Hoaxer's Phone Linked To Sect Abuse Calls

Missing Colo. Woman Claimed Multiple Personalities; Charged With Making False Abuse Reports

(CBS/AP)  An unsealed arrest warrant indicates that at least one of the phone calls which triggered a child abuse investigation against a fundamentalist Mormon sect may have been a hoax, from a woman claiming to have multiple personalities.

According to the affidavit made public Wednesday, a phone number used to report alleged abuse at the FLDS compound in Texas has been linked to a woman suspected of making false abuse claims in Colorado.

It's not yet clear whether authorities suspect Rozita Swinton, 33, of Colorado Springs, made the calls that triggered the April 3 raid on the compound. The arrest warrant affidavit released Wednesday says that several calls alleging abuse there were made using several phone numbers, including the number linked to Swinton.

The more than 400 children found at the retreat in Eldorado are now in state custody. Texas officials and lawyers have said that even if the call that prompted the raid turned out to be a hoax it would not affect their custody case because the state acted in good faith.

Swinton was arrested April 16 and later released on a misdemeanor charge of false reporting in a February case in Colorado Springs with no known ties to the raid in west Texas. She's accused of posing as a teenager named "Jennifer" and falsely claiming in a 911 call that her father had locked her in her basement for days, the arrest warrant affidavit released Wednesday said.

Swinton's whereabouts were unknown and she did not immediately return a phone message. It wasn't known whether she had an attorney.

CBS station KEYE-TV correspondent Keith Elkins reports that Swinton has a history of claiming to be a repeat victim of sexual abuse, of filing false reports, of using many names - and claiming to have "different personalities," according to Colorado Springs Police.

Swinton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor false reporting in a 2005 case out of Castle Rock, Colo.; a one-year sentence was deferred. She had claimed in phone calls to be a 16-year-old named Jessica who was suicidal after giving birth; there was no baby.

"The investigator ... was surprised at her age because she sounded like someone who was in her mid- to late teens even though she was 30," Castle Rock police Lt. Douglas Ernst said.

The warrant also links Swinton to calls made throughout October from a "Dana Anderson." The caller claimed to be a young woman being abused by her pastor at Colorado Springs' New Life Church, and later as a 13-year-old student at Liberty High School who said she was being drugged and sexually abused by her father.

Officers linked the calls to Swinton in March after a Colorado Springs counselor got someone named Dana Anderson to acknowledge that her first name was Rozita, the document said.

In mid-April, Texas Rangers called Colorado Springs police regarding their investigation into the Eldorado polygamist retreat, Yearning for Zion Ranch.

The calls that triggered the raid of the ranch were purportedly made by a 16-year-old girl who said her 50-year-old husband beat and raped her. Texas authorities have not found that girl but say they have found evidence other children were abused.

Texas Ranger Brooks Long asked Colorado Springs police about two telephone numbers (both with Colorado Springs area codes) that were used to make calls to a Texas crisis center. One of the phone numbers, the document says, "was possibly related to the reporting party for the YFZ Ranch incident," and was one of the numbers police had connected to Swinton.

The document says the calls were made sometime since October but was not more specific. The raid was triggered by three calls made March 29 and 30 to the Newbridge Family Shelter in Texas.

Texas authorities also are investigating a separate batch of calls made to a crisis center in Washington state.

Authorities have called Swinton a "person of interest" in the Texas case. Two Texas Rangers were with Colorado officials when they searched Swinton's home.

Texas authorities said the search turned up several items suggesting a connection between Swinton and calls regarding the Eldorado retreat and other Texas and Arizona compounds owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade Mormon sect. The items weren't identified.

[Haner3]

Even more bizarre is that Rozita Swinton happens to be a Barack Obama state delegate (Precinct No. 269 of El Paso County) for the May 17 Colorado state convention and was elected during the Colorado Democratic Party caucus on Super Tuesday.

Here''s the official El Paso County Democratic Party delegate website: http://www.peakdems.org/obama_state_del.asp

[watcher269-2009]

Is that all it takes to have the police RAID something - a Hoax phone call?

Well then, Hello 9 1 1 - there''s something funny going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC - I think there''s immoral activities in there and you should check it out. Hurry!

[complexities]

"Even more bizarre is that Rozita Swinton happens to be a Barack Obama state delegate..."

Posted by MichaelsonJ1

It''s very unlikely that this is the same person. It sounds more like you''re attempting to stir up some kind of political issue where there isn''t one (not regarding Obama anyway).

