaccounted for.

Ray’s attorneys said he had nothing to hide and voluntarily submitted financial documents to authorities. Ray’s financial controller testified that much of his boss’s money has gone to legal fees and creditors, and that his net worth was negative $4.2 million.

Ray’s arrest came four months after he led a sweat lodge ceremony that was supposed to be the highlight of his five-day “Spiritual Warrior” retreat. Instead, three people died — Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. — and 18 others were hospitalized.

Prosecutors allege Ray recklessly crammed more than 50 people inside the 415-square-foot sweat lodge, a small heated enclosure used in traditional American Indian ceremonies to cleanse the body.

Many participants have said Ray chided them for wanting to leave, even as people were vomiting, getting burned by hot rocks and lying unconscious on the ground.

Ray’s attorneys have called the deaths a tragic accident and said he took all the necessary precautions and immediately tended to the ill.

Filmmaker Michael Moore at a screening of his 2009 film "Capitalism: A Love Story." Moore will be in attendance at this year's Sedona film festival

PHOENIX (AP) — For Richard Schiff, who appears in “Another Harvest Moon,” the good thing about promoting films at festivals is the sense of discovery.

“What’s the difference in buying a gold ring and going into the river and (panning for) a big hunk of gold,” said Schiff, best known as Toby on TV’s “The West Wing.” ”The river experience is going to be more rewarding. … Small film festivals are like that, because there’s gold there and you feel like you’re the only one who’s discovered it.”

“Another Harvest Moon” is featured at the Sedona International Film Festival, which opens Sunday. Schiff will be in Sedona to promote the film — and search for gold of the film variety.

“I love the festivals, especially the smaller ones,” Schiff said. “It’s like going to a theater festival. It’s like going to Edinburgh, where people just love doing theater and are showing their wares. … I get something out of it. No one does anything completely out of generosity and altruism. I get to see other films, and see what’s going on in the independent-film world. Who knows, I might meet someone I want to work with.”

Perhaps he’ll run into Michael Moore, who will be at Sedona to promote “Capitalism: A Love Story.”

“For us, he’s the biggest filmmaker we’ve ever had here,” said Pat Schweiss, executive director of the festival. “Certainly, we’re very proud of it. He’s partly controversial, of course. But he’s also the most influential indie filmmaker of this generation, maybe ever. For what our mission is — independent film — he is the poster child of what we stand for. In our opinion, we couldn’t have scored bigger than Michael Moore.”

Moore, as Schweiss suggests, is something of a change of pace for the festival.

“We are different,” Schweiss said. “There’s some cutting-edge things that don’t work well for our festival that work really well at a TriBeCa, a Toronto, a Sundance. Sedona is a retiree area. What we look for might be totally different. What we look for are films that will move you to something.”

That doesn’t mean a series of documentaries on old-folks’ homes.

“It’s definitely not films about retirees,” Schweiss said, laughing. “It can be a very tricky line.”

For instance, this year’s lineup includes “Winnebago Man,” a documentary about a Winnebago salesman whose outtakes from ads in the 1970s have become a YouTube sensation — and who became a recluse.

“While it’s not at all what our demographic would normally watch, it’s about someone who is their age who is famous in circles five and six and seven decades younger than them,” Schweiss said. “We do try to mix it up. Every four-letter word in the book is said every other minute.”

Something a little offbeat for the festival, in other words, which is how Schweiss likes it.

“We don’t want to deliver what mainstream Hollywood is delivering,” he said. “We do try to be very cognizant of our audience. But we try to bring in many other genres.”

As is the case every year, it’s not just the films that attract a crowd. The red rocks and other scenic attractions play into it as well.

“I’d like to say people are coming here just because ours is the best festival in the whole wide world,” Schweiss said. “I’m not stupid enough to think that that’s true.”

FILE-- This undated photo provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office shows unidentified people outside a sweat lodge where three people died after an Oct. 8, 2009 ceremony near Sedona, Ariz. The ceremony was led by author and motivational speaker James Arthur Ray, who sheriff's officials say is the focus of a homicide investigation. (AP Photo/Yavapai County Sheriff's Office)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The deaths of three people following a sweat lodge ceremony in northern Arizona were a tragic accident — not the result of criminal negligence, said attorneys for the self-help guru who led the ceremony.

Lawyers for James Arthur Ray outlined their defense in letters to prosecutors that were released on Wednesday. The attorneys said holding a sweat lodge ceremony is not inherently criminal or unsafe, and that Ray had no reason to believe anyone would be seriously injured or die.

