"Don't Mess with Texas"





Don't Mess with Texas


Tony Gutierrez "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." -- George Orwell There is an engraved passage from Mormon scripture in the Doctrine and Covenents section 88 verse 119 at the entry of the YFZ temple. This inscription reads, "Organize Yourselves, Prepare Every Needful Thing, And Establish A House, Even A House of Prayer, A House of Fasting, A House of Faith, A House of Learning, A House of Glory, A House of Order, A House Of God." On Thursday, April 3, 2008 Texas authorities sealed off roads leading to the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, entered through the locked gates and passed by the guard tower to invesitgate the safety of the children living there. They were responding to a report of "physical abuse" and neglect. A 50-year-old man was accused of marrying and fathering a child with a 16-year-old girl at the polygamist ranch in Schleicher County, according to a search and arrest warrant released by Tom Green County district court and signed by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther. The search warrant instructed officers to seize marriage records, computer drives, CDs, DVDs and photographs. Law Enforcement and CPS were held up at the gate for about two to three hours before they were allowed onto the compound. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, Texas Rangers and Schleicher County sheriff's deputies were finally allowed to escort a number of Child Protective Services investigators onto the property, where they began a lengthy process of interviewing the residents. CPS requested to see many of the young girls living on the ranch, but that request was not carried out. The ranch residents were moving children around the property and keeping them out of sight. "They were shuffled around houses as we were searching the houses. They were kind of like the old eggshell game," said Texas Ranger Capt. Barry Caver. At the time of the raid, FLDS leaders had maintained there were approximately 100 men, women and children living on the ranch. Initially, 52 girls were removed from the ranch because CPS said "There's evidence they have been abused, or are at imminent risk or harm. It is not safe for them to remain on the compound." According to Darrell Azar, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, "Under Texas law, either one is grounds for removal." The ages of the girls first removed ranged from 6 months to 17 years. There were reports that some of the girls who were removed from the compound were pregnant. According to Texas law, a girl younger than 17 cannot consent to have sex unless her partner is less than three years older than she, or she is married. Girls younger than 16, however, cannot be married, even with parental consent. According to the warrant, the alleged victim turned 16 in January 2008 and had a baby about 8 months old. On Friday, April 4, 2008, school buses and church buses were used to transport more children (now totalling 167) away from the YFZ Ranch where they had been removed from their parents' custody by Texas Child Protective Services. An eight member SWAT Team and an armored personnel carrier from the Midland County Sheriff's office also went to Eldorado to help about 60 other law enforcement agents from around Texas gain access to search the buildings on the compound. Citing their religious convictions that no nonbeliever should set foot inside the temple, a group of residents on the ranch denied authorities' requests to search the temple for the 16-year-old girl whose complaint triggered the massive, three-day raid. At first, members of the FLDS sect said that the alleged victim was not on the ranch. Sect leaders then said they would produce the girl when officials threatened to use the armored personnel carrier to gain entry to the compound's temple. "They had the temple surrounded with their vehicles refusing to allow admittance. We rolled the armored personnel carrier up and they complied," said Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter. A district judge was on the scene and ordered that everyone under the age of 16 be presented to CPS investigators for interviews. As this situation unfolded, more childern were removed on an almost daily basis because CPS feared that they were all in danger of "emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse." The final number of children removed from the YFZ Ranch totaled 463 - HUNDREDS more children were living on the YFZ Ranch than what the FLDS leaders had claimed when they said "there were approximately 100 men, women and children living on the ranch." Below are some news articles describing the efforts by the State of Texas to protect the child brides of the YFZ Ranch. These news articles are listed in chronological order.


Agents at polygamist ranch checking 'safety of children'
CNN Originally broadcast April 4, 2008
(CNN) -- Texas authorities are investigating "the safety of children" at a ranch occupied by about 400 followers of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, officials said Friday. Authorities have sealed off the 1,900-acre ranch near Eldorado and no one is allowed to enter or leave, officials with Child Protective Services and the Department of Public Safety said. The people living at the ranch are cooperating, authorities said. Escorted by police, social workers entered the compound in south central Texas at 8 p.m. Thursday after receiving "a referral," said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner. Child Protective Services "is conducting an investigation into safety issues of the children who live within the compound," she said. Meisner would not provide details about the referral but did say officials responded "within days" of receiving it. As of Friday morning, Meisner added, her agency had "not determined that there is a safety issue with these children." Several law enforcement agencies are assisting with the investigation, said Tela Mange, of the Texas Department of Public Safety. "The people at the ranch have been cooperative and they are providing the investigators with everyone they want to talk to," she said. Read more


52 children removed from Eldorado-area sect ranch; man, 50, faces impregnation-of-minor allegation
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 4, 2008
A 50-year-old man is accused of marrying and fathering a child with a 16-year-old girl at the polygamist YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, according to a search and arrest warrant released just before 5 p.m. by Tom Green County district court. The warrant, signed Thursday afternoon by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther, led state authorities to remove 52 children from the ranch, owned and run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. "We are dealing with many victims," Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said in a news conference in Eldorado. "There's evidence they have been abused, or are at imminent risk or harm. It is not safe for them to remain on the compound." The girls' ages range from 6 months to 17 years, Meisner said. Eighteen have been placed in the custody of CPS, she said, and case workers are interviewing the children in Eldorado's civic center, where they have been provided food and cots. The warrant authorizes law enforcement to seize records detailing the birth of children to the 16-year-old girl, any records or books listing the marriage of Dale Barlow and the girl and any children born to them, as well as any "medical records, documents or files related to (the girl) and the birth of her child." The Standard-Times does not print the names of juveniles or those listed as victims of alleged sex-related crimes. The FLDS compound has been sealed since late Thursday, after Walther signed the warrant at 5:30 p.m. that day. Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange said troopers have not arrested Barlow. According to state law, a girl younger than 16 cannot be married, not even with parental consent. According to the warrant, the girl turned 16 in January and has a baby about 8 months old. See photos of the raid


Dozens of children removed from polygamist ranch
CNN Originally broadcast April 4, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- Authorities say they removed 52 children, ages 6 months to 17 years, from a West Texas ranch occupied by followers of imprisoned polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. Eighteen girls have been placed in the temporary custody of the state under a court order, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner. Authorities said they continue to search the 1,900-acre YFZ ranch, and at least one suspect is being sought by police. Meisner said troopers and child welfare officials arrived at the secluded ranch Thursday evening with arrest and search warrants. They were responding to a report of "physical abuse" and neglect involving a 16-year-old girl. At this point in the investigation, she added, the abuse does not appear to be sexual. Another Child Protective Services spokesman, Darrell Azar, said the 18 girls were placed in state custody because it appeared that they "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse." Law enforcement and child welfare officials were at the ranch all night Thursday and throughout Friday. Meisner said the search was expected to continue into the night. No arrests had been made by early Friday evening, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said in a recorded message. The children were taken in two borrowed church buses from the ranch to a civic center near Eldorado. Read more




52 children taken during raid
By Randy Mankin The Eldorado Success The Spectrum Originally published April 4, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas - Two buses from First Baptist Church of Eldorado were used Friday afternoon to remove 52 children, mostly girls, from the YFZ Ranch, a large Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints complex north of Eldorado, Texas. Residents of the YFZ Ranch are members of the church once led by self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs, who was convicted last year in Washington County, Utah on two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in arranging and performing a marriage between one of his male followers and his underage cousin. Jeffs faces similar charges in Arizona as well as a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives list until his capture near Las Vegas in 2006. The children removed from the complex Friday were taken to the Schleicher County Civic Center approximately two miles south of town. Once there they were reportedly turned over to Texas Child Protective Services. Meanwhile, other buses were observed headed back into the YFZ Ranch. CPS workers are seeking immediate temporary custody of 18 of the children ranging in age from 6 months to 17 years. The other 34 children are being interviewed and treated as if they are "at risk," according to investigators. It is not clear who will end up with custody of the children once hearings are held Monday before 51st District Judge Barbara Walther in San Angelo, Texas. Authorities set up a perimeter around the YFZ Ranch late Thursday afternoon to support an effort by CPS to investigate a report that an underage girl had been sexually abused at the ranch. Read more


State removes 52 girls from polygamist ranch
CPS received a tip about sexual abuse in isolated religious sect
By JANET ELLIOTT Houston Chronicle Originally published April 4, 2008
AUSTIN — Fifty-two girls, including 18 suspected abuse victims, were removed by state officials Friday from the West Texas compound where a religious sect kept them isolated from the outside world. The dramatic departure by school bus involved many of the girls living at the community near Eldorado, about 45 miles south of San Angelo. The complex of dormitory-style buildings and a large temple was founded four years ago by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, who was convicted last year in Utah of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old girl. Boys were allowed to remain at the Yearn for Zion Ranch but will be questioned by investigators from Child Protective Services, said agency spokesman Darrell Azar. Child abuse investigators and officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety arrived at the complex Thursday in response to a report CPS received Monday alleging a 16-year-old girl had been sexually and physically abused. On Friday, they executed a search warrant at the compound. The warrant is for records dealing with the birth of any children to a 16-year-old and any records listing a marriage between a 50-year-old man and the girl, according to the San Angelo Standard-Times, which cited court records released late Friday in Tom Green County. Read more


52 girls removed from FLDS compound in Texas
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, April 4, 2008
Child welfare workers have taken custody of 52 girls from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's compound in Eldorado, Texas, after a raid over allegations of child sex abuse on the Utah-based polygamous sect's ranch. "We legally removed 18 children. We concluded they had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse," said Darrell Azar, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. "Under Texas law, either one is grounds for removal." An additional 34 girls were taken Friday afternoon to the nearby city of San Angelo, where they are being interviewed to determine if they should be placed in state protective custody. Police are also serving warrants in connection with the investigation. "At this point we are now serving search and arrest warrants at the property for individuals covered in those warrants," Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said. "Nobody's been arrested at this time." Texas child protective services workers were on the YFZ Ranch Thursday and Friday, interviewing the children who live there. Authorities said the investigation began when a 16-year-old girl who lives there called child protective services on Monday. "She said she was being sexually abused," Schleicher County Attorney Raymond Loomis told the Deseret Morning News. Read more


Six bus loads of children removed from YFZ Ranch
Community turns out to help feed and house the youngsters
Breaking News The Eldorado Success Originally published April 4, 2008
ELDORADO, TEXAS -- Buses from Schleicher County ISD and First Baptist Church of Eldorado were pressed into service Friday to transport 167 children away from the YFZ Ranch where they had been removed from their parents custody by Texas Child Protective Services in accordance with a court order issued by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther. The children range in age from 6 months of 17 years. There are 96 boys and 71 girls. CPS is trying to determine if the parents of the babies are among the young girls they took into custody, or if the parents even live at the YFZ Ranch. CPS is seeking immediate temporary custody of 18 of the children while the remainder are to be interviewed to determine if they are "at risk." Community members as well as congregations from a several Eldorado churches began preparing food for the children. They also helped prepare cots and bedding in hopes of making the children as comfortable as possible. The move to take the children into custody began with a CPS that an underage girl at the YFZ was being sexually and physically abused. Law enforcement officers sealed of all the roads, leading to the YFZ Ranch late Thursday afternoon. The lawmen demanded entry to the ranch just before midnight that evening and they escorted CPS workers on to YFZ property without incident. CPS interviews of the children lasted throughout the night and well into the afternoon on Friday. That's when a number of buses began transporting children from the YFZ Ranch to the Schleicher County Civic Center south of Eldorado. There the children were turned over to CPS workers. Read more


Authorities remove kids from polygamist FLDS sect's Texas compound
The Associated Press Dallas Morning News Originally published Friday, April 4, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas – Child welfare officials and state troopers removed Friday a busload of children from a secretive West Texas religious retreat built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs following a complaint to state authorities. Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner confirmed the white bus that drove out of the compound accompanied by state troopers was filled with children being taken away from the compound, but could not immediately say how many. But a nearby resident said she saw two First Baptist Church buses escorted by state troopers. "One was full of women and children, and they were looking at the TV cameras," said Thelma Bosmans, whose mother Doris is a city council member in El Dorado. "They looked really old-timey, and they were all looking at the cameras, at all the people that were there, and it was just a feeling of, "Thank you, Lord, they're going to save some of them.' But I feel sorry for the ones that stayed in. That's not all of them. That can't be all of them. ... That place is so private. So mysterious. ... Like, finally, something's done. It seems like they've been getting away with everything." Authorities surrounded the retreat, built by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, late Thursday and served search and arrest warrants Friday. Meisner said the DPS and other law enforcement helped investigators gain access. She said CPS is "investigating whether any children are in danger." Schleicher County Attorney Raymond Loomis Jr. said a girl apparently called authorities to complain, but he had no other details. The case was being handled by prosecutors in San Angelo, a bigger town north of this tiny community. The district attorney's office there declined comment. Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said CPS was responding to a complaint but could provide no other details. He wouldn't say how many people were being interviewed or how many officers were involved. Read more


Midland County Sends Aid to Eldorado
By Camaron Abundes NewsWest 9 - KWES-TV - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast April 4, 2008
MIDLAND- An eight member SWAT Team from the Midland County Sheriff's office was in Eldorado, Friday, helping dozens of law enforcement agents from around Texas in a raid at the Fundamentalists Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound. Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter says they also sent an armored personnel carrier to help gain access on the compound. "They had the temple surrounded with their vehicles refusing to allow admittance. We rolled the armored personnel carrier up and they complied," said Sheriff Painter. Sheriff Painter says his team worked with about 60 other law enforcement agents to search the buildings on the compound. "We have information, young people, females, that are in the compound some of them might be held against their will others that may have been used as sex tools or whatever you want to call it. Some of them have children, these young ladies are sixteen or under," Painter said. See photo


State looks to house girls removed from compound
KXAN Austin News Originally broadcast April 4, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) -- Dozens of children were removed by the state from a religious compound in West Texas Friday. Troopers with the Department of Public Safety served search and arrest warrants Friday at the site in Eldorado, which was built by polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. Jeffs is in prison, convicted of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Utah. A complaint led Child Protective Services to the compound, and the agency is looking for temporary homes for more than 50 girls younger than 17, some of whom are reportedly pregnant. The bus, carrying 52 girls from 6 months to 17 years old rolled out of the Eldorado compound Friday afternoon to an uncertain future. "We are dealing with many victims, and of course, the setting is different than we're accustomed to," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for CPS. The raid began Thursday evening after a call for help from inside the compound reported there had been physical abuse to a 16-year-old girl. "That is the information we have received -- needing help, needing our assistance," said Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter. Read more


San Angelo Judge Issues Gag Order After Raid in Eldorado
By Michael Stafford NewsWest 9 - KWES-TV - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast April 4, 2008
ELDORADO, TEXAS - The latest out of Eldorado, no more information, a judge in San Angelo has issued a gag order. Law enforcement officials remain in Eldorado after raiding the compound of convicted Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs on Friday. Officers from Midland, the Texas Rangers, and Child Protective Services descended on the compound Friday morning after allegations of abuse surfaced. They later stormed the facility just before noon. 52 girls were removed and 18 are in CPS custody. Child Protective Services says the girls, range in age from infants to 17 years old. Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter told NewsWest 9 he received reports that some of the girls who were removed from the compound are pregnant. A judge so far has given the State custody to about one-third of the girls. Read more