I wonder how many people are named J Michaelson? Running a google search shows the name connected to a woman who''s a Montclair Township Council member. Is that who you are? I doubt it.

This whole raid business is a big enough mess without having the hysterics of a person matching up a name to a political candidate.

[rushlimpdrug]

"all I have to say is.... if the call WAS a hoax, then it was the most USEFUL hoax that I''''ve ever seen!"
Posted by Demongirl60 at 05:35 AM


Welcome to the new WWII Germany.

"Hello, yes, I''m calling because I believe the neighbors are jews, and the family across the street are mormons.
Oh, the other neighbors are ok, turns out they are just muslims.
The muslims just teach their women to dress funny and
not talk about anything real personal like arranged marriages.
Thank you"

[forrestlayne]

Posted by Complexities:
(It''''s very unlikely that this is the same person. It sounds more like you''''re attempting to stir up some kind of political issue where there isn''''t one (not regarding Obama anyway).

I wonder how many people are named J Michaelson? Running a google search shows the name connected to a woman who''''s a Montclair Township Council member. Is that who you are? I doubt it.

This whole raid business is a big enough mess without having the hysterics of a person matching up a name to a political candidate.)

Not that it matters to the story..but it is true she is an Obama fan.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/swinton_35513___article.html/father_abused.html

"After the El Paso County Democratic caucuses and convention, she was named one of the 360 delegates to the state convention at the World Arena on May 17, chosen to support Barack Obama."

[messiahx4eve]

YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW ONLY IN THE (not so) GREAT STATE OF TEXASS WILL YOU FIND INBREDS AND GENETIC FREAKS RUNNING THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN HIGH NUMBERS. BEWARE OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS. sieg heil shrubmonkey, spank it some more. The more I read about people in society today, the less I believe in ANY god that would be proud to call us her/his "creations", more like "cretins."

[mcvet]

Religious freedom is fading here in American. Today the LDS''''s tomorrow us Christians. After all, we''''re an unpopular minority here in the United States.


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Posted by onlythereal at 07:12 AM : Apr 24, 2008
+ report abuse

So tell us swastika breath what would you suggest the Police have done. Now keep in mind that this was NOT the ONLY call made concerning these lower than life creatures in that compound AND keep in mind that their LEADER is in JAIL as we speak for child abuse. So were the Police and the Judge just supposed to "sit tight" until they confirmed that girls were being raped in this place. YOU people are as disgusting as any creatures on PLANET EARTH. The ONLY right you freaks respect is YOUR right to hate and discriminate against the rest of us! SIEG HEIL AND AMEN

[mcvet]

There''''s your proof that no one from inside the compound called Texas State Nazi Storm Troopers. Does underage sexual activity take place? Ask any teenager. Do teenagers lie? Of course not. Just ask them. They''''ll tell you. Obviously you''''ve never raised a teenager. Like I''''ve already said. Texas had better get out it''''s checkbook. This is going to get expensive. Maybe they should''''ve pulled what the Feds did in Waco. Dead kids tell no tales. Live ones will be kept from their parents by the interrogators until they tell them what they are told to say. I''''m quite sure all you self-righteous hypocrites are very pleased with yourselves today. You want to see courage? Look at all the victims of this attack. Look at the women who were not only (Supposedly) raped by the men of this cult but by the great State of Texas. I''''m so proud to be an American.


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Posted by maxify55 at 05:18 AM : Apr 24, 2008
+ report abuse

God! Where do you NAZI''s come from? You can sit there and compare some teenagers going to far in the back seat of dads car to what was happening in this compound! UUGGGGGGGHHH Even talking to you creatures makes me want to take a shower!! Sieg Heil and Amen

[piercetheval]

Help, my name is Jenna and my Daddy has locked me in the basement until I will say I love the War in Iraq and I want to have *** Cheneys'' love child. [Well, it''s worth a try]

[messiahx4eve]

So much for religious constitutional freedoms. None of us were there so far as I know so I guess I would have to call a few friends in San Angelo and find out what really happened. Guess what? The entire raid was based on lies, narrow minded christians and sick minds in the state government.

[mcvet]

So much for religious constitutional freedoms. None of us were there so far as I know so I guess I would have to call a few friends in San Angelo and find out what really happened. Guess what? The entire raid was based on lies, narrow minded christians and sick minds in the state government.


