Women Who Claim They Were Child Brides


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How One Woman Escaped Tony Alamo’s Compound

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Escaping Tony Alamo

OPRAH SHOW SUMMARY

Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree, four women who share a dark secret, are stepping out of the shadows to tell their stories publicly for the first time.

At first glance, Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree don’t seem to have much in common. Jeanne is a 31-year-old hotel clerk, and Amy is a 26-year-old working mom. Desiree is an 18-year-old who dreams of becoming an FBI agent, and Nikki is a 26-year-old bartender.

Despite their differences, these women are bonded by the horrors they say they experienced as children. Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki were all born into the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry, which, some say, is a cult.

In the 1980s, Alamo, a self-proclaimed prophet of God, had thousands of devoted followers in the United States, including the parents of Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki. “When Tony would say that God spoke to him, everyone believed it,” Jeanne says.

At the height of the ministry’s popularity, many followers lived in compounds, including one in Fouke, Arkansas. Outsiders had no idea what was going on beyond the barred windows, but these four women know all too well.

Ex-followers say that by the late 1990s Alamo was living in this sprawling compound with more than a dozen women, some of whom he called his “spiritual wives.” Though no legal documents were ever signed, Jeanne, Amy and Desiree say they were three of Alamo’s “wives.” But when they said their vows, they hardly qualified as women—they were still girls.
Jeanne says that when she was 15 years old Alamo, who was 59 years old and her pastor at the time, forced her to become his spiritual wife and have sex with him. Amy says Alamo made her say vows and submit to his sexual desires when she was 14.

Then, Alamo did something that reportedly shocked even his most devoted followers. Desiree says Alamo made her his youngest spiritual wife when she was just 8 years old. Desiree says Alamo then forced her to have sex with him.

Nikki says she was 15 years old when she realized Alamo planned to make her his next “wife.” Nikki escaped the compound and fled before Alamo had the chance to act.

Jeanne, Amy and Desiree say they lived as Alamo’s “wives” for years and endured abuse before they were able to leave. They eventually fled the compound and left the church that once ruled their lives.

Then, in July 2009, these four young women came face-to-face with Alamo once again. This time, in federal court. Despite pressure from family members and friends who still belong to Alamo’s church, they testified against their former leader.

A jury found Alamo guilty of transporting minors across state lines with the intent to have sex, and he’s now serving 175 years in prison.

Alamo’s attorneys are planning to appeal the case.
Many Americans have never heard of Alamo or his ministry, but Lynn LaRowe, a Texarkana Gazette reporter who’s been covering Alamo’s story for years, says he began making a name for himself in Los Angeles in the late 1960s.

“Tony Alamo said God appeared before him in his body and told him that he needed to go spread the Lord’s message or that he would surely die,” Lynn says.

In 1966, Alamo married Susan Lipowitz and established the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation. “Susan Alamo actually operated a television ministry,” Lynn says. “Tony Alamo would make cameo appearances as a gospel singer.”

Their ministry gained thousands of followers and became a huge success. Then, in 1982, Susan died of cancer. Former members say that’s when Alamo’s dark side was unleashed.

Alamo reportedly put his wife’s dead body in his dining room, and former church members say he made men, women and children pray over her corpse for almost two years. They were told their prayers would raise Susan from the dead, but when it didn’t work, a former member says Alamo blamed his faithful followers.
Over time, Alamo began to exert more control over members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry. He turned his church it into a multimillion-dollar business, built on the backs of devoted followers.

“They spent all of their time either praying or working in some capacity for the ministry,” Lynn says. “They were completely physically, if not psychologically, as well, exhausted. So there was no time for independent thinking.”

Emboldened by his success, Alamo wasn’t afraid to share his radical views with the world. During a 2008 interview with CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, Alamo ranted against the Catholic Church and argued that the Bible implies that puberty is the age of consent.

“I don’t know when girls reach puberty. Most of them around 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,” he said during the interview. “God inseminated Mary at the age of around 10 to 12. Should we get him for having sex?”

Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree say that when they lived in Alamo’s Arkansas compound, he controlled every facet of his followers’ lives, and threatened violence and eternal damnation if they dared to disobey him. “He was the one who laid down the rules,” Desiree says.

Nikki says Alamo decided everything, from who could get a driver’s license to whom a member could marry.
Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki say that when Alamo set his sights on a young girl in his congregation, her parents couldn’t say no. In fact, some believed becoming one of his spiritual wives was an honor.

“My mom had told me the only person I was going to marry was Tony Alamo,” Amy says.

Once Alamo “married” a girl, Jeanne says he used her to fulfill his sexual desires. “Tony Alamo had up to 13 wives. About, I would say, half were minors, and he had had sex with every single one of us,” she says. “He preferred the younger ones.”

Four days after Alamo exchanged vows with Jeanne, his eighth “wife,” she says he made her have sex with him. “I did believe that God was telling him that I was supposed to have sex with him, that I was supposed to be his wife, that anything he asked of me, I was supposed to do,” she says.

When Desiree was an 8-year-old little girl who loved playing with dolls, she believed Alamo was a prophet. But, she says, she still felt that what was happening was wrong.

“I just remember Tony bringing me into his room at one point. He laid me on the bed, said the marriage vows, said ‘I do,’ got a wedding ring, and after that, what actually made it final was, instead of a marriage license, you had sex,” Desiree says. “I didn’t know about sex. I didn’t know about any of that. What kept going through my mind was: ‘How can this be right? Isn’t this wrong?’”
Despite what she’d been taught all her life, Nikki says she also felt that Alamo’s manipulation and teachings were wrong. “I thought, ‘If this is heaven and this is what’s going to get me to heaven, I’m going to have to go to hell,’” she says.

Nikki says that in 1999, after she realized she would become Alamo’s next spiritual wife, she took action. Although Alamo had taught her to fear the outside world, she found the courage inside herself to run.

One afternoon, Nikki says she fled the compound. She eluded Alamo’s security guards by running through thick brush for hours. “He sent every person out to look up and down the highways,” Nikki says. “They went through every store, every fast food place.”

After running for miles through the woods, Nikki was exhausted and terrified. Finally, she spotted a house across a field and hurried to the front door. Vince and Karen Coker, strangers who lived in the house, took a leap of faith and invited her to stay the night.

The Cokers offered Nikki a change of clothes, a warm bath and a bed to sleep in. “I remember laying in the bed. I felt a little bit safe,” Nikki says. “I thought, ‘Maybe, maybe they will really help me.’”
While staying with the Cokers, Nikki made up a story about who she was and why she was running. Vince and Karen say they didn’t believe her, but they knew she needed help. They ended up buying Nikki a bus ticket to California, where her mother, Lisa, was living.

When Nikki arrived at her mother’s house, she discovered that her mother was still being controlled by Alamo and his followers.

“I received a phone call from Tony himself,” Lisa says. “Tony told me to have [Nikki] arrested. I said, ‘Tony, I can’t do that.’”

Instead, Lisa packed up her daughter’s possessions and told her to go away. “[It was] one of the saddest moments of my entire life,” Nikki says. “She put me on the bus, and it absolutely broke my heart.”

Alamo allowed Lisa to give Nikki $50 and a bus ticket. “I went all over the country for about three months trying to find somewhere to stay,” she says.

Today, Lisa is no longer a member of Alamo’s church, and looking back, she says she should have done something to protect her daughter. “I believe I was out of my mind to let it happen like that,” Lisa says.
Though Nikki’s mother has since left the church, some members of Amy and Desiree’s families still believe Alamo is a prophet. Their mothers even testified against them in federal court.

“[My mother] hates me now, I’m sure, because I testified against him,” Amy says. “When we were sitting in the courtroom, she called me a ’stinking weasel.’”

Despite her testimony and Alamo’s conviction, Desiree says her mother is in denial about what he did to her and other young girls. “She thinks Tony is really this man of God,” Desiree says.

“So your own mother doesn’t believe you?” Oprah asks.

“No,” Desiree says. Oprah Show producers reached out to Alamo for a statement, but he never responded.

