Trial delayed for woman who may have sparked YFZ raid

A jury trial in Colorado for the woman declared a "person of interest" in the phone call that sparked the raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch has been delayed again.

During a hearing in a Colorado Springs court on Wednesday, court records show the trial for Rozita Swinton, 34, on a charge unrelated to the Texas raid was vacated and rescheduled to begin Aug. 31. Swinton is charged with a misdemeanor count of false reporting, accusing her of pretending to be a sexually abused teenage girl in Colorado Springs who was chained in a basement.

Swinton is also facing a probation violation charge in the Denver suburb of Castle Rock, stemming from her conviction on a similar false reporting charge there. A hearing is scheduled there next week.

Texas authorities have repeatedly said that Swinton is a "person of interest" in their investigation into the phone call that sparked the raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch last year. Someone pretending to be a pregnant 16-year-old named "Sarah" who was trapped in an abusive, polygamous marriage called a family crisis hotline in San Angelo, Texas. Similar calls were made to hotlines in Utah, Arizona, Washington and Florida. The calls prompted authorities to respond to the YFZ Ranch to investigate. On site, authorities claimed to have found other signs of abuse, which prompted a Texas judge to order the removal of all the children.

Approximately 439 children were returned when a pair of Texas courts ruled the state acted improperly. A dozen FLDS men, including polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, have been indicted on criminal charges related to underage marriages.

E-MAIL: bwinslow@desnews.com