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Posted by messiahx4eve at 07:43 AM : Apr 24, 2008
+ report abuse

So, assuming you are right, we''re supposed to just look over what was going on in this compound? Look Sparky there were 13 year old girls in that compound who were being "given" to 50 year old men by their PARENTs. The Leader of this group is in JAIL for child Abuse for god''s sake. Now I admit the State of Texas has been bad when it comes to the rights of the accused but THIS? Two Wrongs NEVER make a right and as far as I can see the Judge, at the time, had EVERY right to okay going into this compound... EVERY RIGHT!! Sieg Heil and Amen

[cnjcc]

Here we go again. First the report of abuse ... no confirmation from an anonymous telephone caller - next the raid ... take them all away and separate the children from their mothers ... then demonize the sect in the press ... "expert testifies sect is abusive", then when the original justification evaporates, defend your actions by saying "it''s still Ok because the state acted in good faith". Friends ... we''re being played like a violin.

[ccdsswrkr08]

Here we go again. First the report of abuse ... no confirmation from an anonymous telephone caller - next the raid ... take them all away and separate the children from their mothers ... then demonize the sect in the press ... "expert testifies sect is abusive", then when the original justification evaporates, defend your actions by saying "it''''s still Ok because the state acted in good faith". Friends ... we''''re being played like a violin.

Posted by cbsn9000 at 08:26 AM : Apr 24, 2008

So are we supposed to ignore the fact that there actually WAS Abuse going on? Just because the person who made THAT phone call wasn''t legit, doesn''t mean that now everything that has bee found out should be tossed aside. Plus, that wasn''t the ONLY phone call they got about this place.

[ccdsswrkr08]

I just repeated everything MCVet just said. Sorry about that. Kudos to MCVet. It is comforting to know that there is some sanity out there.

[jetlizhan]

well it''s a blessing in disguise that this woman did make the call - yes, she was in the wrong to do this, but it uncovered a lot of wrongdoing. so be it.

[ccdsswrkr08]

jetlizhan,

Agreed.

Look! More horrible people who support the immoral rights trampeling government (in this case) hehehehe

[alexma50085]

MCVet,

I agree with you on most subjects, my friend, but this I have to disagree. The Texas government royally screwed themselves, they went off an unconfirmed phone call to remove 400 children from their parents. Yeah, I don''t like the thought of children being married off to 50 year old men, but they still haven''t proven that any of that happen. You can''t base a case on what you believe to be going on. For example, there are thousands of inner city school children in Detroit, all have the potential to become gang members and commit violent crimes against each other and innocent people or even become pregnant by an older man (which studies have said that girls from 15-18 are usually impregnated by men 21 and over), so does that mean that we should remove all those children because there could be a threat. No, they only remove the children that they have evidence that there is abuse. I have two children of my own and the thought of having them taken away due to an unconfirmedcall would send me into a rage.
Texas is going to have to pay big when these kids go back to their parents.

[zendigity]

I want to know when DCF plans to launch a raid on the foster care system...many kids that go through it are physically and s*xually abused by their caregivers yet nobody is launching a paramilitary attack on them.

Why is it that people automatically believe what the media says whenever they report stories about depravity when the media is often only interested in generating ratings in the first place?

[ccdsswrkr08]

alexma50085

Ok, lets go to a hypothetical situation..say, if your children were at a day care, and someone phoned in and said that children at that day care were being physically and sexually abused, (the caller was anonymous as most of the calls that come into CPS are.(I can''t spell today sorry) you wouldn''t take your children out of that day care, and wouldn''t want CPS to check out the allegations?

[ccdsswrkr08]

I want to know when DCF plans to launch a raid on the foster care system...many kids that go through it are physically and s*xually abused by their caregivers yet nobody is launching a paramilitary attack on them.

Posted by zendigity at 09:01 AM : Apr 24, 2008


I agree in a way. Foster care homes should be maticulously monitored and screened year round. I hate to say it again (cause I have many times) but the foster care parents in my state go through a very intense screening process, and are monitored on a weekly basis by a foster care teams. The rest of the country who lacks in that area needs to get their stuff together. It is never CPS'' intention to take children out of one bad situation and put them in another bad situation.

[kittykatty2]

ccdsswrkr08---what exactly has been found out? Nothing. cbsn9000 is absolutely correct in the summary of what has happened. Has no one learned from prior Government actions purporting to be acting in the best interests of children? This, as in Ruby Ridge and Waco, is clearly a case of "act now and we''ll make the facts up later." I wouldn''t trust any government entity to keep my best interests in their sights, especially not in this country.

