A follow-up investigation began last September and the two men were arrested this morning and taken to the RCMP detachment in Cranbrook , B.C. , Shields said .
two men
follow-up investigation begin september man arrest morning take rcmp detachment cranbrook b.c. shields say
A follow-up investigation began last September and the <m> two men </m> were arrested this morning and taken to the RCMP detachment in Cranbrook , B.C. , Shields said .
B.C. attorney general confirms charges laid against top two polygamist leaders
Two top leaders of the controversial polygamous sect in Bountiful , B.C. , have been arrested and charged with practising polygamy .
B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal confirmed that Winston Blackmore and James Oler were arrested Wednesday .
Oppal said Blackmore is alleged to be married to 20 women , while Oler is accused of committing polygamy by being married to two women .
`` This has been a very complex issue , '' he told The Canadian Press .
`` It 's been with us for well over 20 years .
The problem has always been the defence of religion has always been raised . ''
Oppal said some legal experts have believed that a charge for practising polygamy would n't withstand a Charter of Rights challenge over the issue of freedom of religion .
`` I 've always disagreed with that , '' he said .
`` I 've always taken the position that 's a valid offence in law .
And if someone says that it 's contrary to their religion let a judge make that decision . ''
He said he 's pleased a prosecution will proceed , providing some clarity to whether the law will be upheld by the courts .
Oppal said in 2005 , when he was appointed attorney general , that he was concerned about the polygamy issue in Bountiful `` because of the exploitation of women and children . ''
The community had come under investigation in the past but Oppal said he asked RCMP to reopen the investigation shortly after he was elected .
Sgt. Tim Shields told reporters that Creston RCMP began an investigation into allegations of polygamy and sexual exploitation in the fall of 2005 .
That investigation was completed in September 2006 and recommendation was made to Crown for charges to be laid .
A follow-up investigation began last September and the <m> two men </m> were arrested this morning and taken to the RCMP detachment in Cranbrook , B.C. , Shields said .
The men were expected to appear in court Wednesday afternoon .
Last June , Oppal appointed a special prosecutor to look into allegations of criminal abuse at Bountiful , saying renewed public concerns compelled him to act .
That came despite two earlier legal opinions that it would be difficult to proceed with polygamy charges .
Officials at the Mormon Hills School in Bountiful , where Blackmore is the superintendent , said he was arrested Wednesday .
About 800 people live in the community in southeastern B.C. , where members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints practice multiple marriage .
The sect is a breakaway offshoot of the Mormon church , which renounced polygamy more than a century ago .
Blackmore , who is the leader of one of two groups within the community , openly admits to having numerous wives and dozens of children but has said the community abhors sexual abuse of children .
However , Blackmore has refused in previous interviews to discuss allegations that teenaged girls in the community marry older men or that others are sent to polygamous groups in the United States .
Oler is the leader of the other group in the community , which has long been divided .
The issue of polygamy in British Columbia came up again last year after more than 450 children were apprehended by child-welfare authorities from a sister polygamous community in Texas .
At least one of the girls in that case was from Bountiful , refocusing the spotlight on a community that has existed in relative obscurity in B.C. 's Kootenays , not far from the U.S. border .
And polygamist leader Warren Jeffs , the sect 's prophet in the U.S. , is behind bars south of the border .
He was convicted in Utah as an accomplice to rape and faces trial in Arizona on other charges related to the marriages of members of sect there .
After the special prosecutor was announced , Blackmore accused Oppal of religious persecution .
`` It can not possibly be about polygamy , '' Blackmore wrote in an email to The Canadian Press last June .
`` It must be about his own religious bias and now he wants the Liberal government to persecute some of the citizens that they have an obligation to serve and protect . ''
Blackmore has said he has tried to meet with Oppal in the past , but that the attorney general has refused .