State takes 52 girls from sect's West Texas ranch
By BILL HANNA and JACK DOUGLAS JR. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published April 5, 2008
State officials removed 52 girls from a polygamous sect's compound in Schleicher County on Friday, a day after authorities blocked access to the secretive West Texas outpost in response to a report of child abuse, officials said. The girls, ranging from 6 months to 17 years old, were put on buses at the YFZ Ranch outside Eldorado and driven north to San Angelo, where they were being housed at a civic center, Child Protective Services officials said. Eighteen were taken into legal custody and will be placed in foster care, CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. "We're assessing their needs and making arrangements for their placement," Crimmins said. "The caseworkers need to have an opportunity to assess their needs." "Legally, logistically it's a challenge for us -- the number of children we're removing into care all at once in a sparsely populated part of the state. I don't know how difficult it will be to place them, but we will do so." The other 34 children were being interviewed late Friday. The YFZ Ranch is owned by followers of a secretive sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is based in Utah and Arizona. The investigation began with a call reporting the physical abuse of a 16-year-old girl at the compound, CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner told The Associated Press. Read more


Seclusion ends for splinter sect
By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 5, 2008
ELDORADO - Several dozen confused girls stared out from within a shuttle bus borrowed from the First Baptist Church of Eldorado as a law enforcement motorcade made its way to town. In a bus behind it, other girls held coats up to the window to block the view of reporters and photographers who were waiting at Rudd Road and U.S. Highway 277. "We're dealing with children that are not accustomed to the outside world," said Marleigh Meisner, public information officer with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The girls, 52 of them, were escorted Friday from a ranch owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a notoriously reclusive group that moved to a ranch north of town about four years ago. The girls were moved from the ranch about 2:45 p.m. Friday, and 18 were placed into the custody of the Child Protective Services. The action came near the end of a long day for area and state law enforcement and child protection officials, who converged in Eldorado, about 45 miles south of San Angelo. The ordeal started about 7:30 p.m. Thursday and continued through the night. Law enforcement officials and child protective services personnel entered the ranch to investigate a complaint of abuse. By early Friday, media began assembling on the roadside, miles from the compound metal gates. In all, about 10 outlets were in Eldorado by Friday afternoon, including CNN. Local residents drove by Rudd Road watching the group of satellite trucks and live broadcasts, and some even stopped to snap a few pictures. Read more


167 kids taken in Texas raid
Police seeking man in child-bride marriage
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, April 5, 2008
Authorities have removed 167 children from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's compound near Eldorado, Texas, after a raid over allegations of child sex abuse on the Utah-based polygamous sect's ranch. School buses and church buses commandeered by law enforcement ferried the children from the YFZ Ranch. Some of the girls, wearing the prairie-style dresses so common to the fundamentalist border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., appeared nervous. Child protective services workers said they range in age from 6 months to 17 years. Authorities said 18 girls were immediately placed in state protective custody. "We concluded they had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse," said Darrell Azar, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. "Under Texas law, either one is grounds for removal." The children are being kept at a civic center where cots have been set up and local churches are providing food. "There's 96 boys and 71 girls," Randy Mankin, the editor of the Eldorado Success newspaper, said late Friday night. "I understand there's some underage girls that are pregnant." The children are being interviewed by child welfare workers to determine whether they need to be placed in protective custody or foster care. A court hearing will be held on Monday, Mankin said. "We're dealing with children that aren't accustomed to the outside world, and so we're trying to be very, very sensitive to their needs," said Marleigh Meisner with child protective services. More people will be questioned on the YFZ Ranch today. Read more


Texas polygamist compound sealed off by troopers
Child welfare officials investigate a complaint that girls may have been abused at the YFZ Ranch, built by the sect led by jailed self-styled prophet Warren Jeffs.
By Miguel Bustillo Los Angeles Times Originally published April 5, 2008
HOUSTON -- State troopers sealed off a polygamist compound in a remote stretch of Texas on Friday, and child welfare officials removed 52 girls after a complaint that a 16-year-old had been physically and sexually abused, authorities said. The investigation at the YFZ Ranch, a walled-off complex just outside the town of Eldorado that is anchored by a towering white temple, came as welcome news to local officials, who had complained for years about the religious sect hunkered there. "We know they're violating the law, but someone has to raise their hand and testify, and until that happens we don't have anything," said James C. Doyle, a local justice of the peace who has flown frequently over the compound in his private plane. "Those young girls are so brainwashed, it's hard to know what they'll say." Texas Department of Public Safety officials disclosed shortly after noon that they were going to execute search and arrest warrants on some of the compound's inhabitants, but did not explain why. As of Friday evening, no one had been arrested, a spokesman said. A Child Protective Services spokesman confirmed that officials had removed 52 girls by bus, ranging from 6 months to 17 years of age. Of those, 18 were taken into state custody due to concerns about abuse and neglect, while the others were being interviewed by caseworkers to determine whether they too should be taken from their parents. "Generally speaking, a removal occurs when there is no other way to protect a child from abuse or neglect," spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. "It could be that abuse has happened, or that we felt there was a really good chance that it would." Read more


More children removed from FLDS Ranch
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Saturday, April 5, 2008
ELDORADO — State officials confirmed this morning(0405) that more children were removed overnight from the YFZ ranch polygamist compound overnight, and that the total number of children taken away from the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints church property is likely well over 100. "It's more than it was yesterday, but I don't have a number for you," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for the state's Child Protective Services agency. Fifty-two children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years were taken off the ranch in shuttle buses by authorities Friday during an investigative raid that began Thursday night, involving Department of Public Safety law enforcement officers, officials from Child Protective Services and other agencies. An additional two buses were sent to the ranch this morning and have not returned. Buses also removed children from the compound overnight. At least 100 children are being kept at Eldorado's community center and the Eldorado First Baptist Church fellowship hall, said Linda Love, owner of the Sutton County Steak House in nearby Sonora, which served dinner to the children Friday night and breakfast this morning. Love said officials told her to expect to serve about 225 people – an unknown mix of children, volunteers and law enforcement – for dinner today. "They're singing songs," she said, standing outside First Baptist Church. "So happy and sweet and precious. It's heart breaking." The DPS is no longer answering questions about the situation, according to a recorded message on the agency's public affairs phone line. Spokesman Tom Vinger in the recorded message cites requests from the Tom Green County District Attorney's office for the agency to cease commenting on the matter.


Hildale and Colorado City worry over Texas raid
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, April 5, 2008
Through whispers and phone calls, the news of the raid on the YFZ Ranch is spreading through the Fundamentalist LDS strongholds of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. "Everybody's talking about it," said ex-FLDS member Isaac Wyler, who lives in the border towns. As he drove through the towns formerly known as "Short Creek" on Friday, Wyler told the Deseret Morning News he was watching a flurry of activity. Outside an FLDS-run private school, he said dozens of cars were parked there. "I'm sure everybody's having little meetings," he said. Reminiscent of the infamous 1953 raid on Short Creek, where polygamists were rounded up and put in jail and their children put in foster care, people on both sides of the polygamy debate were worried about the impact of this latest action in Texas. "It seems like a huge, massive step for law enforcement to come in like that and raid this community," said Mary Batchelor of the pro-polygamy group Principle Voices. "It's terrifying." Ross Chatwin, another ex-FLDS member, feared the Texas raid would serve to further entrench and isolate the FLDS from the outside world. "Warren (Jeffs) and the leaders, they're wanting something like this to happen so they can fullfil a prophecy that it will turn into another Nauvoo or '53 raid," he said. "My biggest fear is we're playing right into their hands." Read more


FLDS members bar authorities from temple
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 5, 2008
ELDORADO - State officials have now removed 183 women and children from the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, but a group of sect members have refused to allow law enforcement access to the compound's temple, local prosecutors say. Citing their religious convictions that no nonbeliever should set foot inside the temple, a group of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have rejected authorities' requests to search the temple for a 16-year-old girl whose complaint triggered the massive, three-day raid, said Allison Palmer, who as first assistant 51st District attorney, would prosecute any felony crimes uncovered as part of the investigation inside the compound. "Within the religion that we have encountered, their place of worship is very special to them," she said Saturday. "It appears to be of great concern to them if a person from outside their congregation even attempts to step inside their place of worship." Palmer said if no agreement is reached, authorities will forcibly remove the sect's followers "as peaceably as possible." "They don't want to intrude on anyone's sacred ground," she said. "They just want to ensure the safety of children." Read more


BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Authorities enter Eldorado-area temple
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 5, 2008
Local and state officials entered the temple of a secretive polygamist sect late Saturday, said lawmen blockading the road to the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado. The action comes hours after local prosecutors said officials were preparing for the worst because a group of FLDS members were resisting efforts to search the structure. The Texas Department of Public Safety trooper and Schleicher County sheriff’s deputy confirmed that officials have entered the temple but said they had no word on whether anything occurred in the effort. The incursion into the temple caps the three-day saga of the state’s Child Protective Services agency removing at least 183 women and children from the YFZ Ranch since Friday afternoon. Eighteen girls have been placed in state custody since a 16-year-old told authorities she was married to a 50-year-old man and had given birth to his child. Saturday evening, ambulances were brought in, said Allison Palmer, who as first assistant 51st District attorney, would prosecute any felony crimes uncovered as part of the investigation inside the compound. "In preparing for entry to the temple, law enforcement is preparing for the worst," Palmer said Saturday evening. They want to have "medical personnel on hand in case this were to go in a way that no one wants." Read more


Cops Enter Texas Polygamist Temple
By MICHELLE ROBERTS TIME Magazine Originally published Sunday, April 5, 2008
(ELDORADO, Texas) — Law enforcement agents got access to an enormous temple on the grounds of a polygamist compound, but by Sunday morning they still had not found a 16-year-old girl whose initial report of abuse led to the raid. "There were some tense moments last night, but everything has remained calm and peaceful and they are continuing their search," said Allison Palmer, a prosecutor from a nearby county handling the case, early Sunday. Palmer said it was unclear whether the girl who made the report was among the nearly 200 women and children taken Friday and Saturday from the compound built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. A busload of women were seen talking to law enforcement and a lawyer at a civic center early Sunday. Palmer said Child Protective Services was still trying to identify the 16-year-old, and it wasn't clear if she was among those being interviewed or was even in the area. State troopers armed with a search warrant raided the compound on Friday to look for evidence of a marriage between the girl, who allegedly had a baby at 15, and 50-year-old Dale Barlow. Under Texas law, girls younger than 16 cannot marry, even with parental approval. Barlow's probation officer told The Salt Lake Tribune that he was in Arizona. "He said the authorities had called him (in Colorado City, Ariz.) and some girl had accused him of assaulting her and he didn't even know who she was," said Bill Loader, a probation officer in Arizona. Read more


Police storm temple at polygamist ranch
CNN Originally published Sunday, April 6, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- Authorities stormed the temple of a Texas ranch that's home to a rogue Mormon sect Saturday, as part of a search for victims of physical and sexual abuse, police said. Police called in ambulances and other emergency vehicles as they prepared to search the polygamist group's temple, officials said. Authorities wanted medical backup "in case they're involved in sensitive areas that could escalate into a negative reaction," a law enforcement source said. A police helicopter circled the ranch Saturday night. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a rogue branch of the Mormon church and forbids nonbelievers from entering its temples. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests at the compound. Earlier Saturday, 131 children and young women were removed from the ranch, bringing the total of people removed from the ranch to 183 since law enforcement officers raided the compound Thursday. The majority of the 137 children removed from the ranch were girls. About 40 boys were removed, said Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the Texas Child Protective Services. "We're trying to find out if they're safe," she explained. "We need to know if they have been abused or neglected." Read more


Nearly 200 taken from sect's West Texas ranch
By BILL HANNA Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Sunday, April 6, 2008
ELDORADO -- After several anxious hours late Saturday, tensions appeared to be easing at the YFZ Ranch in West Texas as state troopers streamed past checkpoints and escorted another busload of girls from the secretive polygamist sect's compound. Around 11 p.m., police scanner traffic indicated that authorities had "cleared" the church's temple and were moving to the compound's annex. There was no indication that authorities' search for children on the ranch was coming to a close. Earlier in the evening, some of the sect's members refused to allow authorities to entering the church's massive white temple. Allison Palmer, assistant district attorney for the 51st District, which includes Schleicher and Coke counties and part of Tom Green County, said that authorities "were preparing for all possibilities" and that ambulances and other equipment were on standby. "This is a very sensitive area, and members of this church feel very strongly about nonmembers entering that area," Palmer said. "This is a very important to them. It is proving to be difficult to obtain their permission to enter that building." Palmer credited Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran with obtaining the cooperation of the sect to allow the search to continue. She wouldn't say whether investigators had searched all the other buildings. Read more


Some Kids from Eldorado Compound Could go to Waco Facility
By Camaron Abundes NewsWest 9 - KWES-TV - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast April 5, 2008
WACO - A child care ministry in Waco is gearing up to possibly house children removed from a polygamist compound. In the last 48 hours nearly 200 women and children have been removed from that secret religious retreat in West Texas that was built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. NewsWest 9's sister station in Waco, KXXV-TV, reports that a Central Texas organization has heard from the state and they're making preparations. The Methodist Church was contacted Thursday by Child Protective Services. During that phone call a CPS official wanted to know if they had enough beds and enough space to house at least some of the more than 130 children removed from the polygamist compound. The Methodist Church operates a large children's home in North Waco. The facility hasn't received any of those children at this time. For the latest on this developing story stay with NewsWest9.com and NewsWest9.


Teen's calls led to raid, search
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 6, 2008
ELDORADO - Last week's joint raid on the Mormon splinter sect compound - which sent shock waves through Eldorado, as well as through Utah and Arizona, where the FLDS is based - developed out of phone calls from a teen claiming an underage marriage to a 50-year-old man, a local prosecutor said. Authorities continue to search for Dale Barlow, 50, who is accused of fathering a girl with a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member who was 15 when she gave birth. Allison Palmer, first assistant 51st District attorney, said officials believe Barlow is in Utah or Arizona and may have been detained and released by authorities there since the warrant was issued. Palmer prosecutes felony cases in Schleicher County, of which Eldorado is the seat. That city of about 1,700 is about 45 miles south of San Angelo. Authorities also do not yet know the whereabouts of the girl, now 16, nor of her baby, now about 8 months old. They may be among the dozens of children removed from the compound, or they may be elsewhere. Barlow's probation officer told The Salt Lake Tribune that he is in Arizona. "He said the authorities had called him (in Colorado City, Ariz.) and some girl had accused him of assaulting her and he didn't even know who she was," said Bill Loader, a probation officer in Arizona. Barlow was sentenced to jail time last year after pleading no contest to conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. He also was ordered to register as a sex offender for three years while he is on probation. His lawyer in that case, Bruce Griffen, said he had not spoken to Barlow in a year. Palmer, in an interview Saturday with the Standard-Times, revealed for the first time the raid's genesis. The girl called authorities at least twice, Palmer said - once March 29 and again the next day. Palmer declined to say which agency the girl telephoned, but said it was not by dialing 9-1-1, and that the girl said she was calling from inside the ranch. "She didn't use the term 'forced into marriage,'" Palmer said. "She indicated that she was underage and had a (50)-year-old husband." Read more


Law is changed with sect in mind
By JOHN MORITZ Star-Telegram Austin Bureau Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Sunday, April 6, 2008
AUSTIN -- The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that settled in remote Schleicher County four years ago has been on state radar since it arrived in West Texas Legislative initiative State Rep. Harvey Hildebran, a Kerrville Republican whose district includes the 1,691-acre YFZ Ranch, filed a bill during the 2005 legislative session to restrict marriages involving young girls. He modeled it after laws in Arizona and Utah, where the polygamist sect also has settlements. "What I'm hoping to accomplish is to keep Eldorado and Schleicher County from becoming like Colorado City [Ariz.] where this cult came from -- and not only protect them but keep it from happening anywhere else in Texas," Hilderbran said at the time. Read more


Eldorado residents help by giving food, comfort
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 6, 2008
ELDORADO - The children taken from the Mormon splinter sect compound were housed Saturday at Eldorado's community center and the First Baptist Church fellowship hall, sleeping on donated cots and eating food dropped off by Eldorado residents. The food was cooked by Sutton County Steak House of Sonora, about 20 miles south of Eldorado. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints stays in seclusion, eating food grown at the compound and minimizing contact with the outside world - the extent of which became apparent as the children sampled what the steakhouse had to offer, said owner Linda Love. "They didn't even know what a steak finger was," she said. "They're singing songs. So happy and sweet and precious. It's heartbreaking." Church volunteers and Eldorado residents bought diapers and food supplies from the local Super S Food Store, dropped off bottles of water and wheeled cases of soda in shopping carts. Some came in hopes of volunteering, but signs on the door to the fellowship hall said officials only accepted donations. Many church members and officials were helping Friday and Saturday, said Shea Politte, whose husband, Sylas, is the First Baptist Church youth minister and helped coordinate the church's efforts in providing buses and supplies. Politte declined to give specifics about the church's new tenants. "I don't want to jeopardize their rights," she said. "They have more now."