But Alamo’s church, which is still in business, sent us a message. This is part of it, verbatim.

“Tony Alamo has no secret world or child brides. He is the least secret person in the world. His church and he are open daily to the public, and he is very outspoken, as an open book. Oprah and the government media and the Roman Catholics are in conspiracy against him and his whole church.”
In April 2010, Nikki returned to Alamo’s Arkansas compound for the first time since she says she escaped. Her visit brought back many memories.

“A lot of people lost their childhood and their innocence in there,” Nikki says. “That’s what I want people to see and to realize. … Don’t be so blind. Don’t just say: ‘It’s not my business. They’re the neighbors.’ Hell was inside of there.”

If you notice something strange about a neighbor, family member or friend, Nikki encourages you to speak up.

“I don’t care if someone says, ‘It’s not your business,’” she says. “Do you know how desperately bad we needed someone to poke their nose into something that wasn’t their business? And no one did.”
Printed from Oprah.com on Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Women Who Claim They Were Child Brides

Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree, four women who share a dark secret, are stepping out of the shadows to tell their stories publicly for the first time.

At first glance, Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree don’t seem to have much in common. Jeanne is a 31-year-old hotel clerk, and Amy is a 26-year-old working mom. Desiree is an 18-year-old who dreams of becoming an FBI agent, and Nikki is a 26-year-old bartender.

Despite their differences, these women are bonded by the horrors they say they experienced as children. Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki were all born into the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry, which, some say, is a cult.

In the 1980s, Alamo, a self-proclaimed prophet of God, had thousands of devoted followers in the United States, including the parents of Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki. “When Tony would say that God spoke to him, everyone believed it,” Jeanne says.

At the height of the ministry’s popularity, many followers lived in compounds, including one in Fouke, Arkansas. Outsiders had no idea what was going on beyond the barred windows, but these four women know all too well.

Ex-followers say that by the late 1990s Alamo was living in this sprawling compound with more than a dozen women, some of whom he called his “spiritual wives.” Though no legal documents were ever signed, Jeanne, Amy and Desiree say they were three of Alamo’s “wives.” But when they said their vows, they hardly qualified as women—they were still girls.
Jeanne says that when she was 15 years old Alamo, who was 59 years old and her pastor at the time, forced her to become his spiritual wife and have sex with him. Amy says Alamo made her say vows and submit to his sexual desires when she was 14.

Then, Alamo did something that reportedly shocked even his most devoted followers. Desiree says Alamo made her his youngest spiritual wife when she was just 8 years old. Desiree says Alamo then forced her to have sex with him.

Nikki says she was 15 years old when she realized Alamo planned to make her his next “wife.” Nikki escaped the compound and fled before Alamo had the chance to act.

Jeanne, Amy and Desiree say they lived as Alamo’s “wives” for years and endured abuse before they were able to leave. They eventually fled the compound and left the church that once ruled their lives.

Then, in July 2009, these four young women came face-to-face with Alamo once again. This time, in federal court. Despite pressure from family members and friends who still belong to Alamo’s church, they testified against their former leader.

A jury found Alamo guilty of transporting minors across state lines with the intent to have sex, and he’s now serving 175 years in prison.

Alamo’s attorneys are planning to appeal the case.
Many Americans have never heard of Alamo or his ministry, but Lynn LaRowe, a Texarkana Gazette reporter who’s been covering Alamo’s story for years, says he began making a name for himself in Los Angeles in the late 1960s.

“Tony Alamo said God appeared before him in his body and told him that he needed to go spread the Lord’s message or that he would surely die,” Lynn says.

In 1966, Alamo married Susan Lipowitz and established the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation. “Susan Alamo actually operated a television ministry,” Lynn says. “Tony Alamo would make cameo appearances as a gospel singer.”

Their ministry gained thousands of followers and became a huge success. Then, in 1982, Susan died of cancer. Former members say that’s when Alamo’s dark side was unleashed.

Alamo reportedly put his wife’s dead body in his dining room, and former church members say he made men, women and children pray over her corpse for almost two years. They were told their prayers would raise Susan from the dead, but when it didn’t work, a former member says Alamo blamed his faithful followers.
Over time, Alamo began to exert more control over members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry. He turned his church it into a multimillion-dollar business, built on the backs of devoted followers.

“They spent all of their time either praying or working in some capacity for the ministry,” Lynn says. “They were completely physically, if not psychologically, as well, exhausted. So there was no time for independent thinking.”

Emboldened by his success, Alamo wasn’t afraid to share his radical views with the world. During a 2008 interview with CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, Alamo ranted against the Catholic Church and argued that the Bible implies that puberty is the age of consent.

“I don’t know when girls reach puberty. Most of them around 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,” he said during the interview. “God inseminated Mary at the age of around 10 to 12. Should we get him for having sex?”

Jeanne, Amy, Nikki and Desiree say that when they lived in Alamo’s Arkansas compound, he controlled every facet of his followers’ lives, and threatened violence and eternal damnation if they dared to disobey him. “He was the one who laid down the rules,” Desiree says.

Nikki says Alamo decided everything, from who could get a driver’s license to whom a member could marry.
Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki say that when Alamo set his sights on a young girl in his congregation, her parents couldn’t say no. In fact, some believed becoming one of his spiritual wives was an honor.

“My mom had told me the only person I was going to marry was Tony Alamo,” Amy says.

Once Alamo “married” a girl, Jeanne says he used her to fulfill his sexual desires. “Tony Alamo had up to 13 wives. About, I would say, half were minors, and he had had sex with every single one of us,” she says. “He preferred the younger ones.”

Four days after Alamo exchanged vows with Jeanne, his eighth “wife,” she says he made her have sex with him. “I did believe that God was telling him that I was supposed to have sex with him, that I was supposed to be his wife, that anything he asked of me, I was supposed to do,” she says.

When Desiree was an 8-year-old little girl who loved playing with dolls, she believed Alamo was a prophet. But, she says, she still felt that what was happening was wrong.

“I just remember Tony bringing me into his room at one point. He laid me on the bed, said the marriage vows, said ‘I do,’ got a wedding ring, and after that, what actually made it final was, instead of a marriage license, you had sex,” Desiree says. “I didn’t know about sex. I didn’t know about any of that. What kept going through my mind was: ‘How can this be right? Isn’t this wrong?’”
Despite what she’d been taught all her life, Nikki says she also felt that Alamo’s manipulation and teachings were wrong. “I thought, ‘If this is heaven and this is what’s going to get me to heaven, I’m going to have to go to hell,’” she says.

Nikki says that in 1999, after she realized she would become Alamo’s next spiritual wife, she took action. Although Alamo had taught her to fear the outside world, she found the courage inside herself to run.

One afternoon, Nikki says she fled the compound. She eluded Alamo’s security guards by running through thick brush for hours. “He sent every person out to look up and down the highways,” Nikki says. “They went through every store, every fast food place.”

After running for miles through the woods, Nikki was exhausted and terrified. Finally, she spotted a house across a field and hurried to the front door. Vince and Karen Coker, strangers who lived in the house, took a leap of faith and invited her to stay the night.

The Cokers offered Nikki a change of clothes, a warm bath and a bed to sleep in. “I remember laying in the bed. I felt a little bit safe,” Nikki says. “I thought, ‘Maybe, maybe they will really help me.’”
While staying with the Cokers, Nikki made up a story about who she was and why she was running. Vince and Karen say they didn’t believe her, but they knew she needed help. They ended up buying Nikki a bus ticket to California, where her mother, Lisa, was living.

When Nikki arrived at her mother’s house, she discovered that her mother was still being controlled by Alamo and his followers.

“I received a phone call from Tony himself,” Lisa says. “Tony told me to have [Nikki] arrested. I said, ‘Tony, I can’t do that.’”

Instead, Lisa packed up her daughter’s possessions and told her to go away. “[It was] one of the saddest moments of my entire life,” Nikki says. “She put me on the bus, and it absolutely broke my heart.”

Alamo allowed Lisa to give Nikki $50 and a bus ticket. “I went all over the country for about three months trying to find somewhere to stay,” she says.

