Former Follower: Pastor Tony Alamo A 'Monster'

KOCO 5 - Oklahoma
September 25, 2008

Woman Talks Of Days At Church Compound

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A woman who used to live in an evangelical compound under controversial pastor Tony Alamo said she believes the allegations of potential sexual abuse of minors in Arkansas are true.

Anna Pugh said she was in what she calls Tony's Cult for 11 years.

"You want to be a good person, you want to help God and you want to win souls," said Pugh. "If you're somebody who wants to do that, this sounds like a great place."Pugh said her sister was closely connected with the pastor and his late wife."She had Tony Alamo pictures and Susie Alamo pictures all over her fireplace," she said.Pugh said while she was living at the compound, she was brainwashed."You weren't allowed to go anywhere by yourself," she said. "You always were in twos."Pugh said polygamy was normal on Alamo's compound."Some of (the women) married him because they wanted to," she said. "And then there's some that were told that if they didn't, they were going to go to hell."Pugh said the worst thing she remembers from the compound was a 7-year-old who told her what Alamo was doing to young girls."She told me he took her in the bedroom with all these little girls," she said. "They were her age and maybe 10 or 11."Pugh said the girl told her that Alamo had touched them inappropriately while watching pornography.Pugh said she eventually divorced her husband at the compound and left with three of her seven children. She's trying to regain custody of the children who still live at the compound with their father."I escaped," she said. "I feel I escaped."She said that she hopes the weekend raid at Alamo's Arkansas compound serves as a wakeup call for people still living there,"I think that congregation in there needs to see what that man is," she said. "He is a monster. His is a very unmerciful, malicious, vindictive, judgmental, condemning person."

Alamo said he has done nothing wrong. He is currently staying in California.

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