Lawmen enter temple
Authorities prepped for worst
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 6, 2008
ELDORADO - Local and state officials entered the temple of a secretive polygamist sect late Saturday, said lawmen blockading the road to the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado. The action comes hours after local prosecutors said officials were preparing for the worst because a group of FLDS members was blocking efforts to search the structure. The Texas Department of Public Safety trooper and Schleicher County sheriff's deputy confirmed officials entered the temple but said they had no word on whether any resistance occurred in the effort. The temple entry caps the three-day saga of the state's Child Protective Services agency removing at least 183 women and children from the YFZ Ranch. Eighteen girls have been placed in state custody since a 16-year-old told authorities she was married to a 50-year-old man and had given birth to his child at age 15. Saturday evening, ambulances were brought in, said Allison Palmer, who as first assistant 51st District attorney, would prosecute any felony crimes uncovered in the investigation. "In preparing for entry to the temple, law enforcement is preparing for the worst," Palmer said Saturday evening. They want to have "medical personnel on hand in case this were to go in a way that no one wants." Apparently as a result of action late Saturday at the ranch, about 10:15 p.m. Saturday, a Schleicher County school bus unloaded a group of at least a dozen more women and children from the compound. Read more


219 children, women taken from sect's ranch
CNN Originally published Sunday, April 6, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- More than 200 women and children have been removed from a Texas ranch that's home to members of a polygamist sect, but authorities have not identified the girl who called them with allegations of abuse. The 16-year-old girl, who called authorities last week with allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the compound, may be in the group and using a different name, Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for Texas Child Protective Services, said at a news conference Sunday. "I am confident that this girl does indeed exist," Meisner said. "I am confident that the allegations that she brought forth are accurate." Since Thursday, authorities have removed 159 children and 60 adults from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound in Eldorado, Texas. Eighteen of the girls have been taken into state custody. Authorities believe all "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse," a state spokesman said. The others are now housed at a shelter in San Angelo -- about 45 miles north of Eldorado -- where they are being questioned about abuse, Meisner said. "It's certainly emotional for the children, but they are with caretakers -- people that they're accustomed to being with -- at the time," Meisner said. Many of the adults at the shelter are parents or relatives of the children, she said. Read more


Besieged Polygamists Let Cops in Temple
By MIKE VON FREMD and BRUCE REZNICK ABC News Originally broadcast April 6, 2008
Law enforcement authorities were able to enter a west Texas polygamist compound to search a temple for a 16-year-old girl after an initial tense standoff Saturday. Though 219 women and children were taken by bus from the compound this weekend, the teenage girl, whose report of abuse led to the raid, still is unaccounted for in Eldorado, Texas. She is allegedly married to a 50-year-old man with whom she has had a child. Initially, leaders refused to let police enter the compound and authorities feared the worst case scenario and brought in ambulances. Authorities now are trying to find foster homes for dozens of young girls they removed from the 1,700-acre gated compound, which is part of Warren Jeffs' polygamist sect. At least 18 girls are being held in state custody as police interview the women as part of the investigation. "Those are the ones that we believe have been abused, or they are in imminent risk of harm, imminent risk of being abused," said Marlene Meisner of Texas Child Protective Services. Former sect member Carolyn Jessop said even though the women have been removed, the mind control the sect has exerted on them will be difficult to remove. "I'm thinking they're probably incredibly confused right now, especially the young ones," Jessop said on "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" today. "There's a lot of mind control here and just layers and layers that authorities have to get through to get to the truth." Read more

Watch Good Morning America's live coverage of this story above


Busloads taken from Texas polygamist compound
USA Today Originally published April 6, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) — Authorities who removed 219 women and children from a polygamist compound were struggling Sunday to determine whether they had the 16-year-old girl whose report of an underage marriage led them to raid the sprawling rural property. Many people at the compound, built by followers of jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, are related to one another and share similar names; investigators said in some case they were giving different names at different times. Investigators on Sunday bused them out of Eldorado, nearly 200 miles northwest of San Antonio, as other law enforcement agents continued to search for more children and evidence at the 1,700-acre compound, the former site of an exotic game ranch. State troopers armed with a search warrant raided the compound on Friday to look for evidence of a marriage between the girl, who allegedly had a baby at 15, and a 50-year-old man. Under Texas law, girls younger than 16 cannot marry, even with parental approval. The women and children were taken out of the compound Friday and Saturday and had been staying in a local church and civic center. By midday Sunday, dozens of women and children, mostly girls, were seen boarding buses on their way to San Angelo, a larger town 45 miles away. The women wore long pastel dresses and many carried bedding; several had infants. Read more


220 women, children taken from Eldorado-area compound, brought to San Angelo
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 6, 2008
ELDORADO - Nearly 220 women and children removed from the secretive polygamist sect's compound in Schleicher County have been relocated this afternoon to San Angelo so state child case workers can better interview them in a neutral setting, officials said today. The state's Child Protective Services agency has removed 159 children from the compound, which local and state authorities are in their fourth day of searching. CPS moved the women and children because San Angelo has more resources to provide both the girls and case workers. "We are still in the midst of interview them," said Marleigh Meisner, CPS spokeswoman, adding that CPS still has yet to identify the 16-year-old girls whose phone calls last weekend led to the Thursday night raid of the compound. The women and children who were removed from the compound were bused to Fort Concho National Historic Landmark in San Angelo, where Meisner said they could be housed in one place and medical and other services would be more accessible. Most of those who boarded buses in Eldorado were women and girls, dressed in long pastel dresses. Many were carrying bedding. The state Department of Family and Protective Services has offices in the Ralph Chase building next to the fort. The raid appeared to culminate Saturday night when a group of followers of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints followers refused admittance to the group's temple. Dozens of Texas Rangers forced their way in without incident. Read more


60 more women leave Texas ranch as search for girl continues
Nearly 220 Jeffs followers removed from Eldorado
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Monday, April 7, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Sixty FLDS women willingly left a cloistered polygamist compound here Sunday to join the now 159 children taken by police and state social workers. Texas officials can't say why exactly the women agreed to leave the YFZ ranch but said they weren't forced to go and may have left to be with their children. "I can't really speak for their motivation," said Texas Child Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins. "During the course of our investigation, we've been talking and conducting interviews and we told the women if they wanted to leave the compound, they were free to do so. "Sixty chose to do so, but I can't say what they were individually thinking." No adult men have left or been taken from the reclusive ranch, situated near the western Texas prairie town of Eldorado. Sunday evening, The Eldorado Success reported an additional 32 children and nine adults had been transported from the ranch. CPS officials said more people would likely be taken from the compound throughout Sunday but would not confirm new numbers until a press briefing this afternoon. Read more


219 moved to San Angelo as search of ranch goes on
By BILL HANNA Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Monday, April 7, 2008
ELDORADO -- The number of women and children removed from a polygamist compound in West Texas climbed to 219 Sunday as authorities spent the day busing them about 45 miles to San Angelo. Investigators are continuing to search for more children at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' YFZ Ranch north of Eldorado, state Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said. "I do not believe we have found all of them," Meisner said. "We are continuing to try and find them." Meisner said District Judge Barbara Walther has instructed CPS caseworkers to remove every child from the 1,691-acre YFZ Ranch. The 219 women and children were moved by bus Sunday to Fort Concho in San Angelo. The fort, now owned by the city, was established in 1867 to protect frontier settlements and closed in 1899. It is now known as Fort Concho National Historic Landmark and includes 23 original and restored structures. CPS officials said medical personnel will be available on site. Only 18 of the people removed from the compound have been taken into state custody to be placed in foster care. The rest will have to have hearings within 14 days, where CPS will be required to prove that the children are in danger to keep them in custody, Mary Jo McCurley, former chair of the State Bar of Texas family law panel, said Sunday. McCurley said that if CPS has evidence that one child had been abused, that would be enough legally to remove all the children. She said she couldn't recall another instance in Texas history where so many children had been moved into protective custody. Read more


Fort hosts sect members
Search continues for 16-year-old girl, her baby, evidence
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 7, 2008
ELDORADO - State officials relocated by the busload Sunday a massive collection of previously isolated, possibly abused girls from Eldorado to San Angelo, and more are likely on their way. More than 220 women and children, removed by state child protection officials from the polygamist sect whose Schleicher County ranch has been under investigation for more than three days, are being held for interviews at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark. "We are working jointly with the district judge, and her recommendation was to take every child and remove them to a neutral setting," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for the state's Child Protective Services agency, a branch of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Meisner placed at 219 the number of women and children removed from the YFZ Ranch - the Schleicher County compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is not part of the Mormon Church. However, a bus left the ranch later Sunday and, escorted by state troopers and San Angelo police, discharged more FLDS members at Fort Concho. Buildings at the 141-year-old fort complex, one of the best restored frontier forts in the state, are climate-controlled and equipped with shower facilities, Assistant City Manager Elizabeth Grindstaff said. "This is a nice facility," she said. "You have very nice buildings that are not cavernous." Read more


Texas authorities find more women and children at FLDS compound
Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast April 7, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (ABC 4 News) -- The number of women and children removed from the polygamist stronghold outside of Eldorado, Texas is now believed to be 260. On Sunday, most were transported from Eldorado to San Angelo, a much larger community 45 minutes north. The children have been removed under a court order that directs the Texas Bureau of Child and Family Service to determine if any are being abused. Authorities say the women have come along voluntarily and are believed to be the mothers of young children. Throughout the day and into the night busses rolled into "Fort Concho" Park in San Angelo where the women and children will be housed until authorities decide what to do with them. It is hard to image what the children must be thinking as they step off the busses in the dark. For some of the young children, they only life they've known is on the ranch. All of the change, the strange places and people, have to be frightening. Only 18 children have actually been placed in state protective custody by a Judge. They have already been taken to foster homes in undisclosed cities. But the rest, approximately 192 as of Sunday night, are left in a limbo while workers with the BCFS try to determine if any of them have been abused or are at high risk of being abused. It could take weeks or even months to make individual determinations and hold court hearings. The goal of authorities is to put the children in a neutral environment where some might be willing to talk about what has been going on at the ranch over the last 4 years. Read more


BREAKING NEWS: 401 children removed from Eldorado-area ranch, taken into state custody
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 7, 2008
The state's Child Protective Services agency has removed 401 children from the polygamist sect near Eldorado, and officials are now looking for another shelter area, a CPS spokeswoman said. A judge has told the state CPS it can take all 401 children into custody who have been removed from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' YFZ Ranch, said CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner this afternoon. That includes instances where the mothers of the children also have been removed from the ranch, about 3 miles northeast of Eldorado. Some 133 women also have left the ranch owned by FLDS, a splinter sect that practices a form of plural marriage and is no longer associated with the Mormon Church. Former ranch residents are being housed at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, but that site lacks capacity for the total number of people removed from the ranch, Meisner said. Authorities have arrested one person at the FLDS' Schleicher County compound, but the suspect sought since Thursday remains at-large. The person arrested faces a misdemeanor charge of interfering with the duties of a public servant, said Lisa Block, an Austin-based spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. The person arrested is not Dale Barlow, the man sought in the arrest warrant that initially gave authorities access to the ranch, Block said. "There was an arrest made," Block said. "We don't know if it was yesterday or today." Read more


Texas takes legal custody of 401 sect children
CNN Originally published April 7, 2008
(CNN) -- Authorities said Monday they have taken legal custody of 401 children who lived on an isolated West Texas polygamist retreat built by imprisoned "prophet" Warren Jeffs. Authorities load members of the FLDS onto buses as they search their Texas ranch for clues of abuse. The children are being kept at a temporary shelter at historic Fort Concho in nearby San Angelo while authorities investigate whether a child bride gave birth on the ranch at age 15. The children in state custody are joined at the shelter by 133 women, most of them mothers, who were taken during the past few days from the sprawling Yearning for Zion ranch, said Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the state's Child Protective Services agency. The women are free to return to the 1,900-acre compound, officials said, but many have chosen to remain. At this point, officials said, the children's fathers are not permitted to see them. Court proceedings began Monday to determine whether there is enough evidence to remove the children from their homes on the ranch, which is near Eldorado, Meisner said. A hearing is scheduled April 17. The children will be appointed lawyers and legal guardians in about two weeks, she added. Meisner said the temporary shelter is filling up quickly, and officials are facing a "critical shortage" of foster homes. Officials will try to keep siblings together, she added. Read more


401 kids taken in Texas polygamist raid
By Wendy Koch USA TODAY Originally published Monday, April 7, 2008
Texas authorities said Monday they removed 401 children — mostly girls — from a polygamist compound in the largest child-welfare operation in the state's history. The raid on the isolated, El Dorado property was triggered by allegations of physical abuse called in by a 16-year-old girl, whom authorities have yet to identify. "We have taken legal, temporary custody" of the children, said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for Texas Child Protective Services. Each of the children will be given a guardian and placed in foster care. Authorities received a search warrant to enter the compound Friday after the 16-year-old called to say she had been married to a 50-year-old man and allegedly had a baby at 15. Under Texas law, girls younger than 16 cannot marry, even with parental consent. In addition to the children, 133 women who "wanted to leave" also were taken, Meisner said. State troopers were holding an unknown number of men in the compound until investigators finished executing a house-to-house search of the 1,700-acre property. Authorities arrested one man Monday for failing to comply with a police order, Meisner said. The raid is the largest such removal from a polygamist compound in nearly 55 years. A July 26, 1953, raid in Colorado City, Ariz., involved more than 300 women and children. It backfired on then-governor Howard Pyle when pictures showed weeping children being torn from frantic mothers. Most of the children and women returned to their homes within months. Texas is handling the case appropriately by letting parents leave with their children, said John Llewellyn, a retired Salt Lake County sheriff's lieutenant and a former polygamist. "Something needs to be done," he said. "You can't turn your back on something like this." Read more


FLDS roundup is largest since Waco standoff; 401 children may be placed in foster homes
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Monday, April 7, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas welfare officials today called the roundup of 401 children from an FLDS ranch the state's largest child welfare operation since the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco 15 years ago. During a press conference this afternoon, a state welfare spokeswoman said Texas officially had taken temporary custody of 401 children, and that welfare workers were trying to find additional shelter for the children and their mothers. As of now, they plan to place all 401 children in foster homes. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials continued to search the 1,700-acre YFZ Ranch for more minors, a day after officers searched the FLDS temple itself for signs of a 16-year-old girl who had reported abuse but has not been located. "We do believe that there are other children still at the ranch, and if so, they, too, will be removed," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for Texas Child Protective Services. "This is about children we believe have been abused or neglected." Welfare officials said they have had a critical shortage of foster homes before this happened, and they will try to place children into foster homes as fast as they can find them. "This, in my opinion, this is the largest endeavor we've ever been involved with in the state of Texas," Meisner said. Read more