“Mr. Ray did not force anyone to participate, prevent anyone from leaving or brainwash participants before the sweat lodge event,” stated a Dec. 1 letter signed by Ray attorney Luis Li.

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk confirmed she received the letters but declined comment. Attorneys representing one woman who died and another who survived said the letters are well written but lack substance, and try to place the blame on others.

“He (Ray) put people in an enclosed area without water, without ventilation and put them in harm’s way,” said Lou Diesel, who represents one of the deceased. “There’s nothing they provided to suggest otherwise.”

Ray has become a self-help superstar by persuading people that his words will lead them to spiritual and financial wealth. He uses free seminars to recruit people to expensive seminars like the $9,000-plus “Spiritual Warrior” event aimed at conquering a person’s old self and being reborn as a new person.

The sweat lodge is the culminating event that symbolizes being in a mother’s womb. Nearly halfway through the two-hour ceremony, people began to show signs of weakness and three died. Eighteen others were hospitalized with illnesses ranging from dehydration to kidney failure.

Lawsuits filed after the deaths accuse Ray of negligence and fraud, among other things.

Authorities haven’t said what charges they might be seeking against Ray in a homicide investigation that threatens to topple his multimillion-dollar empire. But in late October, one detective told a witness that “we are going to be fortunate to get either reckless or negligent,” according to documents released Tuesday.

Authorities expect to turn over their investigation to prosecutors in the coming weeks.

Many of the more than 50 people who attended the five-day “Spiritual Warrior” retreat near Sedona first experienced a sweat lodge under Ray’s lead. Each signed a waiver acknowledging the ceremony would include tight, enclosed spaces and intense temperatures, and that serious injury and death were among the risks.

Ray encouraged them to stay inside for eight 10-15 minute rounds as a way to break through whatever was holding them back in life. Though no one was physically kept from leaving, Diesel said they were psychologically restrained by Ray’s teachings, and days of fasting, sleep deprivation and mind-altering breathing exercises.

At least one person didn’t participate in the sweat lodge and told investigators it did not appear safe. Others stayed in the entire time and reported no problems, while some went in and out as they were overcome by the heat.

Ray advised them against leaving during rounds as a safety precaution in the pitch-black lodge that had hot rocks in the center, his attorneys said.

Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., died.

Ray’s attorneys said participants could have left at any time, though some participants recalled Ray chiding others for doing that.

“It was not unreasonable and certainly not criminally negligent to expect people to know their limits and take care of themselves,” the attorneys wrote.

Only once, in 2005, did someone in one of Ray’s sweat lodges require medical care, and since then Ray has improved safety by limiting the number of rounds, holding the ceremony in daylight, setting up a recovery station and training staff in CPR, the attorneys said.

They are asking Arizona authorities to also consider whether environmental factors contributed to the deaths. Ray contracted with the owners of the Angel Valley Retreat Center to have the sweat lodge built, and his attorneys said it was up to the owners to ensure the sweat lodge was safe.

Amayra Hamilton, one of the owners, told The Associated Press in late October that the staff had minimal contact with Ray and that the lodge was sturdy, strong and had been used for ceremonies with other groups without any problems.

“The whole thing is, what do you do in that lodge?” she said.

This undated photo provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office shows unidentified people outside a sweat lodge where three people died after an Oct. 8, 2009 ceremony near Sedona

FLAGSTAFF (AP) — Authorities had hoped to turn over their investigation of the fatal sweat lodge ceremony in northern Arizona to prosecutors last month, but continue to ponder what, if any, charges the self-help guru who led dozens into the makeshift structure might face.

The Yavapai County sheriff’s office said investigators determined quickly after the Oct. 8 sauna-like ceremony that the deaths of three people weren’t accidental, and focused a homicide investigation on California self-help guru James Arthur Ray.

Authorities have been tightlipped, though, about whether any charges are forthcoming. They’ve declined to comment outside of news conferences and fought the release of documents in late December that showed a pattern of medical problems at Ray-led events that Ray largely ignored.

Any charges could bolster lawsuits filed against Ray after the deaths that accuse him of negligence and fraud, among other things.

The sweat lodge ceremony has been the culmination of Ray’s “Spiritual Warrior” retreats for years. About halfway through the two-hour ceremony, authorities said, some participants began to show signs of weakness, vomiting and collapsing inside the 415 square-foot makeshift structure, but the 911 call wasn’t made until about an hour later.

Ray’s representatives say he and the staff on site took all necessary safety precautions and acted immediately when participants became seriously ill, administering CPR, dousing people in water, aiding paramedics and providing drinking water.

Ray has hired his own investigative team to determine what went wrong.

