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Thrown together at an Ellensburg-area campground, the familys
campsite seemed all wrong.
A Kittitas County sheriffs deputy, called to the camp following
reports of unattended children there, would later describe a
feeling that there was some kind of cult activity going on at
Melford Warren Jr.s campsite.
Deputies found plenty of kids, but no food or shelter. Or
parents.
Now, though, investigators claim Warren, 43, was nearby when
deputies arrived on Sept. 15. Warren was in the woods,
detectives say, raping one of his 12 children.
The incident proved a near miss for investigators, one of
several during the eight-month investigation into Warren and his
two lovers, Shannon Felicia Ann Smith, 41, and Amanjot Kaur
Jaswal, 28. Warren was arrested hed been charged elsewhere
with attacking Smith with a sword but then released, only to
disappear.
Following up on charges brought May 15 by Kitsap County
prosecutors, federal marshals arrested Warren on Thursday. Hed
run about as far as he could go marshals found him in Florida,
where he remains jailed pending his extradition to Washington.
Warren has been charged with child rape and related crimes on
allegations stemming from his familys tenure at a Port Orchard
home. Investigators contend he systematically abused his
children while they were living in and around Seattle as well,
though he has not yet been charged with crimes there.
Jaswal and Smith face misdemeanor charges related to child
neglect allegations. Investigators claim the children were left
starving and unclothed before child services workers took
custody of them in September.
Kitsap County investigators began their work in late August
after a social worker at Tacomas Mary Bridge Hospital reported
an apparent assault on Jaswals 14-month-old daughter.
The girls broken arm appeared suspicious to hospital staff.
Asked to allow an X-ray of her childs arm, Jaswal refused
because she feared the radiation might prevent her daughter
from being able to have children someday, Kitsap County
Sheriffs Office Detective Nicole Menge said in charging papers.
Warren is now accused of throwing the infant against a couch,
allowing her to bounce off and break her arm.
Investigators determined Jaswal, Smith and Warren were living
together at a home located in a forested, rural area east of
Port Orchard, in a house located in the 1900 block of Woods Road.
Court papers indicate Warren was sexually involved with both
women, and that he has fathered about a dozen children between
them. Menge said investigators havent been able to pin down the
relationship between Warren and the women.
The nature of the family relationship is not well defined by
the actors involved, the detective said in court papers.
Shannon and Amanjot admitted to bearing Melfords children, but
refused to describe him as their husband or boyfriend.
The children, who range in age from infanthood to 13 years old,
have multiple and very unusual names, Menge continued. They
appeared to have been trained not to speak with police.
Menge said Warren fled the Port Orchard home when detectives
arrived, looking for him. They later learned that several of the
children hid in the homes attic during the police visit.
Warren was contacted by investigators the following day. Menge
said Warren and the women werent honest with detectives, who
believed Smith, Jaswal and the children were under Warrens sway.
Despite the unusual situation and the childs broken arm, no
charges were brought at the time.
Although the break to (the girls) arm was highly suspicious
there was not enough evidence at the time to sustain an assault
charge, Menge said in charging papers, noting that Jaswal
claimed the girl was hurt accidentally. A few days later, the
family abruptly left Kitsap County.
Warren was next contacted by police on Sept. 15 at the
Ellensburg campsite. Kittitas County deputies were called out
after a report of children left unattended there.
A Kittitas deputy told detectives he felt some kind of cult
activity was going on at the campsite, Menge said in court
papers.
He said that the childrens behavior was suspicious during the
law enforcement contact at the campsite, the detective said.
They would not speak with the adults involved with the case
unless the oldest boy told them they could.
A deputy heard the children refer to Jaswal as the breeder
while discussing how to hide from police, according to charging
papers.
Department of Social and Health Services workers took custody of
seven children then and have since recovered the others. Warren
was arrested on a warrant issued in Maryland, where he has
strong family ties.
Warren was released from Kittitas County custody after Baltimore
authorities declined to extradite him on the assault charge. At
the time, investigators in Washington didnt believe they had
evidence to support charges against Warren or the women.
That changed May 7, when two of the children made a host of
allegations against Warren during separate interviews with
investigators.
According to charging papers, the girls claimed theyd been
abused by Warren while the family was living in King County.
Warren and the rest previously lived in Kent, Vashon and
Seattles Magnolia neighborhood.
One girl is alleged to have told police Warren broke her arm and
beat her because she didnt know how to read. She said Warren
threatened her with a gun, choked her and beat her with a bat,
according to charging papers.
The other girl told police Warren had raped her the day she was
rescued from her family at the Kittitas County campsite, Menge
said in charging papers. That assault is alleged to have been
the most recent in a series of sexual abuses.
Investigators contend the sexual and physical abuse had been
going on for years before Child Protective Services workers
seized the children and deputies arrested Warren. Menge said
Smith and Jaswal were aware of at least some of the abuse and
had tried to protect Warren.
Court papers indicate Warren kept some kind of journal of the
sexual exploitation. Menge said he took notes during at least
one sexual assault.
Warren, Smith and Jaswal had hidden their family from the wider
community and kept their children isolated, Menge said. They
bolted each time they drew law enforcement attention.
The children disclosed that they have never seen a dentist,
only been to the doctor once, and never been to school, Menge
told the court. The adults failed to feed the children and left
several locked in a bathroom for days at a time, according to
charging papers.
According to charging papers, Warren told his family he was
leaving for Oregon to find a farm near Portland. As it turned
out, he went farther.
Federal marshals arrested Warren in Miami last Thursday, three
days after a warrant for his arrest was issued.
Kitsap County prosecutors have charged Warren with first-degree
child molestation, second-degree assault of a child and two
counts of first-degree rape of a child. Prosecutors have asked
that he be held on $5 million bail when he arrives in Kitsap
County.
Warren remains jailed at a Miami-Dade County detention center.
Arrested on a federal charge, he is expected to be returned to
Washington in coming weeks.
Smith and Jaswal have pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor
charges each faces. They are expected to return June 19 to
Kitsap County District Court.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Suspicions-of-cult-
activity-end-in-sex-6287798.php#page-2
