Officer: U.S. missionaries had tried to take other Haitian kids

CNN ^ | 9 Feb 10 | Karl Penhaul

[SkyPilot]

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- The group of American missionaries in Haiti facing kidnapping charges for trying to take 33 children out of the country last week made an earlier, unsuccessful attempt at taking dozens of other children, a Haitian police officer said Monday.

_{Laura Silsby, left, and two other members of her missionary group are seen after a recent court hearing in Haiti.}

The officer did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals. He told CNN that he had stopped the 10 Baptist missionaries, including group leader Laura Silsby, on January 26 as they tried to transport 40 children on a bus from Haiti to the Dominican Republic.

The officer said he discovered Silsby and the nine other Americans on a bus in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Petionville in the early afternoon of January 26 after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen.

He stopped the group and ordered the children to get off the bus. He then directed Silsby to the Dominican embassy.

"I said what happened, and she (Silsby) told me, 'I have the paperwork to cross the Haitian Dominican border with 100 children,' " the officer said. A former attorney for the group, Edwin Coq, said the officer has testified of his account.

The officer was questioned by prosecutors last week in the case against the missionaries. Prosecutors no longer suspect him of any wrongdoing, and he is now a witness, according Coq, who is familiar with the prosecution's case file.

[SkyPilot]

This case is about Christian persecution, plain and simple.

When I first saw the headline, I thought "What officer? US Military? State Dept?" Then you read - it is a anonymous Hatian cop. The anonymous cop was tipped off by a "concerned Hatian citizen." I'll give 10-1 odds it was a local voodoo priest or priestess.

These Baptists were simply trying to save the lives of children during pure chaos, and get them out of a hellish situation and into safety. The fact that Hillary, Holder, Napolitano, and Obama are so silent on this speaks volumes on their own culpability to this evil act.

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."

John 15:18

The MSM reports since the arrest of the missionaries has been cheering and hooting, combined with seething hatred towards the Christians. CNN had a report last week where the reporter on the ground (same one as this article?) held up a paper card written by the missionaries to hand out to people as containing "3 lies, and I am going to expose them all here on the air!" Insanity.

Look at some of the comments from the CNN site. You will see on display the devil's hatred of God and His people.

____________________________________________________________________________

Guest This officer is indeed a Hero. He should openly be proud of the fact that He protected these children. I had very bad opinion of Haiti but this has changed my view. 43 minutes ago | Like (5) | Report

__________________________________________________________________

Guest No, they are arrogant schmucks that need a dose of reality in the form of prison sentence. Did you see their demeanor on TV yesterday after the court hearing??? They have no remorse, no regret, and no admittance of their crime. They still believe they were doing the right thing.If you were a true Ch ...more No, they are arrogant schmucks that need a dose of reality in the form of prison sentence. Did you see their demeanor on TV yesterday after the court hearing??? They have no remorse, no regret, and no admittance of their crime. They still believe they were doing the right thing. If you were a true Christian you would not support these fanatic over-zealous nutjobs. less 6 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse

______________________________________________________

Parrotmalito And so what? Jesus Christ was a poor man, he didn't have a $60 million dollars church..!!....burn in hell idiot..!!

____________________________________________________________________

notarrogant Oh..and no one is going to burn in hell... there is no such place... Just more fairy tales for the uneducated 56 minutes ago |

_____________________________________________________________

vinniekyle Yuh cant fix stupid......and these idiotic bible beaters are stuck on stupid....they deserve what they get..stupid stupid stupid 1 hour ago | Like (12) | Report abuse

[Mrs. Don-o]

`

[cll]

http://www.ktvb.com/news/Laura-Silsbys-background-called-into-question-83697722.html

Laura Silsby’s background called into question

by Ysabel Bilbao

Posted on February 5, 2010 at 10:29 PM

Updated yesterday at 3:46 PM

******

MERIDIAN — Laura Silsby has her supporters. They say her work is in the name of God and that she was simply trying to help children. But now there are others who paint a different picture of the Baptist missionary.

“They have been in our church for a couple of years,” Central Valley Baptist Church pastor Clint Henry said. “But somewhere during that period of time they began talking about what they were envisioning to do, this dream that they had.”

Henry is referring to Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter. In a previous interview with KTVB, he said the women, both members of his congregation came up with the orphanage idea on their own.

“So our church is not a key player in making the orphanage happen, that is, that is, everything they have done,” Henry said.

The church’s role in this trip to Haiti was basically providing volunteers, which they saw as a ministry opportunity for the congregation.

“So we agreed to partner with it and decided to go because we have people that love doing stuff like that and touching people’s lives,” Henry said.

Laura Silsby and her employee Charisa Coulter were in charge. They claim their documents were in order, but government officials in Haiti say that is not the case.

Silsby’s former employee Brian Jack says he’s not surprised. “It’s a lack of foresight and planning, once again she did that in her business life and it sees to follow in personal life.”

After being laid off, Jack found work with Silsby at her company, Personal Shopper. He says the business was not making money and would often go weeks, even months without getting paid.

“The last time I received a check has been approximately two weeks ago and it was for the pay period for April the 20th of ‘09.”

