11/18/08 – THV VIDEO Report: DHS Explains Second Alamo Warrant
Today’s THV
November 18, 2008
Posted By: Mike Duncan
DHS Explains Second Alamo Warrant
(Fouke, Ark.) KTHV — Twenty children are now in protective custody with the state after more investigations into the Tony Alamo Ministries.
A line of state police cars made their way into the Fouke headquarters of the Tony Alamo Ministries, authorities armed with a court order to take more children into protective custody.
But they found no children in the compound, or in 14 Fort Smith homes also searched.
Troopers later pulled over two vans on a Miller County highway and found 17 children inside. They took three more into state custody at the courthouse.
Julie Munsell of DHS says, “We had been gathering information, gathering evidence over the last several weeks, but was actually sped up by the reported movement of families and children in the area. So we went ahead and decided to execute the court order that we had received for the removal of the children.”
A judge criticized the Texas Department of Human Services and ordered the children of a religious compound near San Angelo returned to their parents after that state took the kids into protective custody. It’s a case involving similar allegations of sexual abuse.
Arkansas DHS turned information over to the courts, and made their move Tuesday only after a judge gave the okay.
Munsell explains, “Obviously here the drive is protecting children. We want to make sure that we’re doing that. But we want to make sure that we do it well. Aand sometimes you need the additional action or the additional guidance from the court to help you make that decision. And that’s what we asked for here.”
As of Tuesday night, 11 boys and 9 girls, ranging in age from one to 17, are in the protective custody of the state.