No Child Abuse Charges Will Be Filed Against Saugus Commune Leader

The Christian fundamentalist leader whose Saugus commune was raided by sheriff’s deputies in March at the order of an Orange County Superior Court judge will not be charged with child abuse, prosecutors have announced.

Investigators, who had been told that Tony Alamo and his followers had beaten children at the commune, were unable to gather enough evidence “to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Myron Jenkins, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney.

Early March 24, about 60 deputies raided Alamo’s commune in the remote northern district of Los Angeles County after receiving complaints from an 11-year-old boy who had lived there that he had been beaten with a paddle.

The boy, Justin Miller, is the subject of a bitter custody dispute between his father, Corey Lee Miller of Orange County, and his mother, Carol Ann Miller.

Corey Miller and his brother, Robert Alan Miller, fled an Alamo commune in rural Arkansas last autumn after falling from the graces of the sect leader. The brothers had lived at Alamo communes for 15 years before a business dispute divided them from Alamo.

Remained Alamo Follower

Carol Ann Miller has remained an Alamo adherent, as has Robert Miller’s wife, Susan L. Miller. In March, the Miller brothers obtained an order from Orange County Superior Court Judge Ronald E. Owen granting them custody of their sons while their marital disputes were being heard in the courts.

Corey Miller was granted custody of Justin; Robert Miller won custody of his 9- and 4-year-old sons.

After deputies removed the boys from the Saugus commune, Justin told authorities that, at Alamo’s urging, he had been struck 140 times with a wooden paddle while being held down by four men.

Justin’s account was the basis of a second raid staged by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, who arrested four sect members on charges of felony child abuse but were unable to find Alamo.

Jenkins said he declined to press charges after a physician who examined the boy was unable to determine whether the bruising on his buttocks resulted from a brief recent swatting or from a serious beating months ago.

‘Travesty of Justice’

The Miller brothers could not be reached for comment, but their attorney, Sidney L. Radus, said that if sect members are not prosecuted, “it’s one of the greatest travesties of justice in the protection of children.”

Radus said he would seek to persuade prosecutors to refile the charges, which they said they would do if new evidence could be found.

Alamo, known for his virulent attacks on the Catholic Church, has remained a fugitive since the raid. He told The Times in a telephone interview earlier this week that he currently is in “the Pacific Northwest.”

Alamo said the raid had been “hatched in hell,” adding: “Every time Satan forces hurt on our church, it’s a direct attempt to destroy peoples’ souls.”

Blames Conspiracy

In pamphlets distributed by the Holy Alamo Christian Church since the Miller brothers launched their case against him, Alamo has blamed his troubles on a conspiracy of the government, mass media and Catholic Church that he asserts is bent on destroying his sect.

Former sect members have accused Alamo of operating a cult that brainwashes its members through harsh discipline and isolation from the outside world.

Alamo followers typically live on his communes in remote areas, where they manufacture assorted products for sale by the sect in exchange for their room and board.

A primary source of sect income is the rhinestone decorated clothing Alamo followers manufacture for the country-music trade, Alamo attorneys have said. Alamo operates retail outlets in Tennessee where the clothing is sold.

The sect, which has been the target of numerous government investigations through the years, lost its tax-exempt status after the Internal Revenue Service concluded that it was a money-making enterprise, taking much of its income from its members. Alamo, who contends that the IRS is secretly controlled by the Vatican, is appealing that decision.