The Arkansas Department of Human Services took protective custody of six minors, removing them from an undisclosed Tony Alamo Christian Ministries (TACM) location. Though the authorities did not say where the children were taken, spokeswoman Julie Munsell assured they were in good health.

State officials have, since September 20, seized 32 children associated with the ministries over allegations of beatings and sexual abuse. The children were seized because they were allegedly sexually abused and beaten by the jailed 74-year-old leader of the church, evangelist Tony Alamo.

Alamo is in jail in Texarkana, awaiting his February trial. He was arrested on September 25, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. He is charged with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that bans transporting women or girls across state lines for “prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.”

Alamo was convicted of tax-related charges in 1994 and served four years in prison, after the IRS said he owed the government $7.9 million.

Since establishing his ministries in Arkansas, Alamo has been a controversial and flamboyant figure. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, describes the ministry as a cult that rails against homosexuals, Roman Catholics and the government.

Arkansas state officials continue to look for children associated with the Alamo ministries, which is said to have operations in Colorado, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee, among other states.

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Louise Grasmehr, said that on Wednesday, California child welfare officials also went to the ministry’s compound in Santa Clarita, after receiving information from Arkansas, but found no children there.