But Silbsy’s financial problems go much deeper.

Her Meridian home is being foreclosed on.

“They moved in a hurry like they were running, they were throwing things in their cars,” said Chris Wentzel, a former Silsby neighbor.

“Right now shady comes to mind, unscrupulous, ultimately she is out for herself,” said Brain Jack.

The fallout from the mission trip has many asking questions, specifically why the group was transporting children with parents, when their mission statement said they would be helping those left without.

“They want to bring kids out who have no home, who have no parents, who have no hope,” said Brenda and Mel Coulter, parents of Charisa Coulter.

“Our team went down with no intention of doing anything illegal,” said Pastor Clint Henry.

[Berlin_Freeper]

This is the thanks you get for trying to help.

[dajeeps]

This story has always made little sense to me from the start. I don’t have enough info to come to a conclusion about motivation, but when a group has paperwork from the parents allowing the children to be taken to wherever they were being taken, to get them out of that hell on earth and then they try to smear the missionaries there is something wrong.

[Cvengr]

What advanced paperwork did our Immigration folks have to allow immigration of 100 previously unidentified foreign nationals?

I don’t know if legitimate or not, but it reads misguided.

[visualops]

They shouldn’t be taking kids who are not orphans. What’s up with just getting a busload of kids to take them where? To start an orphanage for kids who aren’t orphaned? So you get charity bucks and fed dollars for an orphanage for these poor Haitian kids who are not really orphans? She sounds like a con artist to me.

[homegroan]

If she can’t pay her own mortgage, can’t run a small business and can’t pay employees properly, could she master-mind a massive international kidnapping plot??

[WKUHilltopper]

I’d say you’re right on with your assessment.

[abclily]

Exactly what I was thinking. Government grants, donations, etc. for these children - much of which she can put in her own pocket. And where was she taking these children? Was the orphanage ready for them?

[cll]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703357104575045794048725562.html

~ snip ~

For Ms. Silsby it was the latest in a series of wrong turns on a road her parents and others who know her in Idaho say was paved with the best intentions. Yet in her long-stated desire to help orphans, she has left a trail of business and personal debts, as well as unheeded warnings about the intricacies of taking children out of Haiti.

“Laura was the only one who had knowledge of what was going on,” Mr. Coq said. “The rest said only that they love Haiti. That is why they came to Haiti.”

~ snip ~

Much about Ms. Silsby, who started and ran an online personal-shopping service, remains a mystery, including the current state of her business and personal finances—her house was foreclosed and she was sued by creditors—and whether she believed she was following Haitian law as she gathered children.

~ snip ~

[pnh102]

This case is about Christian persecution, plain and simple.

I cannot help but think that there is something more to this story. There are many other Christian groups which are working in Haiti, including those which are actively taking children outside of the country for adoption, and so far there have been no other reports of widespread arrests and attacks on these groups.

[iowamark]

Don’t jump to conclusions.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/05/world/main6176614.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody
“Lawyer for Baptists Blames Group’s Leader”

http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/1067267.html
“Laura Silsby, a local missionary to Haiti, left trail of financial woes in Idaho”

[dajeeps]

I don’t really know what to make of it. It seems like dubious intent on both sides. The woman running the thing has a checkered financial past and the Hatian government is objecting to kids whom she had parental permission to take out of the country which now resembles worse than a war zone being taken out of there. It can’t be the best thing for the kids to leave them where they are and maybe they aren’t better off with this group, but since it looks like they’ve been smeared it’s difficult to be certain.

I just don’t know where the truth lies and I think the kids are caught in the middle.

[tsomer]

"...to get them out of that hell on earth and then they try to smear the missionaries there is something wrong."

Not that hard to explain: Haiti is one of the most corrupt governments on earth. These people are hostages being held for ransom. No surprises there, extortion is commonplace in third-world hell-holes like this. How else do you explain the poverty?

What I can't believe is how the media assumes takes the side of the tin-hats against Americans who risked their lives and spent their own money to try to help those people. Yes, the first reply is correct. I just want to reinforce the point that the evil shown there by taking these missionaries hostage is magnified here by our own media.

[dajeeps]

So you think it’s worse than like in Mexico where when you go there you have to take extra cash to bribe the Federales?

I wasn’t thinking about that and it makes sense that if the group didn’t pay a premium just to operate that they’d be punished. I had a friend who’s dad was imprisoned in Mexico for years and the family didn’t have any money to get him out. He didn’t even get a trial.

[ViLaLuz]

Persecution of Christians and Haitian officials fishing for bribes.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Coworkers yesterday started siding with the Haitians against this American Missionary!!!

(as some here on FR have done)

Not even worth trying to convince them of the truth.

God is in control! He will deliver these Christians! All praise, glory, and honor to His name!

[bert]

......This case is about Christian persecution, plain and simple......

Or perhaps Christian hubris. The “we know better than the ignorant black Hatians” syndrome is involved as well.

[Above My Pay Grade]

Oh, a Haitian police officer said it, so it MUST be true. I’d trust a Democrat’s word over a Haitian police officer’s.