Today, Lisa is no longer a member of Alamo’s church, and looking back, she says she should have done something to protect her daughter. “I believe I was out of my mind to let it happen like that,” Lisa says.
Though Nikki’s mother has since left the church, some members of Amy and Desiree’s families still believe Alamo is a prophet. Their mothers even testified against them in federal court.

“[My mother] hates me now, I’m sure, because I testified against him,” Amy says. “When we were sitting in the courtroom, she called me a ’stinking weasel.’”

Despite her testimony and Alamo’s conviction, Desiree says her mother is in denial about what he did to her and other young girls. “She thinks Tony is really this man of God,” Desiree says.

“So your own mother doesn’t believe you?” Oprah asks.

“No,” Desiree says. Oprah Show producers reached out to Alamo for a statement, but he never responded.

But Alamo’s church, which is still in business, sent us a message. This is part of it, verbatim.

“Tony Alamo has no secret world or child brides. He is the least secret person in the world. His church and he are open daily to the public, and he is very outspoken, as an open book. Oprah and the government media and the Roman Catholics are in conspiracy against him and his whole church.”
In April 2010, Nikki returned to Alamo’s Arkansas compound for the first time since she says she escaped. Her visit brought back many memories.

“A lot of people lost their childhood and their innocence in there,” Nikki says. “That’s what I want people to see and to realize. … Don’t be so blind. Don’t just say: ‘It’s not my business. They’re the neighbors.’ Hell was inside of there.”

If you notice something strange about a neighbor, family member or friend, Nikki encourages you to speak up.

“I don’t care if someone says, ‘It’s not your business,’” she says. “Do you know how desperately bad we needed someone to poke their nose into something that wasn’t their business? And no one did.”
Printed from Oprah.com on Wednesday, May 26, 2010

How One Woman Escaped Tony Alamo’s Compound

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Living With Tony Alamo

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Watch Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki, former members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry, look back at their lost childhoods.

Women Who Claim They Were Child Brides In The USA

Women Who Claim They Were Child Brides in the USA

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Two of these women say they were child brides of the same man. One woman risked everything to escape. Now, our cameras follow her back to the compound.
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Posted on May 21, 2010 11:41 AM
Oprah talks to women who claim they were child brides, right here in the United States. They say they were members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry at the height of its popularity in the ’80s, when some faithful followers believed there was no higher honor than becoming one of his spiritual wives. Find out why these young women are talking now.

This appeal is one of three cases decided today that involve children who were taken into emergency custody by DHS from the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound in Fouke, Arkansas, in September 2008. Appellant Brian Broderick is the father of two girls, S.B. and A.B., taken into custody and challenges the circuit court’s order adjudicating his daughters dependent-neglected. Judge Joe Griffin heard this case and the one concerning Alphonso Reid’s daughters, A.R. and C.R., at the same hearing. Judge Jim Hudson heard the proceeding concerning Greg Seago’s daughter, V.S. Many witnesses testified at both hearings, and some testimony was consolidated in all three cases. Where possible, we will refer to the evidence discussed at length in the Seago opinion in order to avoid repetition.

Broderick has been a member of the ministry for over twenty-five years. He works
for and lives on property used by the ministry. S. B., the mother of S.B. and A.B.,
married Broderick in 1989 in the ministry when she was fifteen or sixteen. She left the ministry in early 2008 and is now living in Virginia with her fourteen-year-old daughter, M.B., and her adult son, N. B.. Although S. B. was involved in the
adjudication proceeding, she has not appealed the adjudication order. The Brodericks’ fifteen year-old son lives with his father. S.B., who was born December 1995, and A.B., who was born June 1997, lived at Alamo’s residence before they were taken into custody by DHS.

S. O. testified in this hearing and in the Seago hearing. As in the Seago
case, he talked about the iron control held by Tony Alamo over the members of the ministry. In both hearings, he testified about being beaten by John Kolbeck [Kolbek] when he was twelve; his second beating by Kolbeck in 2006, when his sister, A.O., was also beaten; and a third beating in October 2007. S.O. stated that parents must get permission from Alamo to take their children to the doctor, and that he never saw a parent try to prevent their child from being beaten. He explained that fear played a vital role in keeping everyone under control. He testified that the members of the church were taught that if they left, they would fall into sin; that they could not trust the government, which was the “anti-Christ”; and that they could not go to the government for help. S. O. said that his parents would not speak to him after he left the ministry.

M.B., who also testified at the Seago hearing, testified that she, S.B., A.B., A.R., V.S., B.S., A.T., and M.E. were underage females who lived at Alamo’s house with the adult women who were known to be Alamo’s wives. She said that D.K. moved into Alamo’s house when she was eight, and that S.H. moved there when she was about ten. M.B. said that she saw both D.K. and S.H., who were known as his wives and had wedding rings, go into Alamo’s bedroom and shut the door, staying there for hours. As in the Seago hearing, she described her sexual molestation and threats by Tony Alamo when she was in the shower. She
said that she did not tell her parents about the molestation because they would not have believed her over Alamo. As in the Seago hearing, she described her beating by John Kolbeck when she was ten years old, and talked about being forced to participate in a recording with B.S., V.S., and A.R., wherein the underage girls denied having been molested by Alamo.

M.B. also testified that she witnessed her sister S.B. being beaten by Michelle [Misheal] Jones, one of Alamo’s wives, with a board, while M.B. was forced to help hold her sister down. Another time, she said, she observed Alamo catch B.S. by the throat and shove her against the wall. She also said that she heard B.S. being beaten by Kolbeck as she screamed that she wanted her mother.

D. O. also testified in both hearings. He described his punishment on “diesel therapy” and said that the whole church was placed on a week-long fast when he was eight or nine years old. He stated that, after his sister Alice [Alys] moved in with Alamo when she was ten or eleven, his family’s status improved. His mother received a new Dodge Caravan; his father got an expensive digital camera; they moved into a very large house in Texarkana; and his parents obtained better jobs in the ministry. He stated, “It is common knowledge that if you move into Tony’s house and you are spending a certain amount of years there, you are one of his wives. I mean he definitely doesn’t have boys coming over all the time. It’s only little girls and they usually never move out.”
A. D. also testified in both hearings. She said that her sister Pebbles was one
of Alamo’s wives and described seeing several young girls go into Alamo’s bedroom; she saw Alys Ondrisek go into Alamo’s room and stay for three or four days. She stated that Alamo talked about how beautiful Alys Ondrisek was and referred to her as his wife. As in the Seago hearing, she described her periods of imposed fasting and her physical punishment. She described the beatings of other young girls, including A.O., and Kolbeck’s beating of D. O. and S. O. She testified that, when they were tipped off about an upcoming raid, the younger girls who were Alamo’s wives were sent out of Alamo’s residence, and that she observed some pictures of his underage wives being removed from his belongings.

The video taped depositions of N. B. and J. C., which were played in the Seago hearing, were also admitted in this hearing.

A.R., Alphonso Reid’s stepdaughter, also testified about being beaten and
forced to fast as punishment. She said that the primary reason why she left the ministry was because Alamo did not permit her to obtain medical attention for her son, who was born with a serious medical condition. A. R. testified that Alamo has multiple wives and that she witnessed J.G. and W.T. marry thirty-year-old men when J.G. was twelve and W.T. was thirteen. A. said that she had only completed the eighth grade.

Dr. Karen Worley’s testimony in this hearing was significantly similar to her testimony in the Seago hearing. She said that the girls in this proceeding did not reveal any sexual abuse.
She stated that C.R., A.B., and S.B. talked about how the government thought that Alamo was a pedophile and appeared to have been coached before their interviews with investigators.