[alexma50085]

ccdsswrkr08,

Yes, I wold like them to check it out, but they wouldn''t be removing the children from my care. The Texas authorities should have investigated. That''s what they do for every other case of child abuse. They go to the home, the ask questions, interview neighbors and others that have seen the family situation, they do follow up visits for 6 months to a year, and they only take the child if it is clear that there is abuse.

[ccdsswrkr08]

kittykatty2,

See post by jh6379.

[concorde5]

I think the Texas government went way too far in this case. If there is no indication of abuse they need to leave these people alone.

Having said that, I think it is awfully ironic that a Black woman is responsible for bring this racist sect down.

[ccdsswrkr08]

concorde5,

See last post by jh6379.

[rushlimpdrug]

The phone lines are open.

Let the hoax phone calls begin.

The possibilities are endless.

[ccdsswrkr08]

I think what people are failing to comprehend is that a phone call doesn''t in turn inspire immediate action. There are other factors. CPS just doesn''t go out and investigate every *** phone call they get. There are other factors like; history with CPS, History with the police department in a physical or sexual nature, school history of the children....ect. And if it is a true hoax call with absolutely no validity behind it, then it won''t be physically investigated.

[alexma50085]

kittykatty2,
There are 16/17 year old girls with 5 and 6 year old kids. They are about to find out that some fathers have 50+ children from having *** with other children.

Is that the kind of stuff you approve of?

Posted by jh6379

How do you know this for fact??? I have yet to read a statement from any authority that has said what you are saying. You are taking what you THINK is going on from what you have read from biased sources and pushing it as facts.

[rushlimpdrug]

"You have no idea about CPS or how they work.
btw...see my second to last post."
Posted by jh6379 at 09:52 AM


I looked.

How do they work?

Do they work?

[ccdsswrkr08]

"You have no idea about CPS or how they work.
btw...see my second to last post."
Posted by jh6379 at 09:52 AM


I looked.

How do they work?

Do they work?

Posted by rushlimpdrug at 10:01 AM : Apr 24, 2008

See my last post. If you have anymore questions about how CPS works, I''d be more than happy to answer your questions.

[ccdsswrkr08]

ojama,

They are doing it the lawful way. Please see previous posts by myself and jh6379.

[zendigity]

ojama - I''m with you, I don''t like the idea of the government lying to the people "for the greater good". Too easily this type of thing can be warped into the government locking people up and then launching propaganda to justify their doing so.

What comes next...building large ovens in order to "get rid" of any evidence of their wrong-doing?

[zendigity]

ccdsswrkr08 - Nothing about the way the government is acting in this situation seems all that lawful...you''re clearly more interested in protecting your own a$$ than anything else.

[ccdsswrkr08]

Zendigity

Do you know how this system works? Do you know the laws that apply? If you do by all means please inform me of which part of this was unlawful.

[rushlimpdrug]

If you do by all means please inform me of which part of this was unlawful.
Posted by ccdsswrkr08 at 10:45 AM


Since you have all the answers I do wonder about something.

When CPS investigates do they bring in the force of the law?

Why did the government bring in so much firepower
and all they brought on a hoax phone call?

Don''t they investigate first?

Did they (the government/CPS) think these folks were
going to shoot them?

[zendigity]

ccdsswrkr08 - yes, I do know how the system works, and I understand the way the law works too. You are clearly here in order to push your propaganda hoping to cover the a$$es of your cohorts who so obviously overstepped their boundaries.

[ccdsswrkr08]

Since you have all the answers I do wonder about something.

When CPS investigates do they bring in the force of the law?

Why did the government bring in so much firepower
and all they brought on a hoax phone call?

Don''''t they investigate first?

Did they (the government/CPS) think these folks were
going to shoot them?


Posted by rushlimpdrug at 11:07 AM : Apr 24, 2008

Question 1) If the alleged maltreators are reported to be armed then yes, CPS does bring law enforcement when they go to investigate.

Question 2)There was more than one phone call reporting abuse, and the FLDS were reported to be armed.

Question 3)Based on multiple phone calls reporting abuse, and the evidence that two leaders of the FLDS were either registered as *** Offenders or had warrents for their arrest for Sexual offenses, yes they did investigate before they went out there.

