TEXARKANA, Ark., Nov. 19, 2008
20 More Kids Seized After Alleged Abuse
Ark. Takes Custody Of Children Linked To Evangelical Ministry; Leader Already Faces Child Sex Charges
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This 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. (AP Photo, File)
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Interactive Children In Danger Warning signs, state-by-state child services information and a history of child welfare reforms.
Alamo is currently in jail and has pleaded not guilty to separate federal charges of transporting minors across state lines for sex.
The children - 11 boys and 9 girls ranging in age from 1 to 17 were taken into state care Tuesday while hearings were being conducted on whether six girls seized in September should remain under state protection or be returned to their parents, Department of Human Services spokeswoman Julie Munsell said.
Munsell said Wednesday that the children picked up Tuesday in Miller County showed no immediate signs of poor health and did not require medical attention.
Alamo was arrested by the FBI in September, days after his compound in Fouke was raided by state and federal agents. The six girls, between ages 10 and 17, who were the subject of Tuesday's hearings were seized for their own protection.
He has preached that the Bible allows girls to marry once they reach puberty but has said he didn't adopt the practice. However, witness testimony and assertions from prosecutors indicate otherwise.
A court order for Tuesday's removals came after Fort Smith police issued an arrest warrant for John Erwin Kolbeck, an alleged enforcer for Alamo who is accused of beating followers for perceived slights and offenses.
"The information that we presented to the court included allegations of abuse and neglect on all of the children, not exclusive to certain children," Munsell said.
Munsell declined to elaborate on specific allegations.
The hearings this week are to determine whether the girls should be returned to their parents or be placed under continued care arranged by the state.
Alamo's trial is set for February.
His lawyer, John Wesley Hall Jr., questioned whether his client will be able to get a fair trial in Texarkana considering the news coverage of the case. Hall said Alamo is an easy target in the child welfare hearings.
"Tony Alamo is not able to be there to defend himself, not able to cross-examine these people, which is a fundamental right," Hall said.
Munsell said social workers also contacted the Department of Human Services in neighboring Oklahoma, where some children associated with Alamo may be living. Alamo is said to have ministry locations in a number of other states, too, including California, Colorado and Tennessee.
A spokesman for the Oklahoma agency, George Johnson, did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
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Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
And "Universal Healthcare" is just a plan to create "mandatory healthcare". They want to give your children shots they know will make them less able. Increases in autism are NOT due to "misdiagnosis" in the past. They are due to mercury in MMR shots and other shots. They are due to the study-documented brain shrinking caused by Fluoride in our drinking water. Fluoride lowers IQs by an average 10 points.
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Posted by caliengineer at 05:02 PM : Nov 19, 2008
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Well, then maybe folks like Tony Alamo should quit have *** with nine year olds and maybe folks should quit allowing so-called religious leaders to have control of their children and maybe the state couldn''t grab them and shoot them full of fluoride.
Well, judging only by appearances, I find it to be a bit of a stretch to believe that he works for the side that he SAYS he works for.
And "Universal Healthcare" is just a plan to create "mandatory healthcare". They want to give your children shots they know will make them less able. Increases in autism are NOT due to "misdiagnosis" in the past. They are due to mercury in MMR shots and other shots. They are due to the study-documented brain shrinking caused by Fluoride in our drinking water. Fluoride lowers IQs by an average 10 points.