Minuteman founder Chris Simcox charged with child molestation

Phoenix Police on Wednesday arrested Christopher Simcox, co-founder of the border militia Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, on child molestation charges.

The former kindergarten teacher is accused of having sexual contact with three girls under the age of ten. Simcox was booked on two counts of molestation of a child, two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, and one count of attempted molestation of a child.

Police have not released any details about the allegations, saying only that detectives with the Family Investigations Bureau of the Phoenix Police Department had probable cause to arrest Simcox.

In 2010, Simcox was accused of threatening to kill his third wife, Alena Simcox, and her children, as well as any police who tried to protect them. A Phoenix judge granted an order of protection, ordering Simcox to surrender his firearms and stay at least 200 yards away from his family.

Simcox then sued her for spousal support, including 50 percent of his $200,000 debt for a failed Senate campaign against Sen. John McCain, saying the $1,075 per month in child support asked of him was too much.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Simcox was accused by his first wife, Deborah Crews, of attempting to molest their then 14-year-old daughter "when he was intoxicated." Crews said, "When she ran out, he tried to say he was just giving her a leg massage and she got the wrong idea."

Simcox, 52, co-founded the anti-immigration Minuteman group to conduct "armed citizen border patrols" and became a hero within the border control movement. He called the Minutemen "the biggest, baddest neighborhood watch group in the nation." Simcox has testified before Congress, and frequently appears on CNN and Fox News.