Former Colts player Daniel Muir lawyer claims illegal detention at Cass County Jail

A lawyer for former Colts player Daniel Muir, who is currently detained at the Cass County Jail in Logansport, is now claiming Muir is being illegally jailed. Daniel and his wife, Kristin Muir, were arrested by an Indiana State Police SWAT TEAM on July 3, after a search and arrest warrant was issued at a religious compound the Muir's live on outside of Logansport. During the raid, their missing son, 14-year-old Bryson Muir, who had been reportedly missing since June 16, was located safe and well at the compound, but released to the Cass County Department of Child Services. 

According to court documents, Daniel is currently booked at the Cass County Jail, facing charges of obstruction of justice and domestic battery. Kristin also remains jailed, facing one charge of obstruction of justice. Following the arrest, a Cass County judge had denied the Muirs' bond, citing the couple as a flight risk. A no-contact order between the parents and their son was also issued. 

On Monday, July 8, Muir's Attorney Nathan Vining filed a petition, arguing that Daniel is being detained against his rights, which is "unconstitutional under both state and federal law." Daniel's wife, Kristen, is never specifically mentioned in the filing. The attorney claimed that bail was a fundamental right in the U.S. and argued that Daniel should be entitled to bail because he is not accused of a serious offense such as treason or murder. While the filing mentions Daniel, and refers to the couple as "The Muirs," Kristen's name is never specifically mentioned. Vining asked the court to immediately grant Daniel the petition, allowing for his release from custody. 

The Muirs’ next day in court is scheduled for July 16. 

The Muirs' arrest came after abuse allegations had surfaced against Daniel, after the boy had visited his grandmother in Ohio. The teen's grandmother had noticed a black eye and bruised, swollen face. When the teen admitted to his grandmother that his father had given him the injuries, the grandmother contacted authorities.  

Court documents revealed that the teen's uncle had also recorded a phone conversation with Daniel, who admitted beating the teen "like a grown man." During the recorded conversation, Daniel also stated that if the family had lived in their "homeland," his teen son would have been put to death for his acts, but was saved due to the family living in the U.S.

Daniel later took back that statement, however, when he provided Indiana State Police with a video of the teen standing in a rural wooded area, claiming that his father never punched him in the eye. Kristin Muir allegedly told investigators their son had been punched by an unknown assailant, claiming the attack had happened after the boy had taken out the trash and took a walk on nearby railroad tracks. 

According to the probable cause affidavit, Daniel also told investigators that the teen had been punched by an "unknown individual," prompting the parents to take the boy out of state to visit family. Daniel claimed that days later they had brought their son back to Indiana after his grandmother was making decisions for the child that the Muir's did not agree with. 

Within minutes of picking the teen up at his grandmother's Ohio home, the Muirs were pulled over by police. It was reported that during that traffic stop with the Daniel and Kristin Muir, their teen son was missing from the vehicle.

The Muirs soon became reportedly uncooperative with officials after ISP began working with Cass County Department of Child Services to locate and ensure the teen safety. On June 28, they backed out of a scheduled meeting with police, refusing to show that their son was with them and not in danger. Police eventually gathered enough evidence to legally search the compound the Muirs reside on in the early morning hours of July 3, using air support, armored cars and SWAT crews.

Records show that the secluded Logansport compound the Muirs live on is a property registered under a group called the Servant Leader’s Foundation. Although under a different name on records, the property is said to be linked to a Tennessee-based religious group called Straitway Truth Ministries. The group describes themselves as a "nation of Hebrew Israelites who are commandment keepers; obedient to God, whom they call Yah, and savior, Jesus the Christ."

Many news sources over the years have described the group as a cult. The leader of Straitway Truth, Pastor Charles Dowell, has posted multiple videos since the Muir drama began. In one of Dowell's videos, he tells viewers to not trust any news or police reports about the Muir family's allegations, and says that the group refuses to "take any of this laying down."