Polygamist Issue: Texas 911 Calls Linked To 33-Year-Old in Colo.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:24 am

Texas 911 Calls Linked To 33-Year-Old in Colo.

Woman Has History of False Claims

By David Fahrenthold

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, April 24, 2008; A02

SAN ANGELO, Tex., April 23 -- The phone calls that triggered a massive raid on a polygamist compound in west Texas -- in which a quavering girl's voice described being forcibly married at 15 -- have been linked to a Colorado woman with a history of making false claims of sexual abuse, according to an affidavit filed in Colorado Springs.

The affidavit says calls that allegedly came from "Sarah Barlow" -- a teenage girl at the Yearning for Zion Ranch outside Eldorado, Tex. -- actually came from numbers connected to Rozita Swinton, 33, of Colorado Springs. The affidavit also notes Swinton's possible involvement in a series of separate but similar reports in which the young caller described being abused by a pastor, an uncle or her father.

Texas authorities yesterday said they have not determined whether the calls about the Yearning for Zion Ranch were a hoax and that they plan to press on with their investigation of possible sexual abuse there. More than 400 children are now in state custody, as authorities try to sort out what happened at the ranch run by a polygamist group called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"Until she's actually been charged" with a crime related to the phone calls, Swinton's role "is still an open question," state Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said.

But the revelations about phone calls to shelters for abused women in Colorado, Washington, Utah, Arizona and Florida cast doubt on the dramatic scenario that led Texas authorities to investigate and ultimately to raid the compound April 3. The raid made the insular sect the subject of one of the most complex child-custody cases in recent U.S. history.

The calls that launched the Texas case started coming in to a family shelter in San Angelo, about 45 miles from Eldorado, on March 29. The caller said that she was 16, and that she was bound in a "spiritual marriage" to an older, abusive man. The girl said she had given birth to one child and was pregnant with another.

The caller paused often, documents say, and talked quietly, so no one would know she was calling for help.

On Wednesday, officials at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said that the facts surrounding the first phone call had become irrelevant because the raid turned up independent evidence that underage girls had been impregnated.

"The removal was based on our investigation. It was not based on the initial call," spokesman Patrick Crimmins said.

The affidavit made public Wednesday, which was provided to The Washington Post by the Associated Press, indicates links to Swinton even though she has no apparent connection to the Eldorado ranch.

One phone number used to call the San Angelo shelter is registered to a Courtney Swinton, with an address in Rozita Swinton's apartment complex. The affidavit said authorities had "several reports regarding Rozita Swinton making false reports" with another number that had also been used to call the shelter.

The affidavit said that in previous years, Swinton had been linked to other tales of terrifying abuse. In one, a woman calling herself Dana Anderson phoned a hotline to say that she was 13 years old and had been locked in a basement and sexually abused by her father. In another, a girl calling herself Dana said she was abused by a youth pastor at a Colorado church.

The affidavit described these events as part of a request for a warrant for Swinton, charging her with false reporting to authorities. It said she had already pleaded guilty to false reporting last year in Colorado. Attempts to reach Swinton yesterday were unsuccessful: One number listed on the affidavit was disconnected, and a call to another was not returned.

The affidavit does not put forward any motive Swinton might have had for allegedly making the calls, but it hints at a possible personality disorder. The document quotes a former worker at a shelter for abused women in Colorado Springs who may have received calls from Swinton in February. In one, Swinton allegedly said, "Rozita and Dana are in the same body, but just different personalities," and that the "Dana personality is there to protect Rozita from being hurt."

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:26 am

A lot of mental agony caused by overreaction to an anonymous phone call. People could have been killed.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:35 am

Very good point, Hoppy.

I think they were just "too happy" to go on this mission. Looking for any excuse.

Pheasy · Post by **Pheasy** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:43 am

A cry for help cannot be ignored. However if this is correct, and only one call was made from a known 'porky' teller it does seem to be a very 'heavy handed' approach. I would imagine there has to be more to this - the operation itself must of cost a fortune .... someone has a lot explaining to do if this is true

along-for-the-ride · Post by **along-for-the-ride** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 1:34 pm

Pheasy;845735 wrote: A cry for help cannot be ignored. However if this is correct, and only one call was made from a known 'porky' teller it does seem to be a very 'heavy handed' approach. I would imagine there has to be more to this - the operation itself must of cost a fortune .... someone has a lot explaining to do if this is true

I agree, Pheasy.

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:30 pm

fuzzy butt;846436 wrote: I don't understand you guys . they have evidence of child abuse right down to the fact that there are underage pregnancies and you want to spit in the eye of those who are rescuing these children. By a twist of fate at least these children will be kept an eye on now. and those keeping children "to breed" will be prosecuted.

As for the poor sick woman who obviously has a dissacociative condition she can be hardly blamed, for her false reports.

(WE have a woman around here who makes false rape reports, but it's not her fault, and she has been raped (and most likely quite a few times as well) because she's an easy target but she dissacociates and could not stand up in court to testify, their would never be a conviction.)

By the grace of god somehow one of this womans reports has been confused and the church or whatever are now being investigated. she may not have been able to to save herself but she has helped many others now.

