posted July 03, 2008 11:56 AM            

Diana Palmer, 1st vice chair of the Durham Co. Democratic Party turns herself in. (courtesy WRAL-TV)

The North Carolina case of an alleged satanic torture involving a Democratic Party official and her husband has now expanded to include a third suspect, an even higher-ranking Democrat.

Diana Palmer, the first vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party, joins her political colleague Joy Johnson, the third vice-chairwoman of the party, and Johnson's spouse, Joseph Craig, in facing charges.

Palmer, 44, surrendered to police in Durham, N.C., this afternoon and was charged with being an accessory after the fact of assault with a deadly weapon. She's being held at the Durham County Jail under $95,000 bail.

Additional charges were also filed today against Johnson and Craig.

Craig, 25, is now charged with second-degree rape, second-degree forcible sexual offense, three counts of second-degree kidnapping and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for incidents in January and May. Johnson, 30, is charged with four counts of aiding and abetting, as she's accused of watching and encouraging her husband commit the alleged abuse of another couple who reportedly shared an interest in Satan worship.

Joseph Craig

Joy Johnson

According to broadcast and published reports, that couple was reportedly caged to learn more about satanic practices, but did not consent to physical abuse.

Craig allegedly shackled his victims to beds, kept them in dog cages and starved them inside his home. Police say he beat the man with a cane and a cord, and raped the woman.

Prosecutors today asked for higher bail for Craig and Johnson, but Judge Nancy Gordon refused, leaving Craig's bond at $500,000 and Johnson's at $270,000.

Also today, Durham County's Democratic Party disabled its website, but a cached version of its "Who We Are" page lists both Palmer and Johnson as top officials.

Someone claiming to be a friend of Palmer wrote on a messageboard of the Raleigh News & Observer:

I don't appreciate the implied connection in this story. Like many people who know this couple, [Palmer] is in a state of shock, deeply distressed and devastated that she was so misled by them. The connection between politics, a satanic cult and the surreal nature of these crimes may be entertaining to some, but I assure you it is causing many people a great deal of real pain, particularly people like Diana with strong religious convictions. In short, many people who trusted and believed in their integrity are feeling victimized by this couple right now.

Along with their interest in the Democratic Party, Johnson and Palmer were part of a New Age website called "Indigo Dawn," a name which, according to the site, was given to Johnson during a meditation vision.

"She decided to explore the New Age community more, and after taking a course in Reiki healing, experiencing past-life regression along with direct guidance from her spirit guides, she confirmed that her destiny was to help bring about the New Age on Earth," Johnson's online biography states. "Joy shared her vision with her husband, Joe; as a result the Indigo Dawn was founded to raise the vibration of energy on Earth."

Among the services she offers online are "intuitive guidance, past-life regression, spirit guide communication and healing and cleansing."