Robbie Polite, with DHS, testified that, although S.B. and A.B. had received some
immunizations, they were not up-to-date, according to the records in Arkansas.
S.B. testified that, since she was eleven years old, she and A.B. had primarily lived in Alamo’s house. She described a spanking that Alamo ordered one of his wives, Michelle Jones, to give her: “After he got off the phone, Tony said he was going [to] have Michelle spank me and I begged him not to and he said, yes, he was going to, I needed to learn my lesson and he took me into his room and got the paddle from behind his desk and had all my friends and everybody in the office come into his room and said for all them to watch me. . . .I was scared. I was crying. I asked him not to do this. We went into Tony’s room and he had four people hold me, hold my arms and legs down and he told me to bend over on his bed and I believe it was, do I need to say the name? It was Lydia, Sharon Alamo, Yvonne. She is known as Pebbles. And I can’t remember who else . . . but I got beat four times with the board. . . . He didn’t know how many licks I was going to get. He . . . had a smile on his face and just watching me and he whispered something to Michelle and Michelle just gave me four. After it was done I said thank you. I said that because I believed that he was doing it because he loved me and that’s what he said. . . . I had marks on my thighs. They were big bruises and, you know, my blood vessels had broken inside my skin. They were blue, purple, and black. They hurt. I felt the pain for about three weeks. About the first week I couldn’t sit down, but the second week after that I could. I did not report the pain because I was scared. Tony has slapped me probably five times. I think, five. He slapped my face. Well one time it was because he said I was giving him a dirty look, and which I wasn’t but. [sic] That caused me to question him being blind.”

S.B. said that she did not tell her father about the spanking or that Alamo had slapped her.

Bernie Lazar Hoffman, aka Tony Alamo, testified that he did not have total control over the members of the church. He denied the allegations of sexual abuse. He affirmed his belief in the Bible’s teachings that polygamy is acceptable and that girls can be married after they reach puberty. He denied, however, actually practicing polygamy, or condoning or permitting the marriage of underage girls.

He said that he had not witnessed A.O.’s “spanking” by Kolbeck, but acknowledged that he had witnessed S.O.’s “spanking.” He called the reports of beatings “exaggerated.” A significant amount of his testimony concerned his religious beliefs and was not relevant to the issues presented in this
appeal.

Alphonso Reid denied having any knowledge of beatings, sexual abuse of young girls, underage marriages, or fasts. He admitted that he had permitted Tamela to live in Alamo’s house since she was eleven or twelve; that A.R. and C.R. had also lived there; and that he had lived apart from the girls in Fouke. He said that when he was not traveling for work with the ministry, he lived in the brothers’ dorm, and admitted being away from Fouke for months at a time. He acknowledged seeing J. G. with her husband, and that he knew about the recording Alamo had made with the girls, as well as the allegations of sexual abuse. He admitted asking Alamo for permission to marry A.D., but said that the marriage did not occur because she was underage and she did not want to marry him; he said that the idea “was from the devil.” He said that he thought that Alamo was a prophet and did not believe that Alamo had sexually abused any girls.

Brian Broderick denied knowing that children had been beaten, sexually abused,
slapped, or forced to fast, and described the ministry as a great environment in which to raise children. He did not believe any of the witnesses testifying to such abuse and called his children, M.B. and N., liars. In fact, he said that there was nothing anyone could do to make him believe that Alamo, whom he considered to be a prophet, had molested M.B. He acknowledged that he had been aware of the allegations of sexual abuse because he had heard the recording of Alamo and the girls and had attended some Fouke city council meetings. He admitted permitting his daughters to live at the mission, where Alamo resides, while he worked out of town for months at a time. He said that he has done construction work for the ministry most of his life, and that he is totally dependent upon it for all of his needs.

On January 6, 2009, Judge Griffin entered an order adjudicating S.B. and A.B.
dependent-neglected for the same reasons that Judge Hudson gave in the Seago order. He found S.O., D.O., A.R., M.B., J. C., and S.B. credible. He found Broderick, Reid, and Tony Alamo not credible. He imposed the same requirements on Broderick as Judge Hudson did on Seago—that he obtain housing and employment outside of the ministry.

The same day, Judge Griffin entered an order adjudicating A.R. and C.R. dependent-neglected for the same reasons, and imposing the same requirements on Reid. He made the same credibility findings.

Broderick challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the adjudication order and attacks the credibility of the witnesses who said anything negative about the ministry. As Seago argued, he contends that there was no medical evidence that the fasts were dangerous or that the children were injured. He disputes that the children were neglected medically or educationally. He also asserts, for the first time on appeal, that the trial court’s requirement that he obtain employment and housing outside of the ministry is unconstitutional. We do not address arguments raised for the first time on appeal.

See Ark. Dep’t of Health & Human Servs.
v. Jones, 97 Ark. App. 267, 248 S.W.3d 507 (2007).
Adjudication hearings are held to determine whether the allegations in a petition are substantiated by the proof.
Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-327(a)(1) (Supp. 2009).
Dependency neglect allegations must be proven by a preponderance of the evidence.
Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-325(h)(2)(B) (Supp. 2009).

We will not reverse the circuit court’s findings unless they are clearly erroneous. Brewer v. Ark. Dep’t of Human Servs., 71 Ark. App. 364, 43 S.W.3d 196
(2001).

In reviewing a dependency-neglect adjudication, we defer to the circuit court’s
evaluation of the credibility of the witnesses. Id. The focus of an adjudication hearing is on the child, not the parent. At this stage of a proceeding, the juvenile code is concerned with whether the child is dependent-neglected. An adjudication of dependency-neglect occurs without reference to which parent committed the acts or omissions leading to the adjudication; the juvenile is simply dependent-neglected.
See Howell v. Ark. Dep’t of Human
Servs., 2009 Ark. App. 138; Albright v. Ark. Dep’t of Human Servs., 97 Ark. App. 277, 248
S.W.3d 498 (2007).

Arkansas Code Annotated section 9-27-303(18)(A) (Supp. 2009) defines a “dependent neglected juvenile” as any juvenile who is at substantial risk of serious harm as a result of abandonment, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or neglect. The definition of “neglect” in section 9-27-303(36)(A) includes acts or omissions of “a parent, guardian, custodian, foster parent, or any person, who is entrusted with the juvenile’s care by a parent,” that constitute:

(i) Failure or refusal to prevent the abuse of the juvenile when the person knows or has reasonable cause to know the juvenile is or has been abused;

(ii) Failure or refusal to provide the necessary food, clothing, shelter, and education required by law, . . . or medical treatment necessary for the juvenile’s well-being . . . ;

(iii) Failure to take reasonable action to protect the juvenile from abandonment, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect, or parental unfitness when the existence of this condition was known or should have been known;

(iv) Failure or irremediable inability to provide for the essential and necessary physical, mental, or emotional needs of the juvenile, including failure to provide a shelter that does not pose a risk to the health or safety of the juvenile;

(v) Failure to provide for the juvenile’s care and maintenance, proper or necessary
support, or medical, surgical, or other necessary care;

(vi) Failure, although able, to assume responsibility for the care and custody of the
juvenile or to participate in a plan to assume the responsibility; or

(vii) Failure to appropriately supervise the juvenile that results in the juvenile’s being left alone at an inappropriate age or in inappropriate circumstances, creating a dangerous situation or a situation that puts the juvenile at risk of harm.
The evidence introduced at this hearing presented a clear picture of the danger to
children in the ministry compound at Fouke. There was testimony that many children were beaten, including M.B., S.B., and their brother; A.R.; and C.R. Several were placed on fasts. S.O. was given “diesel therapy” and his brother D. was imprisoned in a warehouse for eight months. Alamo slapped S.B. and shoved B.S. against a wall. There was evidence that Alamo molested M.B., and that he “married” several young girls. There was testimony that it was normal for underage girls to be married to much-older men. In spite of the evidence demonstrating that sexual abuse of underage girls, beatings, and fasts were widely known within the ministry, Broderick denied knowing of any potential danger to his children.

The evidence presented at this hearing sufficiently demonstrated that the environment in which Broderick placed his children was dangerous. Given the juvenile code’s goal of preventing the abuse of children before it occurs, if at all possible, we have no hesitation in affirming the circuit court’s finding that these were children dependent-neglected.

Affirmed.
VAUGHT, C.J., and MARSHALL, J., agree.
10 CA09-244

THORNE v. ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

No. CA 09-583.

