Hearings set for 20 Alamo compound children

TEXARKANA (AP) A custody hearing for 20 children taken from parents who attend the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries likely will draw lawyers from across Arkansas into a Miller County courtroom Monday.

The initial probable cause hearings will focus on whether state child welfare officials had enough evidence to seize the children Nov. 18. Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson will hear the cases in courtroom on the second floor of the Miller County courthouse, which will be closed to the public and reporters Monday.

"We're just trying to make sure that everybody is represented and that they have representation going into the hearing so the judges get the best information to go forward with these cases," Connie Hickman Tanner of the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts told the Texarkana Gazette newspaper. "That's the most important thing."

Lawyers will be on hand Monday for parents who are eligible for court-appointed counsel. Tanner said to qualify, the parents must first request a lawyer, be found unable to pay for a lawyer themselves and had custody of a child when it was taken into state custody.

Tanner said some of the parents of the 20 children seized have already called asking for help.

Alamo was arrested in September, days after his compound in Fouke was raided by state and federal agents. Six girls, between ages 10 and 17, were seized for their own protection after the raid. Hearings continue over whether those girls can return to their parents.

Alamo faces federal charges that he took minors across state lines for sex. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has repeatedly said he is innocent, placing blame on a federal push to legalize same-sex marriage while outlawing polygamy.

The evangelist, previously convicted of tax evasion, has said "consent is puberty" when it comes to sex with young girls.

Nelson Shaw, who works as an ad litem attorneys for children in Miller County, said the number of people expected to attend Monday's hearing could pose problems.

"I think anytime you are dealing with people's children, you can expect some anger and anxiety," Shaw said. "It could be volatile."