Author: Jonathan Raymond (11Alive)
Published: 9:25 AM EDT April 15, 2022
Updated: 2:41 PM EDT April 16, 2022
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Eligio Bishop, also known as "Nature Boy," reportedly the leader of a cult with a winding and sometimes convoluted history, was arrested in DeKalb County and faces charges including rape.
According to DeKalb County Jail records, Bishop was arrested this week and faces five charges: rape, false imprisonment, and three counts of "prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions" — under Georgia law, a violation of sending nude or explicit communications of someone "without the consent of the depicted person."
DeKalb Police said in a statement that they initiated an investigation on March 30 following a complaint against Bishop and that the department executed search and arrest warrants on Wednesday.
According to police, he was arrested at an address in an upscale cul-de-sac outside Decatur.
Bishop and his followers have a reported history that goes back several years.
At one point the group appeared to be centered around sexual and naturalist themes, though social media accounts indicate more recently it has reoriented around Bishop's own messianic self-image and Black liberation messaging. Posts are heavy on the number 3 and ancient Egyptian iconography, with Bishop referred to as "Th3 3God" in the accounts.
Bishop has maintained a robust social media presence, with an Instagram account with nearly 25,000 followers and a YouTube following with more than 90,000 subscribers to his channel. His most recent video was posted Wednesday — the day of his arrest — at Pasha restaurant in Atlanta's Lindbergh neighborhood.
His followers posted a pair of videos running more than an hour long to a separate Instagram account on Thursday in which he said over a phone call to the supporters that, "I know that I've scared a lot of people," but "truly I'm a sweet person." He said in part he was "trying to help people" and "misunderstood."
The call also touched on his messianic messaging.
"They want to crucify me, they want me dead, there's hate that surrounds me, you can feel it, just like any other prophet — only me, I'm the return of the Christ," he said.
11Alive obtained arrest warrants for Bishop in which much of the specific information is redacted, but the rape and false imprisonment charges stem from an incident on the afternoon of March 24.
Bishop appeared in court on Friday for a first appearance and the judge explained in a brief proceeding that she could not set a bond for him because of the nature of his charges. She told him his attorney would follow up with him about filing a motion for a bond hearing in Superior Court, and that was "all we can do for you today."
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/eligio-bishop-alleged-cult-leader-arrested-dekalb-county-rape-charges/85-3441d03d-d7c6-4dc7-a8d1-6a9e19dfd0ce