Court of Appeals of Arkansas, Division I.

April 14, 2010.

RITA W. GRUBER, Judge.

This is one of four appeals decided today that involve children who
were removed from the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound in
Fouke, Arkansas, in November 2008. The circuit court heard the cases
together in one adjudication hearing. Appellant, Don Thorne, is the
father of three children placed in DHS’s custody. He challenges the
circuit court’s order adjudicating them dependent-neglected. We affirm
the court’s order.

In September 2008, DHS took emergency custody of six minor females who
lived in Tony Alamo’s residence at the Fouke compound. DHS presented
evidence that their parents were aware of beatings administered to the
ministry’s children by adults; that some of the parents and other
children witnessed the beatings; that the parents condoned the
marriage of underage females to adult males and placed their daughters
in the residence of Tony Alamo without parental supervision; that
Alamo sexually abused one of the girls (M.B.1) and spent time in his
bedroom with others; that the parents neglected to provide the
children with proper medical care and education; and that they
condoned extreme disciplinary measures for young children, such as
fasting. On November 18, 2009, we affirmed the circuit courts orders
adjudicating the girls dependent-neglected. See Broderick v. Ark.
Dep’t of Human Servs., 2009 Ark. App. 771, ___ S.W.3d ___; Seago v.
Ark. Dep’t of Human Servs., 2009 Ark. App. 767, ___ S.W.3d ___; Reid
v. Ark. Dep’t of Human Servs., 2009 Ark. App. 784.

The evidence taken at the girls’ adjudication hearings led DHS to seek
emergency custody of many more children in Fouke. The circuit court
held an adjudication hearing that began on January 12, 2009, for the
Reid, Seago, Broderick, Ondrisek, Krantz, Thorne, Myers, Parrish, and
Avila children. Many of the children sought by DHS, including some of
the Thorne and Myers children, were hidden by their parents or other
ministry adults. The court granted DHS’s motion for directed verdict
as to the Reid, Seago, Broderick, and Ondrisek children because their
siblings had already been adjudicated dependent-neglected. On February
17, 2010, we affirmed appeals from those adjudications because the
appellants had raised their arguments for the first time on appeal.
Today we affirm the orders adjudicating the children of the Thorne,
Krantz, Myers, and Parrish families dependent-neglected.

Don Thorne is the father of a daughter, A.T.1, aged fourteen, and two
sons, A.T.2, born in 1995, and A.T.3, aged twelve. From an earlier
marriage, he is also the father of one of the other appellants, Sophia
Parrish, aged twenty-three. He has been a member of the ministry since
1974, when he was nineteen. There was testimony that A.T.1 lived in
Tony Alamo’s residence. Thorne works for the ministry and lives on its
property in Fouke. At the time of the hearing, his wife, Luisa
Cordero-Thorne, was in hiding with A.T.1 and A.T.3 with Thorne’s help.
Although Thorne claimed to not know where they were, the circuit court
held him in contempt until his wife brought the children back.

The witnesses at the adjudication hearing were G.P.1 (the son of
Carlos and Sophia Parish); J. C. (a former member of the
ministry); M.B.1 (a former member); N. B. (a former
member); S.B. (a former member); H.D. (a former member); Don Thorne;
Sophia Parrish; Carlos Parrish; Bert Krantz; Debra Ondrisek; Miriam
Krantz; Richard Ondrisek; Cindy Allen (a DHS supervisor); Brian
Broderick; Alphonso Reid; Bethany Myers; Rebecca Avila; and Jose
Avila. Nicholas, M.B.1, and S.B. are siblings of M.B.2, who was a
subject of this hearing. J. C. is their aunt. Like Thorne,
the Krantzes, the Parrishes, Bethany Myers, the Ondriseks, the Avilas,
Brian Broderick, and Alphonso Reid are parents of some of the children
with whom this hearing was concerned.

J. C. testified that she was born in the ministry in 1972 and
married her husband when she was sixteen and he was twenty-seven. She
said that the ministry is not a safe environment in which to rear
children and testified at length about its communal lifestyle; its
secrecy; the reporting system that encourages members to inform on
each others’ transgressions; the imposition of fasting as punishment;
and the restrictions on members’ contact with the outside world. She
said that she left because she wanted her children to go to college
and that it was not customary for girls to finish high school because
they usually got married. She gave several examples of girls no older
than sixteen who married grown men. She stated that, in the past, Tony
Alamo had run the organization from prison; that he encouraged parents
to give up their parental authority to him; that the parents adopted
Alamo’s views and were blind to the risks to their children; and that
children were often separated from their parents, as she was at the
age of twelve. She described being in a group of children present when
J. M. was given 140 licks with a three-feet-long paddle at
Alamo’s direction; when it was over, blood seeped through his pants.[
1 ] She said that Alamo had spanked her with a board and had beaten
others mercilessly, and she named numerous people whom she had seen
beaten. J. C. said that, before she left the ministry, her son
confided to her that he was thinking about suicide.

S.B. described being beaten at Alamo’s direction by one of his wives,
Michelle [Mishael] Jones, when S.B. and her sisters M.B.1 and A.B. were living
at Alamo’s residence. She said that A.T.1 (Thorne’s daughter) and L.K.
(one of the Krantzes’ daughters) were in the room during her beating.
She also said that A.T.1, N.M., and M.M. (Bethany Myers’s daughters)
lived in Alamo’s home, which L.K. visited. She stated that Alamo had
slapped her four or five times and that he had hit B.S. (Greg Seago’s
daughter), C.R. (Alphonso Reid’s daughter, aged ten), and A.O. (the
Ondriseks’ daughter). She also said that some girls were forced to
fast. S.B. said that she was threatened with a spanking by John Kolbeck
[Kolbek] if she told anyone what happened at Alamo’s house. She
testified that, in February or March 2008, she and the other girls at
Alamo’s house, including A.T.1 and M.M., were forced by Alamo to
participate in recording Tape No. 564, in which they denied being
molested by him.

In detail, M.B.1 described the ministry’s secrecy and the members’
isolation from the outside world; Alamo’s teaching that the Bible
permitted girls to marry at puberty; her sexual molestation in the
shower by Alamo when she was living in his home; her beating by John
Kolbek; Kolbek’s beating of other children; Alamo’s living
arrangements with adult women and girls as young as age eight; his
time spent alone in his bedroom with the young girls; her
participation in Tape 564 with N.M.1 and M.M.; and being forced to
help hold down S.B. (aged eleven or twelve) while Michelle Jones beat
her. M.B.1 said that she heard B.S. scream while John Kolbek beat her
and that Bethany Myers was one of the people who dragged B.S. to the
beating. M.B.1 also said that two men in their twenties had asked her
to marry them and that she had friends her age who had already married
and had children and who hated their lives. She stated that most older
boys leave the ministry; that it is not safe for children; and that
Alamo would continue to control the ministry while he was in jail. She
said that the parents believe that Alamo is a prophet and do not
question his authority.

N. B. described witnessing John Kolbek’s savage beating
of S. O., P. A., and A.O., while the Ondriseks were
present and did nothing. He said that Kolbek once slapped him, but
did not beat him, because N. stated that he was going to leave
the ministry. He explained that it was normal for boys to drop out of
school by the age of seventeen and that there were few boys in school
above the tenth grade, after which he dropped out. He said that he was
forced to fast a few times and experienced “diesel therapy” (being
forced to ride with a driver of a ministry truck). He added that young
girls were at risk of becoming child brides; that J.G. married a man
in his thirties; and that R.S. married when she was fourteen.

H.D., aged seventeen, testified that she had left the ministry when
she was twelve. She said that she was forced to fast for a week at the
age of ten because she had failed to perform a chore after suffering a
head injury in a fall. She stated that the fall caused her to lose
consciousness, and when she came to, people were praying over her; no
one, however, took her to a doctor. In fact, she did not think that
ministry members were supposed to go to the hospital. She said that
she had suffered memory loss and pain and swelling on the back of her
head. She said that her sister had also been placed on a fast. H.D.
described being present when J.G. was informed that she was going to
get married at the age of twelve. She said that she and J.G. were
playing with Barbies when J.G.’s mother [Shelly Garner] received a phone call in which
she learned that the marriage would occur; J.G. and her mother were
upset, and J.G. cried. She said that J.G. had a typical wedding with a
bridal dress and bridesmaids.[ 2 ] H.D. stated that she was taught
that it was permissible to lie to people outside the ministry.

