6 more kids seized in evangelist investigation

[joanne_h]

(CNN) -- Six more children connected to the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries were taken into protective custody Wednesday to determine if they have been physically or sexually abused, child welfare officials said. The children, all siblings from Arkansas, were seized in Indiana, said Julie Munsell, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, declining to elaborate.In total, 32 children have been seized from followers of jailed evangelist Tony Alamo since September, when he was charged with knowingly transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity.In September, about 100 federal and state agents stormed Alamo's 15-acre compound near Texarkana, Arkansas, and took six children into custody. The children were interviewed as part of a two-year investigation into the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries.Munsell said her agency has a court order to take as many as 126 children from the ministries into custody.Alamo, who has adamantly denied the charges, also has compounds in Oklahoma and New Jersey. He was arrested on September 25 in Flagstaff, Arizona.Meanwhile, California authorities visited an Alamo compound Wednesday. No children were found.