political force". Arrest, trial, and conviction On July 12, 1979, Rinaldo was arrested by Snohomish County sheriff's deputies on seven charges, including felony counts of statutory rape, indecent liberties, and intimidating a witness. Immediately following his arrest, his business and religious activities were the subject of a six article series by investigative reporter Gary Larson of the Everett Herald, running from July 13 through July 19. During his trial, prosecutors alleged that Ellogos was a secret religious organization dominated by Rinaldo by means of fear and isolation. During the first four days of testimony, five women testified that Rinaldo had touched them indecently or had sexual intercourse with them when they were young teenagers. Rinaldo's wife, Anne Sundberg Rinaldo, testified in his defense that she never saw or heard anything to suggest that he was engaging in any form of sexual misconduct. Rinaldo also testified in his own defense. Several defense witnesses, all members of Ellogos, testified that based on the opinions of six Snohomish businessmen, three of Rinaldo's accusers had "bad" reputations for telling the truth. However, the State called the businessmen as witnesses, and each of them testified that they had never formed or expressed opinions on the truthfulness of the prosecution witnesses. On December 3, 1979, Rinaldo was convicted of third-degree statutory rape for having sexual intercourse with one minor girl and of taking indecent liberties with another. The State petitioned for a determination of sexual psychopathy, and Rinaldo was committed for a 90-day observation period to Western State Hospital. After the completion of the observation period, the trial court determined that Rinaldo was indeed a sexual psychopath and committed him for treatment at the same facility. Several months later, the Superintendent of Western State Hospital notified the court that while he agreed with the determination, the patient was not amenable to treatment, and the trial court ordered the execution of the original prison sentence. Appeals The conviction was the subject of several notable appeals. In March 1983, The Everett Herald lost an appellate court case in the State of Washington in which it sought to quash a subpoena allowing a judicial review of confidential material gathered for articles it had published in 1979 on the cult activities of Rinaldo, who had since been convicted on charges of rape, indecent liberties, and assault. The New York Times reported that the court had ruled that "criminal defendants could