Minuteman Founder Accused of Family Violence, Again

Simcox, 49, founder and former leader of the civilian border watch group Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, is the subject of a restraining order sought by his wife of five years, Alena Maria Lyras-Simcox, 30. According to her affidavit, Simcox threatened her with a gun in November 2009 and said he was going to kill her, their children, and any police she called to the scene. Simcox also allegedly has been sending his estranged wife threatening E-mails.

Simcox has denied his third wife's allegations. But the Maricopa County Superior Court granted Alena Simcox's request on April 16, ordering the nativist leader to vacate the house he shared with Alena, stay at least 200 yards away from her and their three children, and turn in all his guns.

Under Arizona law, a restraining order doesn't take effect until it is properly served on the defendant, which in Simcox's case did not prove easy. Fugitive Recovery Services of Arizona (FRS), a bounty hunting service, spent weeks attempting to locate Simcox, even releasing a "Wanted" poster of him in early June that described him as "armed and dangerous." Stacey O'Connell, co-owner of FRS and a former Minuteman colleague of Simcox, later told the Intelligence Report that Simcox finally was served with the restraining order on July 6.

This is not the first time Simcox has been accused of violence by a spouse. As revealed in a 2005 Intelligence Report article, Kim Dunbar, Simcox's second wife, sought to obtain custody of their teenaged son in 2001 because she feared her husband had become dangerous. In sworn affidavits, she alleged that Simcox was prone to violent rages throughout their 10-year marriage. His first wife, Deborah Crews, told the Report that Simcox had allegedly gotten drunk and tried to molest their 14-year-old daughter, but no complaint to police was ever made.