Police Continue Search for Abused Teen
533 Women, Children Are in Custody
By MIKE VON FREMD, CHRIS STRATHMANN, RICH McHUGH, IMAEYEN IBANGA and EMILY FRIEDMAN Good Morning America ABC News Originally published April 7, 2008
As many as 533 women and children were removed from the West Texas compound built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, authorities said today. An unknown number of men remain at the retreat in Eldorado and will not be permitted to leave until authorities complete a house-by-house search throughout the 1,700-acre compound, Texas Children's Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said. "This is not about numbers. This is about children, children in imminent risk of harm," she said. The children removed from the compound ranged in age from infants to 17-year-olds, she said. "In my opinion, this is the largest endeavor we've ever been involved in in the state of Texas," Meisner said, adding that she was also involved in the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco that left at least 86 people dead. The original 200 women and children who were removed during the weekend are secure in nearby San Angelo, but officials said most are afraid to speak candidly about what happened inside their church. Texas state police arrested one person early Monday during their search of a sect's compound but said he was not Dale Barlow, the 50-year-old man they are still hunting. Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger told The Associated Press that he had no further information on the man who was arrested. Barlow is listed in warrants as being sought in connection with the marriage of an underage girl. Meanwhile, Texas authorities struggled Monday to persuade the children removed from the group compound during the weekend to give them any information about what went on there. Read more


Name raising eyebrows
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Monday, April 7, 2008
Ironically, women and children from the FLDS Church's Texas ranch in Eldorado are being housed in neighboring Tom Green County — which shares the name of one of Utah's most notorious polygamists. One of Utah's highest profile cases involving polygamy came in 2000, when then-Juab County Attorney David Leavitt filed criminal charges against polygamist Tom Green. For years, Green lived in a ramshackle compound of trailer homes in remote Utah. It was a place he dubbed "Greenhaven." Outspoken in his belief of polygamy, Green appeared on numerous TV talk shows and talked to hundreds of reporters — which ultimately put him under Leavitt's scrutiny. Green, now 59, had five wives at the time and dozens of children — and was charged with bigamy, rape of a child and criminal nonsupport. The rape of a child charge stemmed from his marriage to his wife Linda, whom he was alleged to have married when she was only 12. He was subsequently convicted of bigamy for his "marriages" to the other four women. The criminal nonsupport charge accused him of being a "deadbeat dad" and not paying child support. In a sensational trial that drew media attention from all over the globe, Green was ultimately convicted on all counts. The trial was not without consequences: Leavitt was voted out of office shortly afterward. (He is now running for the 3rd Congressional District seat.) Read more


Woman believes sister lives on Texas compound
Gene Kennedy and Andrew Adams reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 7, 2008
A Riverton woman is watching the FLDS crackdown with a heavy heart. Her sister is one of the women living at the compound. Kristyn Decker hasn't seen her older sister, Lucille Barlow, in 10 years. Barlow may be one of the many mothers who voluntarily left the compound. Decker is thinking of going to Eldorado, Texas, to try to persuade her sister to leave for good. As the investigation into abuse at the FLDS compound grows, so does the pain inside Kristyn Decker's heart. She says, "It really is because I feel the emotion. I feel what they're going through." Decker isn't upset police raided the compound, but she is concerned about the well-being of her older sister. Barlow may be one of 130 women to voluntarily leave the YFZ Ranch. "I hope so. I know that she was really there in her heart and all her beliefs and everything else," Decker says. The sisters grew up in the polygamous Allred family. Their father had 13 wives. Lucille married Dan Barlow. Decker thinks he's the father of Dale Barlow, who is a suspect in the Eldorado investigation. He's a 50-year-old man accused of impregnating a 16-year-old girl. Decker says, "To me, that's the worst of all. It's perversion, total perversion." She says she fears for the children's safety. Read more


ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES
Texas Authorities Raid Polygamist Compound; Top U.S. Commander in Iraq Prepares to Brief Congress
CNN Originally broadcast April 7, 2008
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, as authorities pull hundreds of children from a compound in Texas, the secrets of their polygamist way of life begin to emerge. There are allegations of systematic abuse, statutory rape, forced marriages and more. We have late details you won't see anywhere else. And later, new information about the battle for Baghdad and Iraq. General David Petraeus reports to Congress tomorrow. We have got the outlines tonight and a fresh look at the facts on the ground. Plus, the Hillary Clinton campaign isn't in crisis. You don't can your top strategist when things are going well, but just how badly did Mark Penn really screw up? And is he really 100 percent out? We are going to try to cut through the fog with David Gergen -- some new polling numbers tonight also. But we begin tonight with a number: 401. That's how many children have been removed from the polygamist compound in Eldorado, Texas -- 401. Incredibly, more may follow. This story continues to unfold, and, frankly, it's only getting more troubling by the day. It started with one allegation of abuse at the property created by jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. And where it ends is anyone's guess. With the latest developments, here's CNN's David Mattingly. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As busload after busload of children emerge from the polygamist compound in West Texas, the question has been, just how many were truly in danger of physical abuse? The state's answer: possibly, all of them. MARLEIGH MEISNER, SPOKESWOMAN, TEXAS CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES: I can tell you that, as of this afternoon, Child Protective Services has now taken temporary legal custody of 401 children. MATTINGLY: Four hundred and one children, deemed by the state to be at imminent risk of harm at the hands of adults at the compound. They are now in temporary protective care, and there could be more. MEISNER: They are continuing to look for other children. At this time, I do not know how many other children may be at the ranch. We do believe that there probably are other children. And, if so, then those children will also be removed. MATTINGLY (on camera): It is a tremendous undertaking, considering that the raid on the compound began with just a single phone call from a young girl who claimed she was married at age 15 and gave birth to the child of a 50-year-old man. But, so far, the girl has not been found. Her husband has not been questioned by Texas authorities. (voice-over): And authorities fear they will hear more stories like that as the questioning of the children continues. Read more


FLDS lose custody of kids
Texas decides all children inside ranch at risk of harm or neglect
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, April 8, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — First, Texas welfare officials are looking for more shelters to house more than 401 children taken from an FLDS ranch near here over the past five days. Then, they'll be looking for foster homes. Before Monday, a judge had determined that 18 children from the compound were taken into "legal, temporary custody" of the state of Texas, meaning they would be placed with foster families while legal proceedings were conducted. Now, the judge has ordered Texas to place into that category all 401 children — ranging from infants to 17-year-olds. And that count was expected to rise. "We do believe there probably are other children still at the ranch, and if so, they, too, will be removed," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for Texas Child Protective Services. "We have provided information on all of these (children), and the judge has made a determination that there is a significant risk of harm, or these are indeed victims of abuse and neglect, and they should be removed and placed into custody of Texas temporarily," she said. She called the roundup the state's largest child welfare operation since the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco 15 years ago. So far, 133 women have left their homes on the secluded ranch of the Fundamentalist LDS Church, presumably to be with their children. As of late Monday, all were being housed in a makeshift shelter in a building at the historic Fort Concho in San Angelo, about 45 miles from their compound. Read more


Local officials watch events unfold, standby
By PATRICE ST. GERMAIN The Spectrum Originally published April 8, 2008
HURRICANE - Officials in Arizona and Utah are watching the news unfold at a Texas ranch occupied by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints where more than 400 children have been taken into protective custody by the state. The chain of events was triggered when, according to police reports, a 16-year-old girl made a telephone call to authorities and alleged sexual misconduct. The girl said she was married to 50-year-old Dale Barlow and had a child with him eight months ago when she was 15. Local officials have had experience dealing with issues and members of the FLDS Church, which has approximately 7,000 members who primarily live in the border towns of Hildale and Colorado City. FLDS Church leader Warren Steed Jeffs is now serving a prison term in Utah after being found guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice last year. With the exception of Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith, Texas authorities have not contacted anybody here for assistance. Smith said he was contacted by Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran last week and is ready to lend a hand if Texas officials need help. "I spoke with Sheriff Doran last week," Smith said. "I hold him in the highest regard and if he asks for help or assistance, we will do whatever he needs us to do." It has been reported that there is a warrant out for the arrest of Barlow, Colorado City, but Barlow's probation officer, Bill Loader, with Mohave County, said that is not true. "He (Barlow) is under investigation but has not been charged with anything at this juncture," Loader said. Read more


12 attorneys are hired to defend FLDS members in raid aftermath
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, April 8, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Twelve attorneys have been hired to defend members and children of the FLDS Church over a raid of its ranch near here. "We're going to be presenting our side of the story in the courtroom forum," said Patrick Peranteau, an attorney for the FLDS Church who is based in San Antonio. A court hearing is scheduled here for Wednesday afternoon. Peranteau declined to say anything else about his clients and the recent raid on their 1,700-acre ranch near Eldorado. Ultimately, more than 400 children from the ranch were taken into state custody pending investigations of abuse. In documents filed in court, attorneys for the church seek to halt the execution of the search warrant at the YFZ Ranch. They argued the search is illegal and that the warrant did not have enough "probable cause" to justify such an action. The court filings also argued that "irreparable injury" would be caused if police officers were allowed to enter and search the temple at the ranch. "The temple is one of the holiest sites in the community to the religious denomination living there," one document states. "Members ... consider it a desecration of one of their holiest sites for a non-member to enter the temple. Similar to the concept of unringing a bell, how would law enforcement propose to undesecrate the temple in a community should the search later be found to have been illegal?" Attorneys also argued that no birth or marriage records are maintained inside the temple that would justify a SWAT team entering and searching. The attorneys said the temple could easily be secured, because it is surrounded by a tall masonry wall with six gates, until a judge considers their objections. The briefs were filed on behalf of Warren Jeffs' brother Isaac, ranch leader Merril Jessop and the FLDS Church. Read more


Affidavit: FLDS raid spurred by girl's reports of physical, sexual abuse
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, April 8, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Officials in Texas on Tuesday released documents detailing the reasons why police raided a polygamist ranch and took custody of 416 children. In the affidavit by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, officials say a 16-year-old girl living at the YFZ Ranch called a local shelter March 29 to report that she was being abused by an adult male to whom she had been "spiritually married." The document states that the girl, who said she was several weeks pregnant and had an 8-month-old infant, requested assistance leaving the ranch, which is owned by the Fundamentalist LDS Church. The affidavit states that the girl called several times that day, expressing the "need to leave her current living situation." Also on Tuesday, Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for Texas' division of child protective services, said "all the children have been safely removed from the ranch." However, Meisner said she "still cannot confirm that we have the 16-year-old girl." According to the affidavit, the girl told officials during the phone call that she was taken to the ranch by her parents three years ago. Then, last year, when she was 15, she was "spiritually married to an adult male member of the church." He was 49, and she became his seventh wife. "The teenage mother stated that she began to be abused shortly after she started living at the ranch. She advised that the adult male would beat and hurt her whenever he got angry," according to the document. Read more


401 children in state custody not first in polygamist raid
The Associated Press WOAI News 4 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published April 8, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) - The 16-year-old girl whose phone call triggered the massive raid on a polygamist sect's West Texas compound told a local family violence shelter that her husband beat and raped her, according to court documents released Tuesday. Child welfare officials said Tuesday they had completed removing 416 children from the ranch and have won custody of all the children. Another 136 women left on their own. "All of the children have safely been removed from the ranch," Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner told reporters in nearby San Angelo. But Meisner said the agency still didn't know whether the 16-year-old was among the children pulled from the compound on the grounds that they were all in danger of "emotional, physical, and-or sexual abuse." The documents said that investigators discovered a number of teen girls who appeared to be pregnant as they searched the compound. "Investigators determined that there is a widespread pattern and practice of the (Yearn for Zion) Ranch in which young, minor female residents are conditioned to expect and accept sexual activity with adult men at the ranch upon being spiritually married to them," read the affidavit signed by Lynn McFadden, a Department of Family and Protective Services investigative supervisor. McFadden said that as soon as girls reached puberty, they were spiritually married to an adult male and required to produce children. The girl said she was not allowed to leave the compound unless she was ill. She told the shelter that her husband, would "beat and hurt" her when he got angry, including hitting her in the chest and choking her while another woman in the house held her baby. The girl also said her husband sexually assaulted her. Read more


State alleges 'pervasive pattern' of sexual abuse at Eldorado-area compound; 417 children removed
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 8, 2008
State child welfare officials are alleging a "pervasive pattern and practice" of forced marriage and sexual abuse inside the secretive Schleicher County compound from which hundreds of children have been removed. According to documents filed this afternoon in state District Court in Tom Green County, Child Protective Services asked Judge Barbara Walther to grant the agency custody of all 417 boys and girls removed from the YFZ Ranch as of this afternoon because every child is at risk for abuse. "This pattern and practice places all of the children located at the YFZ Ranch, both male and female, to risks of emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse," according to an affidavit seeking custody of the children, filed by Lynn McFadden, a CPS investigator. CPS believes it has removed all the children from the compound, spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said this afternoon - as well as 139 women who willingly left, in many cases to join their children. Investigators have interviewed all the children, Meisner said, and in doing so determined they all were endangered by staying in the custody of their FLDS parents. "The information they have given us indicates there are more victims" than just the girl who called in the original complaint, Meisner said. Read more


Affidavit: Report of child brides led to raid
From Ed Lavandera CNN Originally published April 8, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- Tipped that girls as young as 13 were being forced to enter "spiritual marriages," have sex and bear children, Texas officials raided an isolated polygamist retreat in West Texas, according to court documents released Tuesday. The information came from a 16-year-old girl who called a family violence hot line March 29, "expressing the need to leave her current living situation," according to the affidavit. The teen bride said she was in an abusive "spiritual" marriage to an older sect member, the documents stated. She reported that she was the man's seventh wife and had been beaten and choked. She said she had been hospitalized in the past with cracked ribs and hoped to escape the abuse by faking a medical condition. The allegations prompted police and social workers to remove hundreds of children from the 1,900-acre YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, the documents stated. The ranch was built by followers of imprisoned polygamist "prophet" Warren Steed Jeffs. Girls deemed by adult sect members to be of "child-bearing age" were forced to submit to sex and have babies, according to the documents, which provided the legal basis for authorities to remove the children and place them in state custody. The 16-year-old said her parents brought her to the ranch a year ago and she was "spiritually married to an adult male member of the church," the affidavit said. Read more


BREAKING NEWS: Two arrested at FLDS ranch; initial suspect still at large
Staff Report San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 8, 2008
Authorities this morning confirmed two arrests in the state investigation of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' compound outside Eldorado. Leroy Johnson Steed, 41, was arrested Monday on a charge of tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony, and is awaiting arraignment, a dispatcher at the Schleicher County Jail said. Levi Barlow Jeffs, 19, also arrested Monday, faces a charge of interfering with the duties of a public servant, a Class B misdemeanor. Jeffs was released on $1,000 bond, the dispatcher said. A third-degree felony is punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. A Class B misdemeanor is punishable by up to 18 days in jail and a fine up to $2,000. Since Thursday, more than 400 children have been removed by state authorities from the compound and more than 100 women left voluntarily, in some cases to be with their children. The Texas Department of Public Safety and Child Protective Services are continuing to execute search warrants on the ranch. The suspect who sparked the investigation, Dale Barlow, 50, remains at large. He is accused of fathering a baby with an FLDS ranch resident who was 15 when she became pregnant. See their mug shots


