TEXARKANA, Ark., Oct. 22, 2008
Witness: Evangelist Had 9-Year-Old Wife
Bail Denied For Tony Alamo In Sex Abuse Case As Former Followers Testify They Were Beaten
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This Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 file booking photo released by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, in Flagstaff, Ariz., shows Tony Alamo, evangelist and convicted tax evader. Alamo, whose birth name is Bernie Lazar Hoffman, appeared in court Friday for a brief hearing. (AP Photo, File)
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This undated photograph shows evangelist Tony Alamo, head of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in Arkansas, who was arrested Sept. 25 by FBI agents in Flagstaff, Ariz., in connection with a child sex investigation. (CBS/KTHV)
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A gate blocks a driveway of the property of Tony Alamo, Sept. 21, 2008 in Fouke, Ark., after FBI agents and state police raided the evangelist's headquarters Saturday as part of a child pornography investigation. (AP Photo/Mike Wintroath)
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Interactive Children In Danger Warning signs, state-by-state child services information and a history of child welfare reforms.
The ruling came after Alamo's former followers testified at a hearing that they were often beaten at his instructions and one said Alamo practiced polygamy with several females, including a 9-year-old girl.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant noted that Alamo is charged with a violent crime and said he also considered that Alamo fled a California child-abuse charge in 1989 and was arrested two years later in Tampa, Fla., living under an assumed name. Alamo has access to various vehicles, he said.
Witnesses said Alamo controls businesses and ministry locations in several states. They said none of the properties are Alamo's name, which Bryant also considered as a point against letting Alamo free.
"There is serious risk (Alamo) will flee or fail to appear," Bryant said.
Alamo, 74, said nothing after the ruling. His trial is scheduled for Nov. 19.
He was arrested in Flagstaff, Ariz., five days after a Sept. 20 police raid on the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound in the southwest Arkansas town of Fouke. Six girls were taken into state custody for their protection.
During Wednesday's hearing, Arkansas state troopers searched the compound anew, State Police spokesman Bill Sadler confirmed, not elaborating. Fouke Mayor Terry Purvis said residents told him the investigators did not stay long.
One witness called to the stand by prosecutors Wednesday, Jael Sprinkle, 32, testified that she was taken as Alamo's wife at age 17 and was considered his wife for two years. She said that Alamo had five other wives at the time and that she knew of him taking a 9-year-old girl as one.
Alamo is an advocate of allowing girls to marry when they reach puberty but has denied such unions took place within his organization.
Sprinkle said she, her parents and others were beaten. She said a 12-year-old boy was paddled to the point of bleeding through his clothes and could walk only with assistance.
Sprinkle also described Alamo's control over people in his organization, saying he even had to approve inconsequential expenses such as toilet paper and toothpaste.
Spencer Ondirsek, 18, testified that he left the compound last year after spending seven years there.
Ondirsek said he was beaten by a man working under Alamo's direction. He said he was hit about 15 times on the face and smacked about 30 times with a three-foot paddle in three separate instances while being disciplined for minor misbehavior, such as playing with a spray bottle.
The first beating happened when he was 12 or 13, Ondirsek testified.
Defense lawyers called Ronald and Joan Decker, a couple that has belonged to Alamo's church. They said they would move from Fort Smith to Texarkana to watch over Alamo if he was granted release.
Ronald Decker said he drives a truck for Advantage Food, which he described as a partnership, but he couldn't come up with a figure when federal prosecutor Kyra Jenner asked him how much he earned. He later said Alamo paid for all the couple's living expenses.
"Pastor Alamo controls the church," Ronald Decker said.
Ronald Decker initially denied seeing any beatings. But when asked by Jenner whether he was aware Alamo orders paddlings, Decker paused before saying yes.
The federal charging document accuses Alamo of taking a 13-year-old girl across state lines for sex in 2004 and of aiding and abetting her transport across state lines for sex in 2005.
Alamo, who is listed in court documents by his real name of Bernie Lazar Hoffman, has pleaded not guilty to the two charges, each of which carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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- He deserves 1Kings 14:10
- Reply to this comment
- RELIGION POISONS EVERYTHING
like everything in life in moderation its ok - Reply to this comment
- What a scum bag! I don''t think there''s a place hot enough for him to go.
- Reply to this comment
- STOPSOCIALISM; You obviously have NO FEAR OF GOD. Do you honestly think God is so ''busy'' that He won''t take notice of you calling another Christian a "Pathological Liar?" God wants to see your proof, and so do I. You''ve born false witness against another Christian and you have the gall to talk about how you follow Jesus Christ? You aren''t following Him with your lies about Senator Obama, so please stop calling yourself a ''christian'' and a follower of Jesus Christ because He taught His followers to be honest in all their ways; not to do as the evil do.
The sad thing is, you must have thought you could get away with calling another man a ''pathological liar'' and Jesus would give you a pass. That''s a bastardization of everything He ever taught and you do NOT get a pass for something so evil and hateful.
Maybe you should get off-line and go study your Bible before you dig yourself into an even deeper hole.
This election is a test for all, and you''ve shown Jesus that you failed miserably in being one of His followers during this campaign :( - Reply to this comment
I guess if you want to have a lot of *** and get rich doing it, become an evangelist.- Reply to this comment
- Its too bad that con men use the word of God for perversion, but they are definetly NOT Christains. Jesus said the most important commandment is to love the Lord your God above all else and to love your brother as yourself. If we follow that rule, none other is needed.
- Reply to this comment
- Oh well, this is what can be expected of a society that accepts and promotes superstition. Our politicians from state to federal level are primarily composed of Christian fundamentalists.
And there isn''t a dime''s worth of difference between Christianity and any other form of voodoo and witchcraft. In the Old Country, we would have taken these crackpots out in the woods and shot them. All of them. - Reply to this comment
- Actually Christians don''''t believe in Santa Claus, we believe in Jesus Christ, who actually exists and walked this earth 2,000 years ago and died on the cross and rose from the grave.
Secondly, we''''re against child rapists and molesters, as these are evil sins, and we''''re also against pathological liars, like Barak Hussein Obama.
The "prophet" Muhammed of islam was a child rapist and molester. Why don''''t you talk about him instead.
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Posted by StopSocialis at 09:11 PM : Oct 22, 2008
I''ll never understand how politics can be brought into a story like this... I also don''t get how Barack Obama has anything to do with Muhammed seeing as how Obama is not Muslim. - Reply to this comment
- WWMGD?
(What Would Mel Gibson Do?)
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Posted by rushlimpdrug at 08:12 PM : Oct 22, 2008
HAHAHAHAHA!! - Reply to this comment
- Stupid liberal pedophiles.
- Reply to this comment
Ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy 
