Just when you thought the Piecemakers would go to their deaths rather than submit to government inspection, they placed a call to the county health department offering to make peace. Amazing what a few days in jail does for the soul.

The Piecemakers, a group of about 25 people who lived and worked together and referred to themselves as devout Christians, have repeatedly said they must answer to God, not the government, and that in God’s eyes they are not guilty of their crimes.

An 85-year-old grandmother and leader of a small religious sect was sentenced Friday to six days in jail for refusing to let health inspectors into a tearoom the group runs.

The group, led by a feisty, 85-year-old, camouflage-clad grandmother, has battled the county for years over a laundry list of code violations, claiming the law of God is greater than the law of man.

A jury convicts three members of the Christian group for operating eatery without a license and resisting arrest.

She and two others are charged with a series of misdemeanors, including operating a restaurant without a permit and obstruction of justice.

Three members of a Costa Mesa religious sect were in court Thursday on charges of operating a restaurant without a proper permit and of blocking a health inspection, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Scott Steiner.

NEWPORT BEACH - Three members of the Piecemakers are digging in for a showdown with the district attorney while a former member of the religious group has entered into a plea bargain.

Even as they face charges, members of a Christian sect vow to stand firm against health laws.

With seven members facing arraignment, Piecemakers vow to resist health agency's enforcement efforts.

Commune members are jailed after refusing an inspection of their store's kitchen. Code enforcement violates their rights, they say.

'We felt violated. It was like an invasion,' a sales clerk says.

Seven members of a religious-based, commune-style business were arrested after a scuffle broke out when they allegedly tried to block health officials from inspecting their restaurant, authorities said.

A man being sued for harassment by a religious sect has filed a countersuit, claiming the group is abusing the legal system.

Judge says lawsuit is not specific enough, so the Costa Mesa group plans to refile defamation suit against a member's son.