James Arthur Ray is charged with three counts of manslaughter in connection with the ‘Spiritual Warrior’ retreat near Sedona in October.

Kate Linthicum and DeeDee Correll - February 4, 2010

Reporting from Los Angeles and Denver - Self-help guru James Arthur Ray was arrested Wednesday and charged with three counts of manslaughter in connection with an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead in October.

Ray was taken into custody at his attorney’s office in Prescott, Ariz., a sheriff’s spokesman said, and taken to the Yavapai County jail in Camp Verde. Bond has been set at $5 million. He is to appear in court Thursday.

The charges are linked to the last day of Ray’s five-day $9,695-a-person “Spiritual Warrior” retreat near Sedona, where he assembled about 50 people in a makeshift, sauna-like sweat lodge for about two hours.

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