Reactions split regarding FLDS compound raid
Team Coverage KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 8, 2008
Opinions are divided on whether Texas authorities are doing the right thing. Some say, yes, the safety of children is at risk; others say no, it's a violation of FLDS members' First Amendment rights. The Texas Department of Child Protective Services says the hundreds of children removed from the compound were in imminent risk of abuse. Others say authorities violated multiple civil rights by taking away so many when, originally, they went looking for just one. Former prosecutor David Leavitt has a special interest in following what's happening at the YFZ Ranch in Texas. He prosecuted polygamist Tom Green, a case that resulted in a conviction in 2001. Leavitt's take on the raid at the compound is that it's the right thing to do. "My guess is they went in there, and they were sickened by what they found," he said. On the flip side of the controversy, attorney Mike Piccarretta says, "What's going on in Texas is an abomination." He's the attorney representing Warren Jeffs in his Arizona trial and believes what's happening just outside Eldorado isn't right. "Our country is based on leaving people alone, letting them practice their religious faith, and it seems like if this was happening to any other religion in this country, there would be a huge outcry," he says. Then there are those who have lived the FLDS religion. Carolyn Jessop, a former FLDS member, spoke on the Today Show this morning. She said the problem of abuse starts with the men in charge. Her former husband, Merrill Jessop, took over as leader of the FLDS faith after Warren Jeffs was convicted last September. She said, "Life with him was horrible. It was like living in a police state." Read more


Court documents reveal claims of abuse at sect's compound near Eldorado
By BILL HANNA Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published April 8, 2008
ELDORADO -- The 16-year-old girl whose calls to a family violence shelter led to the massive raid at a polygamous compound in West Texas said she was repeatedly beaten and abused after she arrived at the YFZ Ranch three years ago. According to court documents released Tuesday by Texas authorities, the girl said the man she married "beat and hurt her" whenever he got angry. In the affidavit, the girl said another woman from the sect would hold her infant child while her husband beat her. She said in the March 29 calls that she was using another person's cellphone. On March 30, she called another local shelter and said she and an adult male "had been married in a spiritual union through the church," but there was no formal marriage. She said the man had gone away into the "outsider's world"’ but she did not know why he left the ranch, about 45 miles from San Angelo. At a brief press conference Tuesday, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said CPS investigators have finished their investigation at the ranch. She said CPS workers have legally removed 416 children and 139 women from the ranch and believe they have found all of the children at the 1,691-acre property. But Meisner said criminal investigators remain at the compound four miles north of Eldorado. Meisner also said that Fort Concho, where all of the women and children have been taken, has become overcrowded and authorities are transferring 170 women and children to another facility in San Angelo. Read more


Affidavit: Girl reports beatings, rape at polygamist ranch
By LISA SANDBERG and JANET ELLIOTT Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau Originally published April 8, 2008
SAN ANGELO — The 16-year-old girl whose call prompted a raid on a West Texas polygamist compound said she had been repeatedly beaten and sexually assaulted by her husband, according to documents released today by the state. The girl first called a local family violence shelter on March 29, saying she had been spiritually married to a 49-year-old man when she was 15, that she had an 8-month-old baby fathered by him and that she was pregnant again. She said she was being held against her will at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' Yearning For Zion Ranch in nearby Schleicher County. According to the documents, the girl said the man had last beaten her on Easter, and that on one occasion, he had beaten her so severely that several of her ribs were broken and she was taken to the hospital. She said he would force himself on her sexually. A day later, on March 30, the girl called with similar comments, but then, the document said, "She began crying and then stated that she was happy and fine and does not want to get into trouble and everything she previously said should be forgotten." As they have previously, child welfare officials today said they don't know if the 16-year-old is among children they have removed from the ranch, who now total 416. Her statement is part of an affidavit that child welfare officials plan to file in court Wednesday alleging a "pervasive pattern" of activity resulted in sexual abuse of minor girls at the polygamist compound. The affidavit will be filed in support of the state's decision to take temporary custody of the children, an action it took earlier with oral agreement from state District Judge Barbara Walther. Many of the mothers of the children chose to stay with them, resulting in 139 adults also leaving the compound. Read more


State says FLDS 'indoctrination' puts all 416 children at risk
John Hollenhorst and AP reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 8, 2008
There are 416 children now at relocation centers 50 miles from their homes on the FLDS ranch raided by Texas Rangers and state police. Now the goals of the operation have become much clearer. A document released by the state of Texas tells the frightening story of a 16-year-old girl who is still unaccounted for. It also shows that Texas officials are willing to mount a broad legal attack that could be devastating to the FLDS culture. Utah and Arizona have tried to deal with polygamy by prosecuting individuals for specific sex crimes when there's enough evidence to go to court. Texas officials are being far more aggressive. They're trying to prove that the FLDS culture itself creates an unsafe environment for children. It took a huge force of investigators four days to search the ranch and find all the kids. Now they're at relocation shelters miles from home. All of them, perhaps, except the girl who triggered the raid. Marleigh Meisner, with Texas Child Protective Services, said, "I still cannot confirm if we have the original 16-year-old girl." A state affidavit released to news reporters spells out the girl's desperate story. The 16-year-old made calls from the ranch, saying she was being held against her will. Whispering into a borrowed cell phone, she said she'd been forced into spiritual marriage, sex and motherhood at age 15. She said she was beaten severely by her much older husband and forced to have sex. State officials say the court affidavit legally encompasses all the children, not just the girl whose story it tells. "Because we have now interviewed all of the children involved, and the information that they have given us tells us that we have more victims," Meisner said. Read more


Texas residents call raid of FLDS ranch 'a good thing'
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Tuesday, April 8, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas — Residents of this small town see a lot of cactus and sagebrush, but they don't see much of their polygamous neighbors. The 1,700-acre YFZ Ranch is just four miles away from downtown. The only thing on the ranch visible from the main street appears to be the limestone temple off in the distance. "They stay to themselves. They do their own thing," said Joe Key, owner of BJ's Garage and Wrecker Service. "They're not a threat at all, except maybe to themselves." Most people who spoke with the Deseret Morning News Monday said they think police and social workers here in Texas are doing the right thing by removing children from the compound and investigating allegations of abuse. "I think it's a good thing. There's a lot of underage girls pregnant by older men," said Tammy Daniels. "They're just baby girls themselves," added Dixie Shore. Not everyone, though, is convinced. Standing in her kitchen, Shirley Overstreet said she worries about the children and the effects of taking 401 or more of them away from their parents. "Why are they putting the children through this? They didn't commit any crime!" she said. "We've got kids at school here that are pregnant, but we don't go there and take all the families out." Read more


Children of Polygamy: Life Outside the Compound
Kids Raised On a Polygamist Compound Often Have Phobias, Experts Say
By EMILY FRIEDMAN ABC News Originally published April 8, 2008
For the 401 children removed from a West Texas polygamist compound earlier this week, life as they know it - where even laughter was forbidden - is about to change drastically. Now the victims of what state authorities suspect is the largest child abuse case in the nation's history, these children are likely to face a myriad of psychological issues, including extreme phobias, identity issues and problems obeying authority figures, according to several cult experts. "On one level [the lives of these children] have been wonderful in the sense that you're never alone and you have lots of family members constantly around you," said Steven Hassan, a licensed mental health counselor and founder of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center. "But on the other hand, you're not encouraged to think for yourself or have an imagination and learn and grow. You're encouraged to conform and be a clone." The children and the 133 women taken from the compound once led by Warren Jeffs, who sits in prison after being convicted as an accomplice to rape, are being held in a nearby shelter. Texas authorities interviewing them are eager for any details about what life was like within the heavily restricted community. Photographs of the children show some as young as infants and others ranging in age up to teenagers, many having spent their entire lives immersed in the cult. That means having grown up on a compound where the rules of childhood forbid the joys of normal child's play like television and radio. Internet access was forbidden and iPods could only be used to listen to Jeffs' sermons. Even laughter was banned at the compound. Read more


Life on polygamist compound far from pleasant
The Associated Press The Arizona Republic Originally published April 8, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas - Until the raid on their compound last week, the women and girls of the Yearning for Zion Ranch spent their days caring for its many children, tilling gardens and quilting, dressed in pioneer-style dresses sewn by their own hands. But it was no idyllic recreation of 19th-century prairie life, authorities say. Since last week, they have interviewed members of the polygamist sect looking for evidence that that girls younger than 16 were forced into marriages with older men. Five miles off the highway, beyond a double gate, the group's members live lives that are isolated even for the scruffy West Texas prairie. Their 1,700-acre ranch is like its own city, with a gleaming temple, doctor's office, school and even factories. "Once you go into the compound, you don't ever leave it," said Carolyn Jessop, who was one of the wives of the alleged leader of the Eldorado complex, but who left the sect before it began moving to Texas in 2004. By Monday, state authorities had taken legal custody of 401 children, saying they had been harmed or were in imminent danger of harm. The raid on the compound founded by jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs started with a call from a 16-year-old who alleged abuse. Authorities were looking for evidence that the girl, who allegedly gave birth at 15, was married to a 50-year-old, and for records related to other mothers aged 17 and younger. Even with their parents' permission, Texas law forbids girls younger than 16 to marry. Some 133 women left the ranch voluntarily with the children and were being housed at a historic fort here while authorities conduct interviews. Dressed in ankle-length dresses with their hair pinned up in braids, the women milled about Monday as the children played on the fort's old parade grounds. Read more


Inside the Secret World of Polygamy; Presidential Candidates Grill Army General on Iraq
LARRY KING LIVE CNN Originally broadcast April 8, 2008
LARRY KING, HOST, LARRY KING LIVE: Tonight, prime time exclusive -- escape from polygamy -- a sect's secrets out in the open. Under aged girls forced into marriage and motherhood. Shocking truths revealed by those who got away. We go inside the raid on the compound in Texas. Plus, three would-be presidents on the war one will inherit. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To the genuine prospect of success. SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I fundamentally I disagree. SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was a massive strategic blunder. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Election politics, Iraq policy. All next on LARRY KING LIVE. By the way, Senator John Kerry will be joining us later to discuss the testimony this morning. Four hundred and sixteen one children have been taken into custody and 133 women have left the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. The raid took place on a compound founded by the jailed polygamist leader, Warren Jeffs. Joining us in San Angelo, Texas is Debra Brown executive director of the Children's Advocacy Center in Tom Green County. And with her is Helen Pfluger, a church volunteer who helped set up a temporary shelter for women and children removed from the compound. Helen, what is the situation regarding the children and the women now? HELEN PFLUGER, HELPED SET UP SHELTER FOR COMPOUND RESIDENTS: They've been moved to Fort Concho, a historic fort in San Angelo, where they have better facilities to house the people. KING: What was their reaction to all of this? PFLUGER: When I first saw them on Friday evening, they were very scared, very quiet. They huddled at the back of a room and did not want to communicate with us. KING: Debra, what's the role of the Children's Advocacy Center? DEBRA BROWN, PROVIDING HELP FOR KIDS FROM COMPOUND: We just got appointed as guardian ad litem for 330 of the children after that first petition was filed yesterday afternoon. So we'll be responsible for making sure that all of their educational, medical, emotional needs are being met. KING: How on Earth can you... BROWN: And (INAUDIBLE)... KING: How can you do it for that many? BROWN: Well, we have a large volume of programs across the State of Texas that are going come in and help us. We're also receiving a lot of volunteer support from our community and the surrounding communities and are going to be doing some training for the next two weeks. Read more


America's Top Commander on Capitol Hill; New Developments in Polygamist Ranch in Texas
ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast April 8, 2008
Webmaster note - the first part of this program is not included as it does not pertain to the subject of this web site. And, then, still ahead: the ugly secrets of polygamy revealed. Tonight, new details about the chilling call for help from a child bride that led to the raid of a polygamist compound in Texas. Plus, news about the price of gas that could change your summer plans. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BROWN: More victims in what may be the largest children's welfare raid in U.S. history. And with the search for more victims comes new and horrific charges involving the polygamist compound in Texas. Tonight, we know the details of that phone call that triggered the massive investigation. In a sworn statement, a teenage girl said she was raped and choked by her husband, a man old enough to be her grandfather. CNN's David Mattingly has the very latest. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To the rest of the world, they might look like children. But to the polygamists at this West Texas compound, they are allegedly something else: wives and mothers, some as young as 13 or 14. The story of one still-missing girl spells out the painful details in black and white. In a call to a family violence center that led authorities to raid the compound, she claims she was wife number seven, married at 15 to a 49-year-old man. She was a mother at 16, with another already on the way. In a state affidavit, she claims that her husband beat and hurt her, and forced himself on her sexually. She said he punched her in the chest, choked her, while another woman in the house watched and held her baby. Once, the beating was so bad, she said she went to the hospital. The last beating was Easter Sunday. (on camera) And though she desperately wanted to run away, this girl allegedly said she was being held at the compound against her will, and told that if she tried to run, that she would be caught and locked up. She actually called the family violence center back, this time in tears, saying that she had also been told that outsiders would force her to cut her hair, wear makeup and have sex with lots of men. She then said to forget about her report. (voice-over) But state officials raided the compound anyway. Court documents described how investigators found several teenage mothers and pregnant teenage girls. They described a widespread pattern and practice of young girls conditioned to marry and accept sexual activity with adult men. Young boys were expected to marry when they became adults, sometimes to underage girls. Read more


The growth of polygamy
Most live among the rest of us, not in compounds
By Megan Scott The Hamilton Spectator - Hamilton, Ontario Originally published April 9, 2008
The hundreds of women and children from a Texas polygamist compound shown streaming onto school buses over the weekend are the latest public face of polygamy. But they're hardly the first. The secretive communities of people with multiple marriages, usually religious, have had plenty of unwanted attention in recent years. Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, who built the compound, is already awaiting trial. And the HBO show Big Love depicts a polygamist family in Utah. For all that attention, it appears the number of people in polygamist communities has increased. Polygamist marriages have been growing steadily since the 1800s, says Mary Batchelor, acting director of Principle Voices, a non-profit group that advocates for Utah decriminalizing polygamy. She says most polygamists are living within the general population. "You wouldn't be able to tell them apart from anyone else," she says. There is no census data on polygamy, but Principle Voices estimates that there are 37,000 people, including children, who live in polygamy in the western United States and British Columbia. That's up from 30,000 in 2000, according to the group's informal survey of fundamentalist groups and independent fundamentalist families. The largest known organized community is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, headed by Jeffs. That group, with about 8,000 members, broke from the Mormon church after the latter disavowed polygamy more than a century ago. Most members of the fundamentalist group live in Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz. The polygamists say Joseph Smith, Mormonism's founder, was instructed to reintroduce the practice of polygamy into his family and his community. Members of the Bountiful colony, located in southeastern B.C., also belong to a breakaway sect of the Mormon church and believe that in order to get into heaven, men must marry as many women as possible. Read more