Don't allow these barstards to get away with what they have done to over 400 children because of a technicality or a bungle.

If an uderage girl being pregnant is just cause enough, then their should be raids and siezures going on all over the USA right now.

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:58 pm

fuzzy butt;846445 wrote: Yep................. otherwise what are you saying as a community, city, state or country, that child abuse is acceptable. You're choice.

The best evidence of child sexual abuse is pregnancy wouldn't you think?

What I said is, if a child being pregnant is reason enough for raids and siezures, why aren't raids going on nationwide now? I live in a small city and I know of 6+ pregnant underage girls now. So do the state agencies. Nothing is happening though. No armored cars and swat cops swooping in on 'em. These girls have their brats and go on welfare.

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:05 pm

It's a classic case of overreaction, pure and simple.

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:09 pm

Yell "child abuse" or "animal abuse" and you got the attention of the whole free world, ready to leap before they look.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:45 pm

fuzzy butt;846436 wrote: Don't allow these barstards to get away with what they have done to over 400 children because of a technicality or a bungle. ANd no one can say that this one call actually is the reson for the investigation in the first place . these investigations do not come aobut by the spare of the moment.
What exactly have they done to over 400 children? We need to tread carefully in this area. Doubtless some children have been raped. I'll bet the vast majority have not. I'll also be that most are obedient and well-behaved.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:54 pm

fuzzy butt;846445 wrote: Yep................. otherwise what are you saying as a community, city, state or country, that child abuse is acceptable. You're choice.

The best evidence of child sexual abuse is pregnancy wouldn't you think?
I agree with Hoppy. It's the selectivity that stinks, Fuzz. The concern isn't with teen pregnancy so much as polygamy.

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:39 pm

The fact that teenage girls, some as young as 13 being impregnated by grown men isn't disturbing? Yes there are alot of cases of teenage pregnacy in this country even world. But they aren't caused by the teenager being forced to marry some one 20 plus years older than them.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:49 pm

Whatever happen to these 400 Children will be life altering. They will be push into a world they know little about. They will be taken from their Mothers and Fathers and put in Foster home in a environment they have never been a part of. Each and every case has to be handled so very carefully or they will be even more confused and damaged they they are now. I just feel for the Children and hope we do our very best to insure they have proper treatment as they are introduced to our sometimes rough world.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:52 am

fuzzy butt;846511 wrote: Sexual child abuse is also considered as such when other children are wittness to the distress of other children or are taught that one day they will also have this fate or be expected to partake in a forced sexual act of their own. You also have the conditioning of other children to encourage others into this situation. Agreed. I've seen firsthand how physical abuse of one kid can cause psychological damage to others in the family or group.

fuzzy butt wrote: Then you have the young boys who are told they will never be allowed to have sex because it's not their role within the congregation. Some young men are told to leave the sect etc. because it's only those chosen to procreate and have the authority to do so that will be committing these crimes . I haven't heard anything about this part of the FLDS church. Are you certain it's true?

fuzzy butt wrote: The psychological effects of this situation are devastatingly damaging and not just to the children who are the physical victims but to those who are wittnessing this situation.Agreed as above.

fuzzy butt wrote: I wrote in another thread about polygamy.

Say you wanted to live with three women....well no one is going to have a problem with that really, consenting adults and all that.

But after you've had a few kids to each of them your brother decides this is a pretty good lifestyle and wants a bit of the action . Now you either tell him to **** off and begin his own harem or you decide that it should be kept in the family and suddenly you a convincing your daughters to marry their uncle. When your daughters say NO your get their mothers to convince them. Or maybe get another deeply trusted friend to convince them that it's okay .Your reasoning doesn't follow at all.

fuzzy butt wrote: And of course while all this convincing is going on, your children are home schooled because you don't want them out in the community hearing other points of view to your individual chosen lifestyle. So instead of learning they are being indoctrinated.Polygamy doesn't equate to religion. You've mixed the two here unnecessarily so the logic doesn't follow.

fuzzy butt wrote:

See the difference? From where it begins to what it ends up as? Now put the strentgth of religion and authority behind this scenario and you'll have an extremely damaging lifestyle.

The selectivity revolves around these select organisations because they are the most damaging to human beings.
THE most damaging? Come on. Your reasoning doesn't make logical sense, but it does show how a local government can make such a kneejerk reaction to this while completely ignoring similar abuses within thier own city and schools.

The one and only thing that I agree with you on is that all the children are potentially damaged/abused when even one is abused.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:55 am

Anyone wondering about young men kicked of the polygyny

practicing FLDS church, google "FLDS Lost Boys". Some of the articles

are old, but I have seen more recent reports on tv, one of the

primetime news "magazines" unfortunately can't recall which.

If I remember correctly, there are some small organizations working

towards getting them finished schooling and jobs, etc.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:20 pm

valerie;846771 wrote: Anyone wondering about young men kicked of the polygyny

practicing FLDS church, google "FLDS Lost Boys". Some of the articles

are old, but I have seen more recent reports on tv, one of the

primetime news "magazines" unfortunately can't recall which.

If I remember correctly, there are some small organizations working

towards getting them finished schooling and jobs, etc.

I just recently learned about them! Seems the big picture on the girls but yes, what about the boys?