The man who was once in line to become the potentate of the Wichita Midian Shrine Temple could face a trial on rape and child sex charges.  Jodie Mosier was in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.  He’s charged with rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child against his own step daughter and step granddaughter.

The Sedgwick County District Attorney charged Mosier with the crimes after his family told police of the allegations in March of this year.  However, Mosier’s defense attorney, Dan Monnat, claims the allegations are patently false. “These allegations dating back months or years were manufactured as a result of the anger that arose as a response to the disintegration of the marriage between Jodie Mosier and Tammy Mosier,” Monnat said.

Monnat added that the allegations didn’t surface until the next day after Jodie Mosier filed for divorce earlier this year. “The 13 year-old granddaughter was privy to information about the disintegration of her grandpa and grandma’s marriage,” Monnat said, “and privy to her grandmother and mother’s bitterness about the disintegration of that marriage and the divorce that was filed.”

Judge Jeff Syrios heard from both the young girl and her mother.  The defense also alleges that both of the victims were — and still are — angry, and wanted to attack Mosier and seek vengeance for his infidelity by taking a mistress to Las Vegas. “The acts were never mentioned until they were angrily brought up the day after the divorce was filed on March 21st, 2012,” said Monnat.

Mosier was in line to become the potentate of the Wichita Midian Shrine Temple in 2013, but an office manager confirms he will not take that post. The defense said it plans to call its own witnesses to the stand, which is fairly unusual for a preliminary hearing.  The judge will hear from those witnesses at a later date.  Meanwhile, Mosier remains free on bond.  The judge will eventually determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial.

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KAKE TV – By Jared Cerullo