Kids taken likely grandchildren of those in Ariz. raid
By Michelle Roberts The Associated Press The Arizona Republic Originally published April 9, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas - The hundreds of children taken into custody after a raid on a polygamous compound run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints here are probably the grandchildren or great-grandchildren of those taken by Arizona authorities 54 years ago in a similar raid. That Arizona raid a half-century ago and the one this week pulled children of polygamist families from the only community and culture they'd ever known, an event that decades later a former community member recalls as traumatizing. "It was total misery for them," said Ben Bistline, now 72. He was 18 when authorities raided the community of Short Creek, now known as the twin towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. Authorities took 200 children into custody as part of an effort to wipe out a "nest of polygamy." Bistline, who is now a Mormon, was not rounded up in the 1953 raid, but the woman he married later in life was 15 when she and her seven siblings were shipped to Phoenix, pulled from the friends and family who constituted their whole world. Nearly two years passed before they were allowed to return, he said. Most of the current sect members are descended from families from the Arizona-Utah community. The sect broke away from the Mormon church after the latter disavowed polygamy more than a century ago. The 1953 Short Creek raid also changed the community, said Carolyn Jessop, the former wife of the man believed to be running the Eldorado compound. The distinct pioneer-style dresses, worn over long underwear year-round and sewn by the women, became part of the dress code after the 1953 raid as each generation added more restrictions, said Jessop, who left the community five years ago. Read more


More victims, state says after interviewing all sequestered children from YFZ Ranch
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Interviews with hundreds of children removed from a secretive Schleicher County polygamist compound have revealed more alleged victims than just the 16-year-old girl whose phone calls sparked last week's raid, the state's Child Protective Services agency says. CPS believes it has removed all children from the YFZ Ranch northeast of Eldorado, spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said Tuesday - just after court documents were released alleging a "pervasive pattern and practice" of forced marriage and sexual abuse. "We have now interviewed all of the children," Meisner said, "and the information they have given us indicates there are more victims." The state has removed and assumed temporary custody of 416 children. Meanwhile, 139 women chose to accompany them to San Angelo, Meisner said, in many cases to stay with their children. FLDS attorney Patrick T. Peranteau did not return calls for comment Tuesday. FLDS has a sprawling, 1,700-acre compound a few miles northeast of Eldorado, which is 45 miles south of San Angelo. The Mormon splinter sect practices a form of plural marriage and broke from the Mormon Church when the latter renounced polygamy decades ago. The ranch raid started Thursday and grew to a crest late Saturday when authorities defied sect members by entering the massive white temple on the ranch. That action, though, passed without incident and without injury. Read more


FLDS Compound: Information Hotline / Volunteer Website
CBS 7 News - Odessa, Texas Originally broadcast April 9, 2008
West Texas - The state of Texas is looking for anyone that may have been in the compound and left. A hotline has been set up by the Department of Family and Protective Services. If you have any information regarding the YFZ Ranch in El Dorado please call this number 1-800-252-5400. This number may also be used to report abuse neglect and exploitation for children elderly or adults with disabilities. And the situation in El Dorado has created an outpouring of concern from the general public. If you are interested in volunteering, providing a professional service or donating you can go to the Department of Family and Protective Services website (click here).


FLDS Attorneys Meet In San Angelo To Discuss Search
By Melissa Correa CBS 7 News - Odessa, Texas Originally broadcast April 9, 2008
San Angelo, TX- Defense attorneys for the FLDS Polygamist ranch near Eldorado called for a "motion hearing" this afternoon to discuss possibly suspending the search of the YFZ compound. Tom Green County prosecutors and defense attorneys talked about the investigation in front of a district judge. The defense attorneys asked that the two state-issued search warrants be pulled and a restraining order be placed on investigators. Defense attorneys are trying to get their hands on the information seized from several computers and hundreds of boxes of documents over the last six days. Prosecutors argued, the search warrants cannot be pulled, because, while they have accounted for the computers and documents, they have yet to investigate what they pertain to. The district judge said she would not make a motion to suspend the search until those documents are sorted through. The defense and prosecution agreed that a "special mediator" would hold the computers and documents - sealing the hard drives, and would sort through the boxes - separating information relevant to the accusations of sexual abuse, neglect and unauthorized marriages. During the motion hearing, CBS 7 learned that a federal warrant has been issued, and the FBI is also investigating. We've also learned that Dale Barlow, the 50 year old man wanted for questioning concerning the 16 year old girl who made the initial complaints... is in Colorado City, Utah. Read more


FLDS Compound Latest: Texas Rangers Leaving
CBS 7 News - Odessa, Texas Originally broadcast April 9, 2008
Eldorado, Texas - The Texas Rangers say they are not concerned about the motion to quash the search warrant on the YFZ Ranch. But in the meantime, CBS 7 News has learned that the Rangers are leaving the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado this evening. The Rangers will return to Midland while their captain remains in San Angelo conducting interviews. Sources say the Rangers are attempting to reunite as many families as possible at Fort Concho in San Angelo. They hope to get more information from members of the polygamous sect. Officers say a district judge ordered the search and being peace officers they are bound to do it.


Attorneys in Eldorado case agree to third party
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, April 9, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Attorneys for the FLDS Church and some of its leaders reached an agreement in court with prosecutors Wednesday over evidence seized at the YFZ Ranch. During a two-hour court hearing the attorneys agreed to sift through the evidence with the assistance of an unbiased third party to determine what information collected at the ranch is pertinent to the case involving alleged sexual abuse and neglect of children. "Anything that is seized will be sealed and separated," said Gerald Goldstein, attorney for the church and Lyle Jeffs, the brother of FLDS president Warren Jeffs. The FBI is now at the ranch serving a third search warrant signed by a federal judge. Because of the recent warrant, the attorneys arguments to put a stop to the two previous warrants is now considered moot. "It seems to me that there is another work (warrant) in progress that whatever we ask the court for today is really now a moot point," Goldstein said. Goldstein declined to talk about the raid on the polygamist compound, despite dozens of reporters asking for the FLDS side of the story. The hearing mostly focused on minute legal issues. The unbiased third party has yet to be determined but it was mentioned it could possibly be a retired state judge.


Investigation winding down at sect's Eldorado-area ranch
By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Wednesday, April 9, 2008
ELDORADO - Law enforcement officials gathered around this small West Texas community are hopeful their investigation at the YFZ Ranch is winding down. The initial raid on the ranch, home to members of the secretive Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, went in six days ago. Since then, more than 400 children have been taken into custody by state authorities and more than 100 women have voluntarily left the ranch, in many cases to accompany their children to shelter in San Angelo. Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, spoke to a handful of reporters briefly this morning in Eldorado, saying the initial phase of the investigation may be nearly finished but adding little other new information. "It's getting close," she said. "What 'close' means, I don't know yet." Serving the warrant was just one part of the investigation, she said, and now comes another part, which is analyzing evidence collected at the ranch. She declined to discuss security remaining at the ranch or the amount of manpower there. Agencies involved in the raid were DPS personnel including Texas Rangers; sheriff's deputies and personnel from Schleicher, Tom Green and Midland counties; and Texas parks and wildlife officers. Read more


Houston shelters, foster parents ready for girls from polygamist ranch
By Courtney Zubowski KHOU 11 News - Houston, Texas Originally broadcast April 9, 2008
HOUSTON — Arrow Child and Family Ministries is preparing for what could be the agency’s biggest endeavor yet: an influx of young girls taken from a polygamist compound in West Texas. CPS took custody of hundreds of girls earlier this week, and some of them could be heading for shelters in the Houston area – shelters like the Arrow Retreat Center. "We have two group home-type settings that can take in 24 kids comfortably and then a camp kind of setting for another 75 beds or so," Mark Tennant of Arrow Child and Family Ministries, said. The Arrow Retreat Center was built to be just that – a retreat center. But after Hurricane Katrina, they turned it into a shelter. Now that, once again, hundreds of children are being forced from their homes in West Texas, the center could be used to house them. "We called our staff anticipating the call would come," Tennant said. Patricia and Rex Childress could become foster parents to some of the girls. "You’ve got to break down those barriers. You’ve got to show them that people do care about them, and that there are people out here that are willing to help," Rex Childress said. Read more


Attorney asks state to respect polygamist sect's beliefs
By Lisa Sandberg and Gary Scharrer Heast Newspapers San Antonio Express-News Originally published April 9, 2008
SAN ANGELO — An attorney for a polygamist sect conceded in court Wednesday that the state has an interest in searching its compound because of allegations of physical and sexual abuse. San Antonio attorney Gerald H. Goldstein argued, however, that the search should be conducted in a way that doesn't denigrate the religious beliefs of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. State District Judge Barbara Walther -- who earlier granted the search warrant and agreed to allow the state to take temporary custody of 416 children -- encouraged lawyers for the church and the government at Wednesday's hearing to come to agreement on several issues involving the way the search is conducted. The lawyers agreed to set up a procedure to protect confidential matters involving attorney-client privilege before the state examines computer records and other items seized during the search. A special master will be appointed and all seized items will be sealed. The hearing was the latest turn in a case in which the state has taken temporary custody of the 416 children from the compound, where authorities alleged in an affidavit filed in court that underage girls were routinely sexually abused and boys were groomed to perpetuate the practice. Read more


Polygamists Allegedly Forced Girls to Marry at Puberty
By MICHELLE ROBERTS The Associated Press WOAI News 4 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published April 9, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) -- The scared girl, already a mother at 16, whispered into a cell phone: she wanted out. She'd been forced to spiritually marry a man more than three times her age, becoming his seventh wife. Her husband sexually assaulted her, and when he was angry, he would beat her while other women held her infant, she told a family violence shelter in a series of secret calls that triggered an investigation of the polygamist sect here. The girl had looked for opportunities to escape before, but she was warned that outside the double-gates blocking entry to the Yearning For Zion Ranch, in a world completely foreign to her, she would be forced to cut her hair and wear makeup, and to have sex with many men -- all damning transgressions in a faith where modesty calls for women to wear long underwear year-round under pioneer-style dresses. At the end of one call she began to cry; she wanted to take it all back. But child welfare officials allege in court documents released Tuesday that the compound built by leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was rife with sexual abuse, with girls spiritually married to much older men as soon as they reached puberty and boys groomed to perpetuate the cycle. Read more


Details emerge from search of Eldorado-area compound
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Texas Rangers found numerous locked doors and safes, as well as a bed authorities suspect was used for statutory rape that had what appeared to be a female hair, during their search of the YFZ Ranch temple, according to an affidavit unsealed in Tom Green County state district court today. The affidavit, filed Sunday night by Ranger Sgt. Brooks Long in Schleicher County, gives the first official record of what authorities found after they ended a tense but brief standoff Saturday with members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The affidavit, unsealed with no objection by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther during a hearing this afternoon, also further detailed phone calls made March 29 and 30 to the ICD Bridges family violence shelter in San Angelo by a 16-year-old girl - the calls that led to the raid, which started Thursday night. A sealed federal search warrant took away much of the drama from the hearing - the first court action taken in the case. Attorneys for the FLDS; its bishop, Lyle Jeffs; his brother Isaac Jeffs; and the ranch leader, Merrill Jessop; agreed that attempting to stop state authorities from searching the compound was futile while federal authorities have a warrant. Instead, attorneys agreed to the framework of an agreement that would handle evidence gathered from the compound that may fall under legal privileges such as attorney-client.


Lubbock's CASA Ready to Help in San Angelo
By Danielle Todesco KLBK-13 NEWS - Lubbock, Texas Originally published April 9, 2008
With the over 400 children awaiting trial hearings from the raid on the FLDS ranch in Eldorado, folks here in Lubbock are waiting to answer the call for help. CASA of the South Plains, or Court Appointed Special Advocates is on standby to help out. Amy Paiva of CASA says the state office called to say they might need help from Lubbock volunteers in San Angelo. She says they would make contact with some of the children and help get their paperwork in order for the hearings. Paiva says they're ready to help in any way they can. "We did ask about whether or not they had clothing and school supplies and all of that stuff that they may need because I know that that's a pretty big strain on the San Angelo community." Now Lubbock's CASA still needs volunteers. You can call 763-2272 for more information...or visit their website. CASA of South Plains Need Volunteers For more information: 763-2272 www.lubbockcasa.org


Affidavit: Teen bride identifies suspect as 'spiritual' husband
CNN Originally published April 9, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- The 16-year-old girl whose phone calls led to a raid on a polygamist compound in Texas identified Dale Evans Barlow as the man who she said beat, choked and sexually assaulted her after their "spiritual marriage," according to a court document unsealed Wednesday. The affidavit, signed by Texas Ranger Leslie Brooks Long, also says a former member of the polygamist church told authorities details of the sect's activities -- including a bed inside the group's temple that adult men used to have sex with underage girls immediately after wedding ceremonies. After authorities raided the ranch late Thursday, the ranger "observed the bed within the temple that had disturbed bed linens and a strand of hair that appears to be from a female head." The document said the 16-year-old, whom state officials call Sarah, identified her husband as a 49-year-old named Dale Barlow. Dale Evans Barlow, who turned 50 in November, was arrested in Arizona in 2005 on charges of conspiracy to have sex with a minor. He was placed on three years probation. State officials said Wednesday they believe they have taken the 16-year-old girl into protective custody, but that she may be afraid to identify herself. Read more


Lawyer argues search of Texas FLDS compound violates rights
The Associated Press Tucson Citizen Originally published April 9, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Lawyers for a polygamist sect that is the subject of a massive child-abuse investigation argued in court Wednesday that although its members' multiple marriages and cloistered ways may be unusual, they have a right to their faith and privacy. Gerry Goldstein, a San Antonio lawyer representing the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also told a judge that the search of the temple in the sect's West Texas compound is analagous to a law enforcement search of the Vatican or other holy places. Goldstein asked the judge to throw out at least some of the search warrants as unconstitutional, but failing that urged authorities to handle any documents seized with respect. Prosecutor Allison Palmer countered that the purpose in seizing the documents was to uncover evidence of criminal activity, not to malign a religion. State troopers and child welfare officials began a search of the FLDS compound in Eldorado last Thursday after a 16-year-old girl there called a local family violence shelter to report her 50-year-old husband beat and raped her. The search warrant covered all documents related to marriages among sect members, including photos and entries possibly written in family Bibles. Read more


Scale of Texas' tough task unprecedented
By James Thalman and Geoffrey Fattah Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The scale of the decision by Texas child welfare workers to take 416 children into state custody dwarfs any endangerment response in Utah — or anywhere else for that matter. Removing 416 children from their homes would be an overwhelming task for any state, local public and private child welfare workers said Tuesday. Texas is literally warehousing the kids taken from the compound, although many had been placed with relatives in nearby towns. One element in that case that may cushion the trauma for the children involved is their mothers are with them. Texas Child Protective Services authorities have said they want to keep the mothers and children together as long as the mothers are willing to stay with the children. This particular group of FLDS "operates in a sense as one, huge extended family," Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, told the Deseret Morning News Tuesday evening. "A case can be made that taking away all the children is like taking away all of the siblings in a family where several children allegedly were raped and beaten. "On the other hand, the facts don't always turn out to be as CPS alleges," he noted. Wexler, who keeps close tabs on child welfare agencies nationwide — including Texas and Utah — said Texas is particularly unprepared to take so many children at once. "For several years, (Texas) has been going through a foster-care panic, with huge surge in removals in the wake of deaths of children "known to the system,"' he said. Read more


Affidavit: Girls had sex in polygamist temple
Court documents say 16-year-old already had four children
The Associated Press MSNBC Originally published April 9, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas - Young teenage girls at a polygamist compound in West Texas were required to have sex in a soaring white temple after they were married in sect-recognized unions, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. The temple "contains an area where there is a bed where males over the age of 17 engage in sexual activity with female children under the age of 17," said an affidavit quoting a confidential informant who left the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Agents found a bed in the temple with disturbed linens and what appeared to be a female hair, said the affidavit signed by Texas Ranger Leslie Brooks Long. The Rangers are the state's investigative law enforcement arm. The temple also contained multiple locked safes, vaults and desk drawers that authorities sought access to as they searched for records showing alleged marriages of underage girls as young as 12 or 13 to older men and births among the teens. The affidavit unsealed Wednesday mentions a 16-year-old girl who has four children. Texas law prohibits polygamy and the marriage of girls under 16. Also Wednesday, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers completed a weeklong search of the 1,700-acre grounds, said spokeswoman Tela Mange. Read more


