Barlow to meet with Texas Rangers today

SAN ANGELO, Texas — The man accused of sexually and physically abusing a teenage girl is expected to meet with Texas Rangers today. He has denied all of the allegations.

Dale Barlow, who lives in Colorado City, Ariz., told the Deseret Morning News he's agreed to meet with the officers who contacted his probation officer to make the arrangements.

"I was told they wanted to talk to me. It's the first time I've heard from the Texas Rangers," Barlow said Friday night.

He said he told Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran a week ago by telephone that he didn't know the girl who called a domestic violence shelter hotline and said she was one of his wives and that he abused her. It was her phone calls that triggered Texas officials to raid the FLDS ranch and remove all 416 children.

Barlow said he didn't know if the Rangers planned to arrest him. A warrant for his arrest was issued out of Texas more than a week ago.

Child welfare officials said Friday they've been receiving "hundreds of calls," many from FLDS parents whose children were taken from their homes and placed into state custody.

Apart from the 139 mothers and grandmothers who chose to accompany their children and are living with them at the temporary shelters, other mothers or fathers aren't allowed to see them.

"These children are with us because we believe they've been abused or neglected. At this point in time, no one else is going to be visiting those children unless a judge says so," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Many of those hundreds of calls are from relatives of the 416 children taken from Yearning For Zion Ranch. Others are calling to share information or offer assistance, Meisner said.

Judge Barbara Walther this week ordered the children to remain in the San Angelo area so she can continue to have judicial jurisdiction over the case. But providing for their needs is costing tens of thousands of dollars every day.

"My best guess is that we have in excess of 500 people in these response efforts," said Kevin Dinnin, the "incident commander" at the two makeshift shelters here.

His job is to provide meals, water, showers, restroom facilities, toiletries, security, medical facilities, transportation, toys and supplies — "things we think will make life better for them in the shelter."

Each agency determines its own costs, but he said his incident management team is burning through nearly $30,000 each day.