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May 17, 2008 1:04:41 AM CDT

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Polygamist Tip-Off Traced to Hoaxer's Phone  

Posted Apr 24, 08 7:02 AM CDT in US,  Crime    Most Popular

(newser) – Some of the dramatic calls thought to be from an abused teen that sparked a raid on a Texas polygamist ranch have been traced to a cell phone number previously used by a well-known hoaxer, the Denver Post reports. Court documents reveal that the 33-year-old woman has a history of making phony calls to crisis hotlines, claiming to be an abused teen.

Police did not find the teen among the 437 children they seized in the raid. The hoaxer is currently out on bail in a separate case in which she claimed to be a teenage girl locked in a basement. Officials insist that even if the original phone calls turn out to have been hoaxes, it will not affect their investigation.

Sources Denver Post, CNN

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Polygamist Tip-Off Traced to Hoaxer's Phone
Rozita Swinton has been arrested by Colorado police Thursday, April 17, 2008, and charged with false reporting to authorities in connection with the Yearning for Zion case in Texas.   (AP Photo/Colorado Springs Police Dept via The Colorado Springs Gazette)
Polygamist Tip-Off Traced to Hoaxer's Phone
A phone number thought to have been used by an abused teen, sparking the raid on the polygamist ranch in Texas,have been traced to Rozita Swinton, 33, of Colorado Springs.   (AP Photo)
Polygamist Tip-Off Traced to Hoaxer's Phone
This photo shows an armored personnel carrier on the grounds of the Yearning For Zion ranch near Eldorado, Texas.   (AP Photo/Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
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polygamy  • child abuse  • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  • Yearning for Zion ranch  • hoax


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