Ministry raided, 6 children in custody
After police raided an evangelist's compound in Arkansas, 6 minors have been placed into temporary custody.
CNN reports that the children may have been physically and sexually abused at the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries near Texarkana, Arkansas. The Star Tribune reports that the children being interviewed seem to be 12-, 13-, and 14-year-olds. The man who runs the ministry says for girls “consent is puberty� when it comes to sex.
"It's a hoax," Tony Alamo, who runs the ministry, said according to CNN. "They're just trying to make our church look evil ... by saying I'm a pornographer. Saying that I rape little children. ... I love children. I don't abuse them. Never have. Never will."
CNN also reports that Alamo compared himself to Christ when asked why authorties were searching the property. "Why were they after Jesus?" he asked. "It's the same reason. Jesus is living within me."
Star Tribune reports that Tony Alamo’s ministry has been considered a cult by critics.
The children will be interviewed and the courts will decide the children’s status with the ministry.