| Polygamist ranch probe shifts to Colorado | |
| CNN | |
(CNN) -- The investigation into alleged abuse at a polygamist ranch in Texas has shifted to Colorado, where police said Thursday that they have arrested a woman for making a false report to police. Investigators with the Texas Rangers traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado this week "as part of their investigation involving the compound in Texas," the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a statement. The reason for their visit was not immediately clear. The Colorado Springs police statement said its officers charged 33-year-old Rozita Swinton with false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor. The charge relates to an incident in Colorado Springs in February, but documents related to the case have been sealed "so details of that case cannot be discussed," the Colorado Springs police statement said. The Texas Rangers "have not filed any charges on Rozita Swinton as of this time," the statement said. Authorities in Texas raided the YFZ (Yearning for Zion) Ranch in Eldorado, Texas on April 4, removing 416 children. The ranch is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon offshoot that practices polygamy. The raid was prompted by a series of phone calls in late March from a 16-year-old officials referred to as Sarah, who claimed she had been beaten and forced to become the "spiritual" wife to an adult man. FLDS members have denied the girl, supposedly named Sarah Jessop Barlow, exists. Some of the FLDS women who spoke with CNN on Monday said they believe the calls were a hoax. A court hearing began Thursday to determine who will get custody of children who were removed from the ranch. A child protection supervisor, Angie Voss of the Texas Child Protection Services, testified Thursday that she saw several pregnant teen girls at the ranch. She also testified that girls as young as 13 had conceived at the ranch. On Thursday, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said on CNN's "American Morning" that "the case really doesn't hinge upon that particular 16-year-old. "It's our belief that these children who are under the age of 17 have engaged in sex with older men, which is a violation of Texas law, which is also a potential violation of the bigamy laws," he said. "So yes, we do believe we have information that will be substantiated in court that will show there has been sexual assault as well as bigamy." | |
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CNN.com Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008 | |
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