Texas raid violating U.S. rights
By Lee Benson Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, April 9, 2008
"I just tackle everybody and then throw 'em out till I find the one with the ball." — former pro football lineman Bubba Smith Bubba's approach sounds a lot like the state of Texas' strategy in dealing with the FLDS Church's compound near Eldorado. From one phone call from a 16-year-old alleging physical abuse, authorities have placed 416 children as wards of the state, allowed 133 of their mothers to accompany them, and held their fathers essentially captive back at the ranch. The only thing as astonishing that this is happening in the 21st century in the United States of America is the lack of outrage that this is happening. Or did Texas get a pass on the First, Fourth and Fifth amendments? While it is important that no children should be abused or held against their will, and that government should do all it can to protect them, it is just as important that in this country, those guarantees also apply to everyone else. No one should be denied due process, be subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures, or be denied freedom of religion. Of course the real problem, to mimic "The Music Man," is that word that starts with P and rhymes with T and stands for Trouble. Since its murky origins in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which now outlaws the practice, polygamy hasn't been so much misunderstood by mainstream America as not understood at all. I certainly don't understand it, and I'm LDS. Why would any man want to have more than one wife? But I understand when a lifestyle is being singled out and persecuted. And what's going on in Texas bears haunting similarity to persecutions in the 1800s in Missouri and Illinois that brought members of the LDS Church, and polygamy, to the solitary shores of the Great Salt Lake in the first place. Read more


Effort to stop the search is over
John Hollenhorst and Randall Jeppesen reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 9, 2008
Lawyers for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) polygamous sect were in court all day filing motions to try to stop a search of the compound. Attorneys for the FLDS have given up on trying to stop that search. From their point of view, it looks like the barn doors got open and the horses got out, and now there's not a lot they can do to stop them. They petitioned more than four days ago to the court to stop the search on the FLDS compound, but they didn't get a hearing on that until today. Since then, state authorities have issued a second search warrant. A federal warrant is also being executed; presumably that federal warrant is based on evidence found earlier, perhaps over the weekend. There is, however, speculation it may have to do with moving minors across state lines. Today lawyers for the FLDS church and several of its members came to court with little expectation of stopping the raid. Instead they're trying to limit government prying into the inner workings of the church. Searchers have seized hundreds of boxes of documents and computer records. FLDS attorneys asserted some of that material is protected by attorney-client privilege and some of it is sacred writings that have no importance to law enforcement. The attorneys said agents shouldn't be allowed to rummage around in that material and go on a treasure hunt. Read more


FLDS raid to 'alter their world forever'
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Wednesday, April 9, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Shannon Price believes the events of the past six days will have everlasting effects on the Fundamentalist LDS Church and its members. "It will alter their world forever," said the director of the Diversity Foundation, which provides assistance for former members of polygamous lifestyles. "There are a lot of things that are going to change." Since Thursday, police officers and social workers have taken all 416 children and 139 adult women from the secluded and sheltered ranch in Eldorado, Texas, where more and more members of the church have moved since 2004. Price traveled from Utah to Texas over the weekend to be a consultant for the Department of Family and Protective Services to help them understand the unique beliefs and practices of the FLDS lifestyle. Price has family who are members of the church and has personally known some of its leaders. "Hopefully, this action will open up the walls of this community," she said. "The children now have been outside that community and interacted with government workers and volunteers and learned they're kind people ... and they'll be dealt with and treated well." Those who have left the FLDS community say its members are often taught that the outside world is evil and so are the people outside their community. They believe they are God's chosen people. Price says the state welfare workers have gone out of their way to try to understand the community, meet their needs and treat them well, which may be the opposite of what many of the children and women were expecting. Read more


New warrant served at Texas FLDS compound
Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast April 9, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (ABC 4 News) - Texas lawmen were joined by FBI agents at the FLDS ranch outside of Eldorado, Texas on Wednesday. They brought with them a federal search warrant. It is not known what aspect of the investigation has drawn federal authorities for the first time, but it may be the transporting of underage girls across state lines for the purposes of sex. The Texas Department of Public Safety said it had wrapped up its on-site investigation. It is unknown how much more time the FBI might need at the nearly 1,700 acre ranch. At a court hearing in Tom Green County, a judge told attorneys for the FLDS that they may review documents - including computer records - taken in the raid and raise objections if they believe using the documents would violate legal or constitutional rights. However, the judge told them it might be a while before those documents are ready. As of Wednesday afternoon, she had not even received an inventory of items taken by Texas investigators from the ranch. A handful of followers of Warren Jeffs were at the courthouse for the hearing. But they refused to speak with reporters afterwards. The lead attorney for the FLDS Church, Gerald Goldstein of San Antonio also declined to comment, saying he will save his advocacy "for inside the courtroom." 416 children and 139 women remain under the care and supervision of Texas Child Protective Services. A CPS spokesperson says are reportedly adjusting well to their new, homes in two temporary shelters in San Angelo. The only medical concern so far, a few chest colds and a small outbreak of Chicken Pox. That outbreak has forced the isolation of 25 children.


Polygamists' Lawyers Stop Fighting Police Search
CBS 11 TV - Dallas/Ft. Worth Originally published April 9, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) -- The search at the sprawling compound run by a polygamist sect will continue after the church's lawyers agreed in court Wednesday to give up their fight to stop dozens of agents from rifling through every corner of a temple, doctor's office, homes and factories on the site. Gerry Goldstein, a San Antonio lawyer representing the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, had initially tried to stop the search, saying rummaging through the 80-foot gleaming temple in the sect's West Texas compound was like a law enforcement search of the Vatican or other holy places. He also objected to how officers got access to the temple, "using force and a dynamic entry" over the objections of church members. Prosecutors argued the state could legitimately search the premises for evidence of possible abuse. By the end of the hearing, Allison Palmer, an assistant district attorney, and Goldstein, who was flanked by nine other attorneys for the church leadership, agreed to appoint a special master to cull what is expected to be hundreds of boxes of documents ranging from computers to family Bibles to weed out those that might be protected for legal or religious reasons. Read more


Polygamy: Real-Life Nightmare or Tight-Knit Family?
LARRY KING LIVE CNN Originally broadcast April 9, 2008
LARRY KING, HOST, LARRY KING LIVE: Tonight, polygamy's prisoners living a real life nightmare -- beatings, confinement and worst of all... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The wedding night was not very good. QUESTION: It wasn't? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't know it until years later. I was reading in a magazine, it's what they call marital rape. I was raped. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: That's what we know. What else is happening in the secret world of polygamy? Insiders with sensational accounts next on LARRY KING LIVE. Before we meet some extraordinary panel members that will be with us throughout the hour, let's go to CNN's San Angelo, Texas, and Jenny Hope of KXAN-TV to get us up to date on the latest. What's the latest -- Jenny? JENNY HOPE, KXAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today, they had a hearing, Larry, over the San Angelo Courthouse, where the church leaders, their lawyers were asking that -- originally they wanted to ask that DPS stop their search altogether. But now that federal investigators are at the ranch, they can't ask for that. They did ask, though, for the judge to just stop altogether -- to take some of that material that they might have found inside the church -- any computers that might have client/attorney privilege and put that away in a seal, have the judge look at it first before they would have any kind of a trial. And she agreed to that. KING: So we -- anything scheduled for tomorrow? HOPE: Well, actually I just found out that DPS stopped their investigation. They're finished with it. So we're hoping tomorrow we're going to hear from the sheriff of Eldorado, as well as DPS investigators, about what they might have found out there. We're also planning to go a little closer to the compound to see if we can get any video, see if any people are actually trickling back in, because while DPS was investigating, anybody that left -- men and women were allowed to leave the compound, but anybody that left was not allowed back in while DPS was still there. But they have finished up their investigation, although federal agents, I believe, are still on the ground there. Read more


New Details Emerge in Polygamist Compound Raid
ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast Wednesday, April 9, 2008
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: We have got more on that breaking news you have been following: new information, new legal papers, horrifying new details about what allegedly went on inside one of Warren Jeffs' polygamist compounds. The young woman whose allegations touched off a massive raid reportedly directed authorities to a bed in a temple where she said acts of abuse took place. 360's David Mattingly is live with exclusive new details on that and the search for this young woman, whose cell phone plea helped start it off. Also, a deprogrammer and former FLDS member on what hundreds of children may soon be facing in the outside world. Then, later, more than 1,000 flights grounded for safety inspections, more than 100,000 travelers stuck, but that's not all. 360 has uncovered another danger that has already struck 22 times recently, and pilots fear could one day kill. Plus, new polling on the Clinton-Obama race, and a McCain dream ticket that could be either him, her, or both in -- get this -- her home state, a blue state, New York. So, who is John McCain's magic running mate? Stay tuned. We will tell you about that. We begin, though, with David Mattingly and tonight's breaking news, details from FLDS church compound in Texas, as well as the ongoing search for the woman whose allegations ignited this story in the first place. David, what's the very latest? DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, these new details coming from a newly unsealed search warrant in this case. We're learning for the first time that this 16-year-old girl who claimed that she was physically and sexually abused is naming her husband, naming him, Dale Barlow, age 49, accusing him of being her abuser. What we don't know is why authorities are looking for this particular Dale Barlow. He is a sex offender from Colorado, a man who served time there for a sex crime involving a minor. He reportedly called his probation officer and says he doesn't even know this 16- year-old girl. So, that's just one of the mysteries unfolding in this long and strange case. And now those -- really disturbing information coming out of this document was that investigators were led by information from a confidential informer to what looks like a sex bed inside the temple, possibly used in rituals after marriages, where adult men may have -- married to underaged girls, age 16 and under, possibly as young as 13 or 14, and then immediately after that having sex, consummating that marriage in the bed in the temple -- just one more disturbing note in a case that started with a still missing 16-year- old girl. Read more


Trouble in the Hills
Residents of a rural Texas county were suspicious of a secretive religious sect that moved in several years ago. Now hundreds of children are in state custody, as authorities investigate possible abuse.
Gretel C. Kovach and Andrew Murr Newsweek Web Exclusive Nation section - Newsweek Originally published April 10, 2008
The men in Western shirts and jeans who appeared in the west Texas town of Eldorado in 2003 said they were shopping for land to build a corporate hunting retreat. The 1,691-acre former exotic game ranch was just what they were looking for. Set amid rolling hills of rocky scrub dotted with mesquite trees, oil rigs and goat ranches, it was remote, and the land was cheap. But the sheriff and other residents of Schleicher County soon discovered that their new neighbors had much more on their agenda than deer hunting. Leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a renegade sect that broke with mainstream Mormons (who banned polygamy in 1890), were under siege by authorities in Utah and Arizona. Their enclave of 10,000 based in the twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., openly practiced "plural marriage"—their ticket to heaven, they believe—via clandestine ceremonies for "celestial" brides to circumvent bigamy laws. Yet polygamy, though illegal, didn't spark the crackdown in recent years. Church members, including their prophet Warren Jeffs, were under investigation for marrying off girls as young as 13. Women and girls who fled the group, and boys pushed out or abandoned, told stories of forced marriages, incest and abuse. Some who left called it a destructive cult. Read more


Teen girls from YFZ Ranch near Eldorado have multiple children, affidavits disclose
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
One girl, younger than 16, has four children and says she is pregnant again. Another, interviewed by law enforcement, looks at her husband when asked her age before responding that she is 18. The stories continue - seven girls in all whose interviews with state Child Protective Services case workers are summarized in an affidavit unsealed Wednesday in state District Court in Tom Green County. The affidavit is one of two filed by Texas Ranger Sgt. Brooks Long in support of a request for search warrants at the secretive Schleicher County polygamist compound that has been the focus of national attention since last weekend. Both warrants were unsealed without objection at a hearing Wednesday by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther. Long "observed multiple locked safes, locked desk drawers, locked vaults, as well as multiple computers and beds" inside the YFZ Ranch's gleaming 80-foot-tall temple, Long wrote in the affidavit, the first official word of what investigators discovered when they forcibly entered the structure Saturday night. Wednesday's hearing was the first significant court action since hundreds of state and local law enforcement officials raided the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound Thursday night. Read more


Documents Offer Details On Practices At Ranch
By Sylvia Moreno Washington Post Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Tex., April 9 -- An affidavit released Wednesday said Texas authorities found beds in the temple at the compound of a polygamous sect where men are believed to have had sex with their underage wives after they were united "spiritually." One bed, according to the document, is used by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who "engage in the practice of marrying multiple wives" younger than 16. The affidavit also said the temple contains beds where "males over the age of 17 engage in sexual activity with female children under the age of 17." In searches over the past week at the Yearning for Zion Ranch, which is owned and occupied by the church near Eldorado, authorities said a bed in the temple contained "disturbed" linens and a long strand of hair that appeared to be from a female head. Texas Department of Public Safety investigator Leslie Brooks, who signed the affidavit, said he found a document indicating marriages between one man and more than 20 wives who resided at the compound as of August, "with no record of divorce or death of a spouse found." Court documents released late Tuesday also said children at the ranch "are deprived of nutrition as a method of punishment, as well as being forced to sit in closed closets as a method of punishment." In a petition asking for a court order to remove the children from the compound, officials said a number of the children who were interviewed were not able to provide the names of their biological parents or such information as their birth dates or birthplaces. "The Department is concerned about the possibility that some of these children have been denied a proper education," the petition said. Read more


Your kids can be taken, too
Opinion Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
How many readers remember when we used to hear that all children in the old Soviet Union "belonged to the state?" Children were taken from their parents at a young age and raised in state schools. Do you remember how Soviet citizens were encouraged to tell on their family members, friends and neighbors? People were afraid to talk. No one knew who the snitches were. Now do you remember a few months ago when our own Utah Department of Family Services was running ads encouraging people to tell on their neighbors for committing elderly abuse? You may look at the polygamists in Eldorado, Texas, whose children have been taken away and think they deserve it. Perhaps they do, but be warned. If Child Protective Services can take their children, they can take yours. George Hawkins Bountiful


Don't blame all based on one
Opinion Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
Polygamy is unpopular. That fact — and one case of alleged abuse — are used to justify depriving the parents of more than 400 children of their parental rights. Many also disapprove of divorce and shacking up. If one case of abuse could be found in these situations, would that justify using the iron fist of government to remove all children being raised in such situations? The case could be made that in general, the effects of being raised by parents who have little commitment to each other are at least as disastrous as the effect of being raised in a polygamous household. Punish those guilty of child abuse. But where is the due process of law to justify treating all of the parents in the Texas community as criminals? Anthony Black Bountiful


FLDS group's rights trampled
Opinion Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
To all those now gloating over the Texas raids on the FLDS community in Eldorado, we would all do well to remember the oft-cited words of Pastor Martin Niemoller: "And then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up." If we so blatantly trample on the rights of one group — unpopular though they may be — in the name of "the children," we will inevitably justify even more blatant assaults on freedom for far less compelling reasons. Michael Abel Midvale


Good thing Reno not there
Opinion Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
I guess progress is being made when an unpopular religious group is raided in Texas and nobody dies. Good thing Texas didn't have Janet Reno along when they invaded the FLDS compound. Steve Setzer Springville


