2 polygamous leaders arrested in Canada
leaders
2 polygamous leader arrest canada
2 polygamous <m> leaders </m> arrested in Canada
2 polygamous <m> leaders </m> arrested in Canada
The leader of a polygamous communtity in western Canada who has admitted having numerous wives and dozens of children was arrested Wednesday and charged with practicing polygamy , according to court documents and local officials .
Winston Blackmore , long known as the Bishop of Bountiful , runs an independent sect of about 400 in Bountiful , British Columbia .
Blackmore once ran the Canadian arm of the Utah-based Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , but was ejected from the sect in 2003 by its leader , Warren Jeffs .
Last June , British Columbia Attorney General Wally Oppal appointed a special prosecutor to look into allegations of criminal abuse at Bountiful , despite two earlier legal opinions that said it would be difficult to proceed with criminal charges for polygamy itself .
Blackmore openly admits to having numerous wives and dozens of children but has said the community abhors sexual abuse of children .
According to a court document filed in nearby Creston , Winston Blackmore is facing a charge of practicing polygamy .
Officials at the Mormon Hills School in the community , where Blackmore is the superintendent , said he was arrested Wednesday .