“These precautions had been more than sufficient to care for sweat lodge participants in the past and exceed the care available in traditional lodges,” said a statement issued by Ray’s Carlsbad, Calif.-based company, James Ray International. “No one had any reason to think that more was required.”

Authorities are looking into the construction of the sweat lodge, the time it took for Ray and his staff to summon emergency medical care and Ray’s past events in which others were injured.

Kristina Bivins, who was among the sweat lodge participants, said many people have built a life around Ray’s teachings and would “absolutely” continue in his steps regardless of the outcome of the investigation. “If he holds an event at a community center or in a tent, we’ll be there,” said the 42-year-old San Francisco resident. “We just want to learn from James.”

Melinda Martin, the former event coordinator for James Ray International who lost her job after the “Spiritual Warrior” event, said participants had every reason to trust Ray but now should think twice. “If you can get with somebody who is thorough enough and their ego isn’t so big that they can’t have medical support standing by, that’s a big thing to look at,” she said.

Two people — Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee — died shortly after the sweat lodge ceremony at a hospital. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and died a week later. The families of all three have been sent victims’ rights letters, an indication of possible criminal charges. Eighteen others were hospitalized.

“We’re just looking forward to coming to a conclusion both civilly and criminally,” said Lou Diesel, an attorney for Neuman’s family. “We want to get to the bottom of why these people were killed.”

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

Neuman and twenty others were transported to local hospitals on October 8th, after falling ill during a sweat lodge ceremony.

None of the other retreat participants remain hospitalized.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the deaths and has recently elevated their investigation from an accidental death inquiry to a homicide investigation.

Winslow 59
Sedona 15 (Final)

Coconino 34
Sinagua 8 (Final)

Flagstaff 6
Mingus 53 (Final)

Tuba City 0
Ganado 32 (Final)

Monument Valley  47
Window Rock  28 (Final)

Rough Rock 6
Williams 67 (Final)

"Sweatbox" structure (AP/YCSO Photo)

SEDONA (NAZ Today)– The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office is increasing the number of people working on the Angel Valley Resort sweat lodge investigation.  Yavapai County Sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn says that the additional investigators are being assigned from the county’s Criminal Investigations Section.

Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh requested, and was granted, an order to seal the search warrant and other documents relating to the case.  “In order to prevent jeopardizing investigative work resulting from the release of search warrant documents, the Yavapai County Superior Court has granted a request from the County Attorney’s Office to seal the search warrant and any associated documents,” said D’Evelyn.

Three patients are still at Flagstaff Medical Center, and as of 10 AM this morning, one was listed in critical condition, one in fair condition, and one in good condition.  38-year-old Kirby Brown of Westtown, N.Y., and 40-year-old James Shore of Milwaukee died Thursday evening and 19 other people were injured when they were overcome Thursday evening at the sweat lodge.

Investigators look over a "sweat lodge" on the grounds of Angel Valley Retreat Center, near Sedona, Ariz. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Tom Tingle)

PHOENIX (AP) — A sauna-like sweat lodge at an Arizona resort meant to provide spiritual cleansing became a crime scene Friday after two people died and others became ill during a two-hour session inside the crude structure.

In all, 21 of the 64 people crowded inside the sweat lodge Thursday evening were transported to hospitals. Four remained hospitalized Friday evening — one in critical condition and the others in fair condition.

Authorities haven’t determined the cause of the deaths and illnesses; tests for carbon monoxide and other contaminants were negative. Yavapai County sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said authorities were checking into whether any of the attendees had pre-existing medical conditions and the possibility that some of them might have been fasting.

Among those sickened were a middle-aged man and a woman who were unconscious, according to a 911 call, and a third person who was found not breathing.

“It’s not something you’d normally see at one of the resorts there, and it’s unfortunate regardless of the cause,” D’Evelyn said.

This undated photo provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office shows a "sweatbox" structure at Angel Valley resort in Sedona, Ariz. (AP Photo/Yavapai County Sheriff's Office)

Investigators were working to determine whether criminal actions might have been a factor in the incident, D’Evelyn said.

The Angel Valley Retreat Center sits on 70 acres nestled in a scrub forest just outside Sedona, a resort town 115 miles north of Phoenix that draws many in the New Age spiritual movement.

Self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray rented the facility as part of his “Spiritual Warrior” retreat that began Oct. 3 and that promised to “absolutely change your life.” The schedule had few details about what participants could expect, other than thrice-daily meals and group gatherings that started at 7 a.m. and ended 16 hours later.

The details came in a lengthy release of liability that acknowledges participants may suffer “physical, emotional, financial or other injuries” while hiking or swimming, or during a multi-day personal and spiritual quest in the wilderness without food or water or the sweat lodge.

