Authorities ignored leads, evidence that should have shown Eldorado accusations were a hoax

There's so much we still don't know about what went on in the days leading up to the massive raid by authorities on the YFZ Ranch, but a habeas corpus petition filed in San Antonio on behalf of monogamous FLDS moms who are all above age provides this new tidbit: Authorities knew before hand not only that Dale Barlow wasn't on the ranch (they'd spoken to him by phone and confirmed he was in Arizona), but they knew the supposed caller wasn't from Texas. According to the petition (if you want to read the whole thing, download the ginormous 75-page pdf file; thanks KBP for getting it online):

It is clear from the recently unsealed Colorado Springs arrest warrant affidavit for Rozita Swinton that Texas authorities were well aware of the fact that the two telephones utilized to make numerous calls to the New Bridge Family Shelter "Crisis Hotline" in San Angelo were registered to telephone numbers outside the State of Texas. This information, together with the determination that the alleged perpetrator, Dale Barlow, was not present on the premises prior to initiation of the search, warranted further investigation.

Both of these telephones had Colorado Springs, Colorado area codes (area code 719). Upon calling the Colorado Springs Police Department (Sergeant Mandel) Texas authorities were immediately advised that one of these telephone numbers was associated with an individual who had made numerous "false reports of sexual abuse to police agencies" in the Colorado Springs area. All-in-all the investigation reveals that Rozita Swinton has been linked to false allegations of sexual abuse to over ten different child protection and law enforcement agencies, dating back to 2005, in cities across the country from Monroe, Washington to Ft. Meyers, Florida.

Lots more detail, but I wanted to get that tidbit out there.

So for those who continue to believe this warrant was executed in good faith, here are the facts.

• Authorities knew before the raid that Dale Barlow was in Arizona, had spoken to him, but made no effort to have him arrested or detained by his probation officer.
• The caller mispronounced the name of the town (there's a long "a" in Eldor-A-do), used terminology that did not match FLDS religious lingo, and only gave details about the group and the ranch that could be easily gleaned online.
• Authorities knew the calls to the shelter didn't come from Texas, and with minimalist investigation would have identified the caller as a routine hoaxer.

But they still entered the ranch like gangbusters, then spent the next month dissembling in the media about what they'd found. When Rangers finally did get around to questioning Dale Barlow, they left without arresting him and later dropped the warrant.

Recently in the comments I facetiously compared the Texas Rangers' search for Sarah's molester to OJ Simpson's vow to search for his wife's "real killer." But there's a big difference: Nicole Simpson was actually a crime victim. Sarah was the figment of a troubled imagination. I'm increasingly convinced that law enforcement either knew or should have known that before they went onto the YFZ Ranch.

UPDATE: Thanks to the commenter who pointed to the Colorado search warrant affidavit (pdf) regarding Rozita Swinton, posted online at Kidjacked. From this document we learn much more about the Rangers' belated and uninspired investigation into the source of the hoax that launched the Great Eldorado Polygamist Roundup.