"Basically, you could tell they were getting ready to bug out and leave the area," Mace said. "I believe that's in an effort to try to conceal the kids from us."
Source/Credit: KOAT ABC 7 Action News
By Megan Cruz | August 25, 2017
CIBOLA COUNTY, NM — Eleven children are now in state custody after deputies arrested four more members of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps. Deputies believe the Cibola County religious group was trying to skip town after its leader and three members were arrested over the weekend.
Amos, Victoria, Timothy, and Ruth River now face charges for not getting birth certificate for their kids.
Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace said his deputies were at the right place at the right time.
"Who knows where those children would have been had the deputies not made that traffic stop," he said.
Mace said his deputies were on their way to the Fence Lake compound Wednesday night to arrest the Rivers and remove all the children who live there. Investigators say there were 11 of them, ages 4 to 17.
But deputies instead spotted the Rivers driving toward them. They said they pulled them over and found all 11 children, luggage, road maps, and about $1,000 in cash.
"So we believe they were trying to leave the area," said Mace.
According to court documents, former members told deputies they were taught to take children into hiding if police ever showed up at the commune.
Robert Lohbeck, the Rivers' attorney, insisted "they were not leaving to escape with the children, they were coming to Albuquerque specifically to meet with me.
Deputies had arrested other members earlier this week. One of the group's leaders, "General" Deborah Green, and her son-in-law Peter Green are accused of sexually assaulting the same young girl about 15 years ago. Deborah's son Joshua Green was also arrested, charged with not getting a birth certificate for his son. Finally, Stacey Miller is accused of not getting a doctor when her 12-year-old son was dying of the flu in 2014.
The Children, Youth, and Families Department and an FBI investigator will now interview the 11 kids to make sure it's safe to leave them at the compound.
Read original post here: USA: Religious Sect Members Arrested in New Mexico With Vans Full of Children
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