No one was required to participate in the activities.

Some participants told detectives they paid up to $9,000 for the event. In a testimonial on the Angel Valley retreat’s Web site, Ray said it “offers an ideal environment for my teachings.”

Ray spokesman Howard Bragman confirmed that his client was holding an event at the retreat, as he has done in the past. Authorities said Ray was inside the sweat lodge Thursday evening and was interviewed.

“We express our deepest condolences to those who lost friends and family, but we pray for a speedy recovery for those who took ill,” Bragman said. “At this point there are more questions than answers, so it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

Ray’s company, James Ray International, is based in Carlsbad, Calif.

Ray’s most recent posting on his Twitter account said: “Still in Spiritual Warrior … for anything new to live something first must die. What needs to die in you so that new life can emerge?”

The posting and two others were deleted Friday afternoon.

A woman who answered the phone at the Angel Valley resort Friday said its founders, Michael and Amayra Hamilton, would have no comment. A call to the Hamiltons’ home went unanswered.

The Angel Valley Spiritual Retreat Center, built on former ranch property in the high-desert and red-rock country of northern Arizona, bills itself as a natural environment for self discovery and healing through a holistic approach aimed at balancing the mind, emotions, body and spirit.

The property includes American Indian structures such as teepees, guest houses and outdoor labyrinths made of stones.

Sweat lodges, like that held on the final day of the Angel Valley retreat, are commonly used by American Indian tribes to cleanse the body and prepare for hunts, ceremonies and other events. The structure used Thursday was crudely built and covered with tarps and blankets.

Stones are heated up outside a lodge, brought inside and placed in a pail-sized hole. The door is closed, and water is poured on the stones, producing heat aimed at releasing toxins in the body.

The ritual is helpful in restoring balance and changing people’s attitudes and self-image, said Joseph Bruchac, author of “The Native American Sweat Lodge: History and Legends.”

American Indian sweat lodges typically hold a maximum of 12 people.

People have died in sweat lodges in the past. They were either sick tribal elders who voluntarily stayed until they died or people who had heart conditions and were in poor health.

“The sweat lodge needs to be respected,” Bruchac said. “When you imitate someone’s tradition and you don’t know what you are doing, there’s a danger of doing something very wrong.”

___

Listen to the 911 call from this incident 

—

Associated Press Writer Jacques Billeaud also contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Reporters: Charlie Hicks and Rachael Whitney, Photographer: Dave Wilson.

Story by: Kyle Anderson

SEDONA (NAZ Today) – Rising waters from Oak Creek in Sedona, Ariz. flooded parts of the city this afternoon. The City of Sedona declared an emergency management situation, calling for assistance from Flagstaff, Camp Verde, and Cottonwood agencies. So far, no injuries are reported.

“We had one of those gully washers Arizona is famous for,” said Gary Johnson, Sedona Fire Department PIO.

The most visible damage so far, according to Johnson, is the Tlaquepaque area off SR 179, where waters rising out of a ten-foot deep ditch shuffled cars parked in a parking lot near the Talapaque bridge. Clean-up of the mud-covered lot is underway.

“There’s about a dozen vehicles that were severely impacted by the flooding,” said Johnson.

In another incident, two people became trapped by debris and water in a home on Brewer St. The fire department was able to free them through a broken window.

Johnson said it was hard to determine the overall damage caused by the flood waters, but reports suggest the damage is city-wide.

SEDONA (NAZT) – Rising waters from Oak Creek in Sedona, Ariz. flash flooded the city this afternoon. The City of Sedona declared an emergency management situation, calling for assistance from Flagstaff, Camp Verde, and Cottonwood agencies. So far, no injuries are reported.

“We had one of those gully washers Arizona is famous for,” said Gary Johnson, Sedona Fire Department PIO.

The most visible damage so far, according to Johnson, is the Talapaque area off SR 179, where waters rising out of a ten-foot deep ditch shuffled cars parked in a parking lot near the Tlaquepaque bridge. Clean-up of the mud-covered lot is underway.

“There’s about a dozen vehicles that were severely impacted by the flooding,” said Johnson.

In another incident, two people became trapped by debris and water in a home on Brewer St. The fire department was able to free them through a broken window.

Johnson said it was hard to determine the overall damage caused by the flood waters, but reports suggest the damage is city-wide.

NAZ Today community anchor Charlie Hicks and photographer Dave Wilson are in Sedona gathering the most up-to-date information about the flood.

Watch NAZ Today tonight, live at 6 p.m. MST, for further updates from the scene.