Mothers from polygamous sect separated from young children|ABC 7 News
Authorities are investigating whether the call that prompted the raid came from a woman in Colorado who has a history of making fake calls to authorities. The purported 16-year-old caller has not been identified, but state child welfare officials say their investigation has uncovered evidence of abuse and that they responded to the call in good faith.
this quote says volumes. This particular story leaves some serious details about the caller out. A british newspaper has the gory details:
An arrest warrant affidavit has been made public showing the phone number used to make calls to the crisis centre, a Texas branch of the Phoenix-based Child Protection Project, was previously used by Rozita Swinton, of Colorado Springs.
According to the affidavit, Swinton, 33, is accused of posing as a teenager to make false reports in a February case in Colorado Springs unrelated to the Texas raid.
In this case, a woman calling herself “Jennifer” rang 911 from the same mobile number, claiming her father had locked her in her basement for days.
She was arrested on April 16 in relation to this case and later released.
Flora Jessop, executive director of the Child Protection Project, which helps girls and women fleeing polygamous communities, said she had been talking to Swinton since the end of March. She told the Associated Press she had recorded nearly 40 hours of conversation with Swinton, who said her name was Laura.
“She claimed to be the twin sister of Sarah, who made the initial call in Texas,” Mrs Jessop said.
While Swinton got most of the details of the sect right, she also made a few mistakes that raised suspicions, such as calling her parents “Mum” and “Dad” instead of “Mother” and “Father” as the FLDS do, Mrs Jessop said.
Swinton was previously arrested in Castle Rock, Colorado, in 2005 after she contacted an adoption center, claiming to be a 16-year-old name Jessica who was suicidal after giving birth.
Child welfare workers in Texas say their investigation into practices at the ranch has uncovered evidence of abuse such as the marrying of underage girls to much older men. The sect has denied the claims.
This is pretty cut and dry. This is a known hoaxster who perpetrated a hoax. The Texas authorities have removed all of these children on the basis of a lie. In any competent legal court this would be grounds for immediate dismissal of all charges and the children should be returned.
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