Bethany Myers acknowledged violating the court’s order by not
producing her children for DHS. She said that she had no idea where
her husband and children were. The trial court held her in contempt
and placed her in jail.

Don Thorne denied having any first-hand knowledge that John Kolbek or
anyone else had beaten the children or that children had been forced
to fast. He admitted giving Sophia away in marriage at the age of
twelve. He claimed that the ministry no longer permitted young girls
to marry but admitted that he had heard Alamo preach that the Bible
condones polygamy and the marriage of girls at puberty. Thorne denied
letting A.T.1 live at Alamo’s residence but admitted that she had
stayed there for a couple of weeks. He was untroubled by Alamo’s using
her to create Tape No. 564 without his permission. He acknowledged
that his wife had told him that she had asked John Kolbek to spank
A.T.2 while Thorne was driving a truck for the ministry.

G.P.1, aged seven, testified that his father had spanked him and two
of his younger sisters with a paddle that had their names on it. He
said that both of his parents had slapped him on the face when he was
six, leaving red marks, and that he was afraid of being spanked by
John Kolbek.

Sophia Parrish admitted slapping and “popping” G.P.1 in the mouth on
two occasions but denied leaving any marks. She admitted spanking him
and G.P.2 with a paint stirrer or with her hand. After obviously lying
under oath and being threatened with a perjury charge, Sophia returned
to the stand and admitted that she had spanked G.P.1 with a paddle;
that she had married at twelve when Carlos was nineteen; that her
father had walked her down the aisle; that she had sex with Carlos
when she was twelve; and that she had given birth to a stillborn baby
girl at the age of fourteen. Sophia stated that the Krantzes were at
her wedding, which was widely celebrated by the members of the
ministry. She affirmed that John Kolbek had spanked A.T.2 at his
mother’s request. Sophia said that she had completed only the sixth
grade because she had not wanted to be pregnant while in school. She
stated that her friends had also dropped out when they began having
children, and she listed four other weddings of young girls that she
had attended.

Carlos Parrish testified that he did not believe N. and denied
having witnessed any beatings. He stated that he had no intention of
moving away from the ministry’s property.

Bert Krantz, who was fifty-seven years old at the time of the hearing,
testified that he joined the ministry, in which he is a minister, in
1972, and that he works in disseminating Alamo’s recorded messages. He
admitted that he was present at, and approved of, several weddings of
young girls but said that the ministry had not permitted underage
girls to marry in five or six years. He stated that, although the
Bible condones the marriage of young girls at puberty, he would not
permit his children to marry during their minority, nor would he let
his children fast or be disciplined by anyone else. He stated that he
had never witnessed any physical punishment. He acknowledged having
heard Tape No. 564 but said that it had not concerned him. Bert said
that he believed that Alamo is a prophet and that it would be a sin
against God to leave the ministry. He denied letting Alamo run
anything in his life, but he admitted that he does not drive because
Alamo does not want him to do so.

Miriam Krantz, who is twenty years younger than her husband and is the
custodian of the audiotapes, also said that no one else disciplined
her children; that she was familiar with Tape No. 564; that she also
believes that Alamo is a prophet; that she did not know that Kolbek
had administered discipline; and that, when she attended Sophia’s
wedding, she was aware that Sophia was twelve, but it did not concern
her.

In the adjudication order, the circuit court found the children
dependent-neglected and made extensive findings of fact. The court
found that the Thornes had failed to protect their children against
physical abuse; that they were aware of the pattern and practice of
severe physical beatings; that they endorsed and facilitated illegal
marriages of underage females to adult males; that they neglected the
needs of their children by failing to assure that they received
adequate education and by failing to register their children in an
accredited school with certified teachers or providing legally
approved home schooling. The court also found that the parents
committed or permitted medical and physical abuse by requiring,
condoning, and permitting dangerous, involuntary fasts imposed on
children younger than fifteen, and by failing to have them properly
immunized. The court further found that the parents were aware of
multiple instances when Tony Alamo, through his direction to John
Kolbek or others, intentionally caused physical harm to S.
O., P. A., and A.O. The court found that the parents were
aware of Alamo’s pattern and practice of enforcing adherence to his
will by brutal physical attacks. The court noted M.B.1’s molestation
by Alamo at the age of thirteen. It further found that the parents
were aware that Alamo claimed to be married to multiple wives and that
they permitted and condoned the ministry’s practice of “diesel
therapy.”

The court set the goal of reunification and gave the parents
supervised visitation. Along with other requirements, it directed them
to obtain stable employment and safe and stable housing, separate and
apart from the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and its members, and to
maintain them for at least six months. The court directed Thorne to
assist DHS in locating the children currently in hiding with his
spouse. The court expressly found the testimony of M.B., J.
C., S.B., H.D., and N. B. that beatings, forced
fasting, underage marriages, educational neglect, and sexual abuse
occurred credible and stated that there was a pattern and practice of
such abuse. It deemed not credible the testimony of Carlos Parrish,
Sophia Parrish, Thorne, Bert Krantz, and Miriam Krantz that those
abuses did not occur.

Thorne first challenges the evidence supporting the adjudication of
his children as dependent-neglected and contends that there was no
evidence that they were mistreated in any way. He points out that
there was no evidence that they were not immunized; although this is
correct, it does not require reversal, in view of the overwhelming
evidence of other threats to their well-being, which are discussed
below. Thorne also asserts that the evidence does not support the
trial court’s findings that he had educationally neglected his
children, pointing out, correctly, that the Christian A Beka
curriculum used by the ministry’s school is widely accepted, and that
the state does not require private schools to be accredited or that
their teachers be certified. Nevertheless, the evidence demonstrated
that young girls frequently drop out of school long before completing
high school and that the boys, who often are placed on diesel therapy,
do not progress much further. In the ministry, getting a high school
diploma is the exception, not the rule.

Thorne also asserts that the trial court did not judge his case
separately from the others and thereby contravened Arkansas Code
Annotated section 9-27-325(i)(1) (Repl. 2009), which requires
adjudication hearings to be closed. We disagree. First, the trial
court did close the hearing. Second, although the trial court’s
adjudication orders used similar language, it was apparent that the
court considered each case on its own. Third, that statute does not
prevent the circuit court from hearing certain cases together when it
is appropriate, and appellants have cited no authority to the
contrary.

Adjudication hearings are held to determine whether the allegations in
a petition are substantiated by the proof. Ark. Code Ann. §
9-27-327(a)(1) (Repl. 2009). Dependency-neglect allegations must be
proven by a preponderance of the evidence. Ark. Code Ann. §
9-27-325(h)(2)(B) (Repl. 2009). We will not reverse the circuit
court’s findings unless they are clearly erroneous. Seago v. Ark.
Dep’t of Human Servs., 2009 Ark. App. 767, ___ S.W.3d ___. In
reviewing a dependency-neglect adjudication, we defer to the circuit
court’s evaluation of the credibility of the witnesses. Id. The focus
of an adjudication hearing is on the child, not the parent; at this
stage of a proceeding, the juvenile code is concerned with whether the
child is dependent-neglected. Id. An adjudication of
dependency-neglect occurs without reference to which parent committed
the acts or omissions leading to the adjudication; the juvenile is
simply dependent-neglected. Id.; Albright v. Ark. Dep’t of Human
Servs., 97 Ark. App. 277, 248 S.W.3d 498 (2007).

