PHOENIX — A May 9 trial has been set for a founder of the Minuteman border-watch movement on charges that he sexually abused two girls under the age of 10.
Chris Simcox has pleaded not guilty to child molestation and other charges.
Authorities say Simcox abused the 8- and 9-year-old girls in 2012 and 2013.
He is representing himself in his case, though he isn't a lawyer.
At one point, Simcox insisted that he would cross-examine the girls, but last month he abandoned that plan.
The Minuteman movement stepped into the spotlight in 2005 as immigration heated up as a political issue and Minuteman volunteers fanned out along the border to watch for illegal crossings and report them to federal agents.
But the movement splintered after Simcox and a co-founder parted ways.
