COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The leader of a witches coven says she doesn't share the beliefs of an Ohio prison inmate who wants to be allowed to grow waist-length hair. Samantha Pugh, high priestess of the Wicca coven in Findlay and a minister licensed by the state, testified at a hearing Monday the sect has no tenet protecting uncut hair. William E. Morehouse, who is serving a life sentence at the Marion Correctional Institution for a 1974 murder in Licking County, says he became a follower of witchcraft in 1979. He sued the state in U.S. District Court, where Magistrate Norah McCann King is holding an evidentiary hearing that began Monday. It was to continue today. Morehouse said in the suit that long hair is an essential part of his faith and that cutting his hair woud disturb a "natural harmony with the mother goddess" of Wicca worshipers. The suit contends that Wicca is a religion and asks that the state allow Morehouse to grow his hair and provide him with candles, scented oils, statues of Wicca deities, a wand, a robe with a braided belt and hood, and other items he says he needs to practice Wicca. The state has recognized Wicca as a religion but has denied Morehouse's request. Robert Prosser, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilition and Correction, said officials believe candles are a safety risk because of the chance of fire. He also said long hair and hoods present a security risk because they could easily hide contraband. Ms. Pugh testified that the basic principle of witchcraft holds that followers can do as they please but cannot harm anyone. But she said the practice varies among covens and followers. "There are many people who believe cutting hair deters the free flow of psychic and spiritual energy," Ms. Pugh said. Morehouse's court-appointed attorney, Thomas F. Schmidt, said Wicca has been recognized as a religion by other federal courts and that Wicca covens have been given tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. Copyright 1987 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.