Arkansas Code Annotated section 9-27-303(18)(A) (Repl. 2009) defines a
“dependent-neglected juvenile” as any juvenile who is at substantial
risk of serious harm as a result of abandonment, abuse, sexual abuse,
sexual exploitation, or neglect. The definition of “neglect” in
section 9-27-303(36)(A) includes acts or omissions of “a parent,
guardian, custodian, foster parent, or any person who is entrusted
with the juvenile’s care by a parent” that constitute:

(i) Failure or refusal to prevent the abuse of the juvenile when
the person knows or has reasonable cause to know the juvenile is or
has been abused;

(ii) Failure or refusal to provide the necessary food, clothing,
shelter, and education required by law, . . . or medical treatment
necessary for the juvenile’s well-being . . .;

(iii) Failure to take reasonable action to protect the juvenile
from abandonment, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect,
or parental unfitness when the existence of this condition was known
or should have been known;

(iv) Failure or irremediable inability to provide for the
essential and necessary physical, mental, or emotional needs of the
juvenile, including failure to provide a shelter that does not pose a
risk to the health or safety of the juvenile;

(v) Failure to provide for the juvenile’s care and maintenance,
proper or necessary support, or medical, surgical, or other necessary
care;

(vi) Failure, although able, to assume responsibility for the care
and custody of the juvenile or to participate in a plan to assume the
responsibility; or

(vii) Failure to appropriately supervise the juvenile that results
in the juvenile’s being left alone at an inappropriate age or in
inappropriate circumstances, creating a dangerous situation or a
situation that puts the juvenile at risk of harm.

We reject Thorne’s argument that the circuit court erred in finding
his children dependent-neglected because there was no evidence that
they had personally suffered abuse. As we explained in our November
2009 Seago, Broderick, and Reid opinions, the General Assembly’s
expressed purpose in the juvenile code is to protect
dependent-neglected children and make their health and safety its
paramount concern; a child may be adjudicated dependent-neglected even
if he or she has not yet suffered abuse. Thorne, who lived and worked
in this community for over three decades, was rearing his children in
a secretive, communal environment that included sexual abuse of young
girls, underage marriage, fasting, and beatings. Thorne admitted that
his wife asked John Kolbek to spank A.T.2 while he was absent and
that he gave his twelve-year-old daughter in marriage to an adult man.
A.T.1, who apparently lived in Alamo’s home, witnessed S.B.’s beating
by Michelle Jones. Bethany Myers was one of the people who dragged
B.S. to be beaten by Kolbek. Additionally, Sophia Parrish admitted
“popping” G.P.1 on the mouth, as he had testified. Striking a child
six years of age or younger on the face or head, with or without
physical injury, is abuse. Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-303(3)(A)(vii)(a).
Thorne’s assertion that the evidence of corporal punishment should not
be credited because there was no medical evidence is disingenuous in
view of the testimony showing that the ministry discourages its
members from seeking medical assistance.

Thorne’s second argument is that two provisions of the case plan
violate his right to freely exercise his religion as protected by the
United States and Arkansas Constitutions. The circuit court ordered
Thorne to “obtain safe and stable housing separate and apart from the
Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and its members, and maintain said
housing for at least six months” and to “obtain stable employment
separate and apart from the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and its
members and maintain said employment for at least six months.” Thorne
contends that, in essence, the case plan makes him choose between his
children and his church.

DHS and the attorney ad litem argue that Thorne failed to make this
argument below and that the circuit court therefore never ruled on it.
We disagree. Thorne’s lawyer raised the constitutional issue at the
beginning of the hearing: “Your Honor, this case is purely a free
exercise of religion case.” Thorne and other witnesses testified about
the importance of communal living within the ministry. When asked
whether living off ministry property would have an effect on his
“Christian walk,” Thorne responded “[a]bsolutely.” The circuit court,
in ruling from the bench on the dependency-neglect issues, recognized
Thorne’s beliefs. “[T]he parents involved have very strong feelings
and very strong convictions concerning their spiritual beliefs and how
they wish to live.” And the court recognized the legal decision it
faced.

[W]e have the intertwining of the allegations of the state
concerning abuse in various forms and various forms of neglect coupled
with the religious and spiritual beliefs of the mothers and fathers
and families that are participants in this case. That right, as given
to us as citizens of the United States, that is freedom of religion to
believe as we cho[o]se I consider to be one of our most important
rights and one that I, as a judge, believe that I am charged to
protect within the law as within the facts.

The circuit court’s order, finally, required Thorne to make
substantial changes in his religious practices to pursue reunification
with his children. Taking this record as a whole, we conclude that
Thorne preserved the constitutional argument.

Every person’s right to make decisions of conscience about religious
matters is protected by the Free Exercise Clause of the First
Amendment to the United States Constitution and by an even more
sweeping provision of the Arkansas Constitution. Article 2, section 24
of Arkansas’s Constitution provides, in part, that “[a]ll men have a
natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to
the dictates of their own consciences . . . . No human authority can,
in any case or manner whatsoever, control or interfere with the right
of conscience . . . .” As another court stated the legal principle in
another case involving this ministry, “[r]eligious and political
beliefs, no matter how bizarre and nonconforming, are personal
matters, and the courts are not instruments of orthodoxy charged with
the responsibility of keeping citizens on the ideological straight and
narrow.” Miller v. Tony and Susan Alamo Found., 748 F. Supp. 695, 698
(W.D. Ark. 1990) (Morris S. Arnold, J.); see also West Virginia State
Board of Educ. v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624, 642 (1943). To judge the
constitutional issue fairly, therefore, we must acknowledge and
consider the circuit court’s unchallenged finding about the sincerity
of Thorne’s religious beliefs. We do.

A parent’s right of conscience in religious matters, however,
sometimes collides with state laws of general application promulgated
for the protection of children and other citizens. There are familiar
examples. Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) (a state may not
compel Amish children to attend high school until age 16); Prince v.
Massachusetts, 321 U.S. 158 (1944) (a child-labor law was
constitutional even though it kept a child from selling religious
tracts as part of her faith); Pierce v. Soc’y of the Sisters of the
Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, 268 U.S. 510 (1925) (a state may not
require students to attend public schools; a parent has the authority
to provide, and their child has the right to receive, sectarian
schooling with secular schooling). These fact-specific cases strive
for a delicate balance, one that respects all the important interests
involved: parents’ rights of conscience and of child-rearing and the
state’s interest as parens patriae in protecting children.

Arkansas law recognizes this delicate balance. “Parents, of course,
have a fundamental right to direct the care and upbringing of their
children. But the State of Arkansas has an equally compelling interest
in the protection of its children.” Porter v. Ark. Dep’t of Health &
Human Servs., 374 Ark. 177, 185, 286 S.W.3d 686, 693 (2008) (internal
citations omitted); see also Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-102 (Repl. 2009).
And in child custody disputes, for example, a parent’s religiously
motivated choices and actions are material if they affect a child’s
well being. Hicks v. Cook, 103 Ark. App. 207, 212, 288 S.W.3d 244, 248
(2008). In some cases, the facts tip the balance in favor of
protecting the child, and against the parent’s liberty—even in matters
of conscience and religious conviction. E.g., Prince, 321 U.S. at 167.

This is one of those cases. As the circuit court found, the most
pressing potential danger facing Thorne’s children was simply living
on ministry property. The record is full of testimony about beatings,
sexual abuse, underage marriages, and other problems, all of which
victimized the children of families living on ministry property. In
fashioning its case plan, the circuit court responded to the potential
danger with a narrowly tailored solution—requiring Thorne to obtain
housing separate and apart from the ministry. And because ministry
life was communal in almost every respect, the court also required
Thorne to obtain employment outside the ministry so he could earn the
money to pay for this new housing arrangement and other living
expenses. Here, as the circuit court implicitly concluded, the State’s
interest in preventing potential harm to these children outweighed
Thorne’s conscientious choice to live on ministry property, work for
the ministry, and depend on the ministry for his family’s every need.
We see no constitutional infirmity in the circuit court’s disposition
order on this record. We therefore affirm on Thorne’s second point.

Affirmed.

MARSHALL and BAKER, JJ., agree.
1. See Miller v. Tony & Susan Alamo Found., 748 F. Supp. 695 (W.D. Ark. 1990).
2. A wedding picture from J.G.’s wedding ceremony was introduced into evidence.
Click here to see the photo.