Question 4)If you were advised that someone was armed and you were going to go to their home to investigate something that involved possibly removing their children from their home, wouldn''t you want to have armed law enforcement as a back up just in case the parents decided to take it upon themselves to "protect" their children from being taken?

[fibonacci_]

She sure got them, didnt she?

[ccdsswrkr08]

zendigity,

I offer no propoganda, only facts. You still haven''t pointed out which part violated a law.

[mrsudonim]

I have heard through reliable sources - Circumspect Information Agency (CIA) - that they may have Weapons of Mass Destruction hidden within the confines of the polygamy compound. With this solid information in hand (a bogus phone call could suffice), I believe we should use the full force of our military to further trample the rights of the American citizens who live there!

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by ccdsswrkr08 at 11:17 AM

You sound like a total socialist.

Your line makes those folks sound more like a militia than a cult.

They have a history of violence?

[lochlan-2009]

Wow, the government has screwed this one up (no surpirse). They have basically targeted a community under false pretenses and stole all their children. While I agree that any report of child abuse should be investigated, and the child services should protect the child while they do a thorough and quick investigation, we have no idea whether the several pregnant teenagers are from 15 year old boys or 50 year old men. These children are being put in foster homes, stolen from their parents, and I will have very little sympathy if any official gets guned down by one of these parents whose children were taken. I would hope it would be a lesson for them in the future, when it comes to messing with peoples kids and breaking up families. The trauma the government has put on these people and their children will never be undone. You don''t mess with peoples families in this country.

What a sad, extremly poorly handled situation.

[bkylws]

I cannot wait to see how all this turns out.

[ccdsswrkr08]

rushlimpdrug,

One of the guys had a warrent out for his arrest, the other one was a known *** offender for sexually abusing minors. They were reported to have guns. Who knows what someone with a gun would do when faced with losing their children.

[luckywinch75-2009]

I have oinformation of knowledge of this system that
i sent you earlier here today but 1500 words here is far from telling facts i hope you find the PERTANT IN FO THAT I HAD REQUESTED DIANE SAWYER IN REGARDS OF THE MORNING PROGRAM TO TODAY 4-24-08 HOW OUR LIVES GOT DESTROYED BY TRAUMAS

[zendigity]

ccdsswrkr08 - wow, sure seems like you''re an agent of propaganda to me.
As this plays out through the courts, the laws the government broke will become pretty well highlighted.
Only a small percentage of the children in that society were actually being abused, the government was WRONG for taking them all away from their parents.
No matter how badly you and the rest of your propaganda goons want to portray this as justified, it was not; the burden of proof will expose the incompetence behind the way this was all carried out.
I hate to be the one to tell you, but your cohorts bit off a lot more than they''re going to be able to chew on this one.

[luckywinch75-2009]

WRITE ME IN REGARDS WITH AN EMAIL ADDRESS TO DIANE SAWYER OR OTHERS THAT PERTANANT I PUT OF A SYSTEM THAT FAILS FAMILIES AND KIDS WHEN LIVES GET DESTROYED THAT ABUSES OCCUR AFTER THE SYSTEM PLACEMENTS AND ONLY A PARENT IS EXECUTED TO CONVICTIONS WHY THESE PEOPLE OF POWER AUTHORITY OVER LIVES SOMETIMES DESTROY

[kittykatty2]

kittykatty2,
There are 16/17 year old girls with 5 and 6 year old kids. They are about to find out that some fathers have 50+ children from having *** with other children.

Is that the kind of stuff you approve of?


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Posted by jh6379 at 09:15 AM : Apr 24, 2008
report abuse
_____________________________________
well well well...you seem to know more than the authorities do...kudo''s Matlock.
Now get your head out of the sand, start asking questions about what led up to this and stop running with the sheeple. Do I approve of 15/16 year olds having 6/7 year old children? No, I don''t. But NOT ONE PERSON HAS PROVEN THIS. Get a brain instead of believing everything that''s reported by the mainstream media. They''re out for ratings not investigating FACTS. And the authorities in this case, as in every other case are not out for the truth, they''re out to cover their *****.

[mrsudonim]

ccdsswrkr08,
Militia? Cult? History of Violence? What difference does it make? They are clearly different than us and must be trampled.

[ccdsswrkr08]

lochlan,

In turn I would have very little sympathy for you if someone was abusing your children and no one would help you. I''d feel sorry for your children.