2 From 'Cult-Like' Sect Say Fears For Safety Misguided

PALMDALE (AP) — Two women from a religious sect that brought a frantic search when they were reported missing by their husbands, say fears for their safety were a misunderstanding.

Alma Miranda Pleitez tells KNX radio Sunday that she left her cell phone and personal papers with her husband for safekeeping.

She said "when you go somewhere overnight, you don't know what's going to happen to you, so you leave your information to your husband."

Another member -- Martha Clavel -- tells the radio station "I guess it was a misunderstanding, and I'm sorry about that."

The women are among 13 people found at a park near Palmdale after an all-night search.

Sheriff's Deputy Thomas Kim says the group's leader -- Reyna Marisol Chicas -- has been hospitalized for a mental evaluation.

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