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Tony Alamo’s Enforcer On The Run

Cops: Fugitive Beat Followers For Slip-Ups

While Tony Alamo might be in jail for transporting minors over state lines for sex, another dangerous member of his church is still on the run. Cops say John Kolbek helped keep the Alamo followers in line… by beating them into submission.

The Full Story Below:

The Alamo Empire

In the late 1960s, Tony Alamo and his wife Susan began the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Ministries by recruiting the hippies and homeless off Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Calif. The group officially incorporated into the Tony and Susan Alamo Foundation on January 29, 1969.

Cops say Susan Alamo was the brains of the foundation and instructed Tony Alamo on how to act and what to say. The couple bought airtime and began spreading their message on the airwaves. Tony, a self-proclaimed singer and record promoter, performed religious songs live, while Susan preached the Bible.

While the group continued to gain followers, the Alamos gained power. However, their empire faltered when Susan was struck down with breast cancer. Ex-members say this was when Tony Alamo began to show a darker side.

He allegedly forced his followers to pray around his dead wife’s body all day and night, convinced she would rise from the dead. When her body decayed instead of resurrecting, ex-followers say Alamo told them Susan would return to him in the body of a younger woman.

In the early 90s, Alamo was sued by the IRS for back taxes, and became a fugitive for two years. After he was captured and served jail time, he returned to his church and took up old habits.

This is when cops say Alamo began to prey on young women in his church. In order to do this, he needed to control his followers. This is where John Kolbek entered the picture.
According to later testimony, Kolbek’s daughter was married to Alamo when she was only eight years-old.

The Enforcer

Ex-members say Kolbek got into Alamo’s good graces when he allowed his daughter to live with Alamo when she was six years-old. According to later testimony, the child was “married” to Alamo when she was only eight. After this precious gift, Kolbek became Alamo’s right-hand man.

Alamo allegedly became extremely controlling in every aspect of his follower’s lives. They had to submit their phone records to him, and they could not purchase clothing, food, or any other item without his approval. Ex-followers said they could not watch television without Alamo’s consent. In exchange, Alamo gave his followers salvation.

According to ex-followers, church members believed that God was actually speaking through Alamo. Alamo preached fire and brimstone, saying that the end was coming and that he would bring those who followed him into heaven. He threatened his churchgoers, saying those who left the church would become insane or homosexual, and would burn in hell when they died. This type of fear kept his flock from straying.

If anyone were to question Alamo, they would be summoned to see Kolbek. Kolbek had what was known as the “board of education,” a three foot long, six inch wide wooden board used to beat followers into submission. Ex-members said it was unpredictable when they would get beaten. There are documented records of members being beaten for playing in the dirt, making a joke about Harry Potter, playing with squirt bottles, making repairs that didn’t hold, and other meaningless “crimes.”

But while the crimes were meaningless, the beatings weren’t.
Here’s Johnny!

Ex-members say the beatings would consist of person holding each limb, while the victim was held aloft. Kolbek would then take out the board and beat the person relentlessly, sometimes to the point of unconsiousness. In one case, Alamo was quoted as introducing John Kolbek by saying, “Here’s Johnny!” Another time, he was reported as saying, “Do you think I like doing this? I love doing this!”

These beatings were allegedly given to adults and children alike. In one case, ex-members say Alamo even ordered Kolbek to “beat the devil” out of a little girl with epilepsy.

When two teenage boys escaped the Alamo compound, they reported the alleged abuse to police. The beatings one boy sustained were so intense, there was still visible bruising from a beating six months prior.

Police raided the Alamo compound on September 21, 2008 and removed the girls living in Alamo’s house. They raided the area again in November, seized more children, and placed them into foster homes.

Alamo has since been convicted of transporting minors over state lines for sex, and sentenced to 175 years in prison. Kolbek was able to escape authorities, and is on the run. He might be traveling with this wife, Jennifer, and four children belonging to another member on the church. The children are under the guardianship of Jennifer Kolbek, and police are concerned for the children’s safety.

Wanted For:

* Second Degree Battery , Fort Smith , AR ; Oct 16, 2008

(Information valid as of December 11, 2009)

Child Labor Made These Jackets

Locking Away Evil – Finally

On this Thanksgiving weekend I want to tell you about a group of young people who are giving thanks for the first time in their lives. This year they are extremely thankful that their tormentor, the self proclaimed preacher Tony Alamo, has finally been brought to justice.

In U.S. District Court in Texarkana, Arkansas the 75 year old Alamo was recently sentenced to 175 years in prison on charges of engaging in sex with minor members of his so-called “church.” One of the five brides identified was just 8 years old. My sources, escapees of the church, tell me there were many more Alamo brides.

Alamo’s real name is Bernie LaZar Hoffman. He was a phony from the get-go. Back in the early 70’s he and his wife, Susan, dreamed up the “Alamo Christian Ministries” to rescue drugged out homeless people from the streets of Hollywood. They gave the unfortunates a cot to sleep on, food to eat, a rousing sermon and an odd job or two to perform as payback. City fathers donated money to show appreciation for the more tourist friendly streets. Those first Alamo followers settled in, coupled up and gave birth to a second generation. The poor kids never had a chance.

The Alamos had up to three dozen money making enterprises – from restaurants to hog farms –and their loyal disciples were their workforce. Instead of a salary the workers got meager living arrangements, irregular meals (many consisted of whatever food had been donated to the ministry) and all the preachin’ about Jesus the Alamos could muster.

The Alamos got rich. When Susan began to suffer from cancer they moved their headquarters to a hilltop near tiny Fouke, Arkansas – far away from the prying eyes of outsiders.

A big source of income was the uber-expensive, handmade rhinestone and sequined studded denim jackets the disciples churned out. In the day it seemed all of Hollywood was wearing one! Dolly Parton, Brooke Shields, Mr. T, among others, wore the flashy fashion statements and sales sky-rocketed.

In 1994, Alamo went to prison for failure to pay taxes on the jacket earnings. At the time of the trial there was evidence that children at the compound were being brutally beaten, held aloft by four burly church men while Alamo beat them bloody, “baseball style” with a wooden paddle. However, that testimony was never allowed at the tax trial. Once in prison Alamo still ruled his flock with an iron fist.

In a series of exclusive interviews with those born into the Alamo cult I’ve heard unforgettable horror stories.

The children were schooled but now realize, as adults, that on orders from Alamo their education was sorely lacking. If they asked an inappropriate question about the day’s lesson they were beaten. If they were tardy, laughed too loud or wore the wrong clothing they were beaten. After classes they were ordered into hours of mandatory prayer. One young man named Jared remembers after Susan died of cancer in 1982 all followers were ordered by “Papa Tony” to keep up a round-the-clock kneeling prayer circle for her “certain resurrection.” Alamo kept Susan’s corpse for 16 years until a court finally ordered him to return it to her family.

These Alamo captives now reveal it was them – the exhausted, terrorized children of the group who often worked until midnight laboriously turning out those denim jackets. A young mother named Becca tells me that growing up in the ministry brought no joy – ever. She worked in the communal kitchen cutting away the rotten parts of donated food. She fantasized about Papa Tony’s promise to get her a “jar of pickles for my birthday.” There was no real medical care, not even for one poor epileptic child. Jared remembers watching the girl beaten every time she had a seizure. Several other former Alamo Ministry children who wish to remain anonymous told me how underage girls were routinely married off to much older male church members. After Alamo got out of prison in 1998, they say, Papa Tony chose multiple underage brides for himself.

Finally in September 2008, at a roadside stop in Arizona, Alamo was arrested with 6 girls in his vehicle and charged with transporting them across state lines for sexual purposes.

I tell you this story because society needs to learn from it. Our justice system took way too long to stop this monster, knowing since the early 90’s that children were suffering at his hand. The doctrine of separation of church and state caused authorities to shy away.

We need to do better. While the second Alamo generation is now thankful he’s locked away authorities admit there are other religious based predators out there. No one wants to curtail freedom of religious practice but allowing charlatans to victimize the innocent and enslave people isn’t acceptable either.

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