Majority of Utahns say removal of FLDS children was justified
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — As the legal battle begins over last week's siege of an FLDS compound here, a majority of Utahns believe law enforcement was justified in removing more than 400 children from the ranch, a new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll shows. In a Texas courtroom Wednesday, attorneys for the Fundamentalist LDS Church and some of its leaders reached an agreement with prosecutors over evidence that continues to be seized at the church's YFZ Ranch. During a two-hour hearing, the attorneys agreed to sift through the evidence with the assistance of a "special master" — or unbiased third party — to determine what information collected at the ranch is pertinent to the case involving alleged sexual abuse and neglect of children. "Anything that is seized will be sealed and separated," said Gerald Goldstein, attorney for the church and Lyle Jeffs, the brother of jailed FLDS president Warren Jeffs. He had argued that there may be private material in seized computers and other records that could be subject to an attorney-client privilege. He also said other sacred things may have been taken that would not be of benefit to any investigation involving sexual and physical abuse. "There's no reason to further intrude on these people's sacred books," Goldstein argued, referring to search warrant instructions authorizing authorities to seize all kinds of documents, books, computers and electronic storage devices. Read more


Eldorado mayor 'disgusted' by latest allegations
Randall Jeppesen reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
Absolute disgust. That's how Eldorado Mayor John Nikolak describes his feelings about allegations released in court documents that say police believe the FLDS temple was also used as a place for older men to have sex with their underage brides. Nikolak says there has been an uneasy feeling about the FLDS compound for the past four years, since he says people were first told it was going to be a leisurely retreat. But court documents now claim otherwise, and the mayor isn't happy about it. "Taking children, and exposing them to that sort of thing... you want to take them out and kill them," he said. He's hoping the more than 400 kids now in state custody will now have a chance at a better life. "It might have affected some of those young folks to think, hey, there's something else out there besides this place here, where we're held prisoner, really," he said. The mayor says his heart goes out to all the people who he says have lived as prisoners on the FLDS ranch. E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com


Barlow says he's wrong guy
Search finally finishes at the ranch
By Nancy Perkins and Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Law enforcement officers here said Thursday morning they've now concluded their search of the YFZ Ranch in nearby Eldorado. Officers were expected to discuss the raid for the first time in a news briefing later this morning. The man whose alleged actions prompted Texas officials to raid the polygamous ranch and seize all 416 of the children there says he could not possibly have done what he's accused of doing. "I do not know this girl that they keep asking about," Dale Barlow told the Deseret Morning News Wednesday night. "And I have not been to Texas since I was a young man back in 1977." A girl who said she was married to Barlow, indicated her last name was Barlow and lived at the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, made several calls to a domestic violence crisis hotline March 29 and 30, according to search warrants and other court documents. She indicated her married name was Barlow and her husband's name was Dale and said he was 49 years old. "The caller advised that Dale Barlow is physically as well as sexually abusive toward her," one search warrant states. Read more


Hildale residents nervous following Texas raid
Andrew Adams reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
The raid of a polygamous ranch in Texas is making polygamous communities in Utah so nervous, they need reassuring. Enter Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith. "I just want them to know this isn't going to be a concerted effort on the part of all law enforcement to sweep through every polygamous community," he said. He says he told Hildale's mayor it's business as usual for now. Even sightings of highway patrol cruisers heading south from Salt Lake have caused paranoia about another raid. Smith says he took calls from Hildale about that Sunday. E-mail: aadams@ksl.com


Sheriff worked with informant to learn about polygamist sect
The Associated Press WOAI News 4 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published April 10, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) - A Texas sheriff says he has been working with a confidential informant for four years to get information about life inside a polygamist compound. The sheriff declined to say whether the informant was in Texas or other sect compounds in Utah or Arizona. But he says it wasn't until authorities searched the Texas compound that he learned about the beds allegedly used by men for sex with underage girls they had married. The beds were found on the top floor of the temple. Despite having the informant for four years, state authorities are defending their decision to leave the sect alone during that time. They say the group still has civil rights that are going to be respected. Officials still have not identified the 16-year-old girl who called to report she had been beaten and raped by her husband. They say they don't know if she's one of the girls who's currently in the hands of child welfare officials. See photo of the FLDS temple


Texas polygamy raid-Part 1
Randall Jeppesen reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
Authorities continue to search for evidence of child abuse at a compound near Eldorado, Texas. Listen for a little flapping noise; that's police tape in the wind surrounding sections of Fort Concho, which is the temporary home for hundreds of FLDS women and children. Word is spreading about the police search warrant that claims FLDS men were having sex with underage girls inside the FLDS temple. "Those poor girls. I mean, they're not even girls. They're children," one woman said. The overall feeling appears to be pure disgust. But even so, a few people have expressed concern about how the raid took place. "If we're going to be governed by laws, then we can't just go in and raid someplace based on an anonymous phone call," another person said. The gate to the FLDS Yearn for Zion Ranch is padlocked shut. Just down the road, straight ahead, is the FLDS temple. Eldorado Mayor John Nikolauk said, "They present themselves as honorable businessmen. It's a charade." Read more


Bed Found in Polygamist Temple
The Associated Press WOAI News 4 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published April 10, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) - Agents searching a 1,700-acre polygamist compound in West Texas found a bed in the soaring limestone temple and prosecutors believe it was used for male members to have sex with their underage wives after sect-recognized unions. The discovery was revealed Wednesday as troopers completed their weeklong search of the grounds of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said spokeswoman Tela Mange. The temple "contains an area where there is a bed where males over the age of 17 engage in sexual activity with female children under the age of 17," according to an affidavit quoting a confidential informant who had been providing information to the Schleicher County sheriff for years. Texas law prohibits polygamy and the marriage of girls under 16. The search of the compound in Eldorado, 40 miles south of San Angelo, began last Thursday after a 16-year-old girl called a local family violence shelter to report her 50-year-old husband beat and raped her. She called several times before counselors figured out how young she was, a discovery that legally obligated them to call authorities even though the hotline typically promises confidentiality, shelter officials said Thursday. Read more


Shurtleff not surprised about discoveries made on Texas ranch
Andrew Adams reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
Shocking discoveries at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound in Texas are raising concern about what else might surface. Utah's attorney general says he wasn't surprised by the beds in the temple that may have been used for sex with underage brides. But he tells KSL's "Doug Wright Show" it raises fear of what else may be, like blood atonement. "Blood atonement meant if you apostatize, the only way you're gonna be redeemed is slit your throat from ear to ear. Now, they told them, 'It's not been brought back yet, but it could be any minute.' People lived under that fear," Attorney General Mark Shurtleff explained. Shurtleff acknowledges people have disappeared before. He hopes the 16-year-old informant surfaces. E-mail: aadams@ksl.com


Cases of chickenpox diagnosed among FLDS children
By Maribel Salazar San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
About 12 of the children taken from the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County in recent days by Child Protective Services have chickenpox, authorities said. Those children have been segregated from the hundreds of others in custody in San Angelo. Because the contagious disease takes about 14 to 16 days to show symptoms, health authorities believe the children were infected before they were taken into custody. "They have been very thankful for the interventions that we have done," said Sandra Guerra-Cantu, a physician with the Texas Department of State Health Services, speaking Wednesday afternoon at a news conference in San Angelo. The affected children are being placed in a Fort Concho facility to reduce chances of any additional spread, Guerra-Cantu said. Chickenpox is a common childhood disease for which vaccines are available. Many of the children in custody have acquired immunity because they have gone through the illness at a younger age, Guerra-Cantu said. No elevated threats of chickenpox exist for the general San Angelo public, she said. Aside from upper-respiratory infections and gastrointestinal upsets, the overall health and well-being of the women and children is "very good," Guerra-Cantu said. She declined to discuss or provide information on any pregnancies among the women and children. Read more


Officials Complete Probe into Polygamist Compound
419 children now out of compound
By Jim Forsyth 1200 WOAI Radio - San Antonio, Texas Originally published April 10, 2008
The Texas State Police said today it has completed its investigation at the 1700 acre Yearning for Zion Fundamentalist ranch in Schleicher County, where an affidavit claims young girls were forced to have sexual relations with older men, sometimes on a 'ceremonial bed' located inside the whitewashed 'sacred temple' on the ranch. A total of 419 children have been removed from the ranch and are being housed at Fort Concho in San Angelo, under the care of the Department of Family and Protective Services. Some 140 women have left the compound voluntarily, and many of those are living with the children. It is still unknown whether the 16 year old girl who made the initial complaint against a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is among the children, but officials are confident she does exist. Texas Ranger Captain Barry Carver revealed at a state police news conference today that he negotiated with Merrill Jessop, the 'presiding elder' of the FLDS group, to assure that the police action would be peaceful and would not degenerate into violence the way a similar raid against the Branch Davidian compound near Waco ended 15 years ago. "Mr. Jessop told us that his people would be there, that they were passive and loving people and they would not try to resist," Carver said. "Several of them basically would just sit and kneel down and pray, some of them were sobbing, but we only had one person who offered resistance." Carver revealed that individual was one of two people who have been arrested since the raid began last Friday. "As the SWAT team and the breach team reached the door, one of their followers decided to attempt to resist our entry. We immediately arrested him without any kind of incident." Schleicher County Sheriff David Duran said it was an unusual law enforcement operation. Read more


Authorities release some details as raid on FLDS compound ends
John Hollenhorst and Randall Jeppesen reporting KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
The week-long raid at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound in Texas is finally over. The roadblocks came down last night, and investigators left the YFZ Ranch. Some of the officers who spearheaded the operation are beginning to reveal details. It was clear from comments today by the lawmen that they felt they were walking through a cultural minefield in a community vastly different than the rest of America. Considering the high emotions and tense situation, it's remarkable it didn't turn out worse. When Texas Rangers and state police surrounded the compound and started looking for children, it took days instead of hours. The parents didn't want them found. "They were shuffled around houses as we were searching the houses. They were kind of like the old eggshell game, and we were trying to, we had issues with that," explained Texas Ranger Capt. Barry Caver. They couldn't find the pregnant 16-year-old mother who triggered the raid with her phone calls alleging abuse. That led to the most serious confrontation: Rangers closed in to search for her in the FLDS temple, and 57 believers formed a circle to protect their sacred site. Read more


Arizona authorities say they have no request to apprehend Dale Barlow, man named in Texas FLDS warrant
By Rick Smith San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
Law enforcement officials in Mohave County, Ariz., are not searching for Dale Evans Barlow, the man named in a search and arrest warrant in the raid at the YFZ Ranch northeast of Eldorado. "We have not been informed of any warrant for his arrest," said Patricia Carter, public information specialist for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. "We have not been contacted or faxed. We've had no conversations with Texas authorities regarding this matter." Texas authorities, including the state Attorney General's office and the Department of Public Safety, had no comment on the matter Wednesday. Sunday, when Barlow's connection to this case first began to be widely questioned, a spokeswoman for the state Child Protective Services defended the information that led to the raid. Two phone calls to a local non-law enforcement agency tipped authorities that a 16-year-old girl claims Barlow fathered a child with her when she was 15, and that she is one of his wives. The girl has not yet been identified. "I am confident this girl does indeed exist, and that the allegations she brought forth are accurate," said CPS' Marleigh Meisner. Barlow's probation officer recently told the Salt Lake Tribune that the 50-year-old is in Mohave County. "He said the authorities had called him (in Colorado City, Ariz.), and some girl had accused him of assaulting her and he didn't even know who she was," Bill Loader, an Arizona probation officer, told the newspaper. The newspaper also reported representatives from the Mohave County Sheriff's Department and Arizona's child services visited Barlow, and he allowed them to search his home. It is not the first time Barlow has been accused of sex charges. Read more


Texas authorities defend handling of FLDS raid
ABC 4 News Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) - It was no secret that a polygamist sect that built a compound in the West Texas desert believed in marrying off underage girls to older men. And the sheriff had an informant for four years who was feeding him information about life inside the sect. But authorities say their hands were tied until last week when they finally obtained the legal grounds to move against the group. The trigger for the raid was a hushed phone call from a terrified 16-year-old girl to a family-violence shelter to report that her 50-year-old husband had beaten and raped her. State troopers put into action the plan they had on the shelf to enter the 1,700-acre compound, and 416 children, most of them girls, were swept into state custody because of suspicions that they were being sexually and physically abused. On Thursday, state and local law enforcement authorities defended their decision to leave the sect alone for four years after it moved in. "We are aware that this group is capable of" sexually abusing girls, Sheriff David Doran said. "But there again, this is the United States. We are going to respect them. We're not going to violate their civil rights until we get an outcry." Doran said it was not until after the raid began that he learned that the sect was, in fact, marrying off underage girls at the compound and had a bed in its soaring limestone temple where the girls were required to immediately consummate their marriages. Also, investigators say a number of teenage girls there are pregnant. Authorities in Texas suspected there would be trouble ever since members of the renegade Mormon splinter group - the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - bought an exotic game ranch in Eldorado in 2004 and began building the ranch. Read more


San Angelo's NewBridge to get help from Utah groups in aiding families from YFZ Ranch
By JAYNA BOYLE and MATT PHINNEY San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
Officials from NewBridge Family Shelter in San Angelo and the National Domestic Violence Hotline said this morning at a news conference that their agencies will work with similar domestic abuse groups in Utah to get training to help victims from plural families such as those from the YFZ Ranch. Tammy Harris, NewBridge executive director, said her agency contacted Child Protective Services once it took calls from a girl at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound near Eldorado and determined she is 16. On a separate day, NewBridge contacted law enforcement. Harris said she did not know the number of calls the girl made to NewBridge but said it is fewer than a dozen. She said she could not comment on whether others from FLDS had ever contacted NewBridge. Phone operators are not allowed to get help for a caller unless the caller asks for assistance, said Sheryl Cates, chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the leader of the Texas Council on Family Violence. "When we go to the phones, we have to believe that call," Cates said in response to a question about the authenticity of the FLDS call. Read more


Evidence of sex rites found inside FLDS temple
Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (ABC 4 News) - The siege ended just one day short of a week. Texas lawmen have left the FLDS ranch in rural Schleicher County. Their roadblocks are down and the padlock is back on the gate that leads to ranch. For nearly a week, the polygamist compound was both surrounded and invaded by hundreds of investigators from various agencies - including the FBI, which executed a federal search warrant on the property Wednesday. And with the pull back of law enforcement comes the revelation that they found, during their search of the FLDS temple, at least one bed. Captain Barry Caver of the Texas Rangers said the bed was on the 3rd floor of the temple, but declined to describe it in any detail. However, an affidavit unsealed yesterday in Texas District Court said that bed had " ...disturbed bed linens and a strand of hair that appears to be from a female head." The affidavit quotes a confidential informant as saying the bed was used for "sexual activity" between older men and underage girls. A source tells ABC 4 News that under Warren Jeffs, the FLDS had made "sex a temple ordinance." Read more


FLDS mothers say they haven't been able to see, talk with their children
By Nancy Perkins and Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas — Three mothers of 10 children taken from the Yearning For Zion Ranch by Texas authorities told the Deseret Morning News Thursday that child welfare authorities will not allow them to see or talk to their children. "I am their biological mother. They will not let me in to see my children," said Monica, a 34-year-old woman with five children ranging in age from 3 to 12 years old. "They have my children and I don't know why. I have asked to see them and have been told no. I am not going to sit here and let them have my children. I don't know what, but I am going to do something. I am going to see my children." Monica is one of three women who spoke with the News in separate telephone interviews. All three women, who said they live at the YFZ ranch, which was raided last week by Texas officials, were emotional in sharing their personal details but did not want their full names published. All three women said they happened to be gone from the polygamist sect's ranch on the day the raid began. They returned as soon as they heard of the state's actions. Read more


FBI confirms warrant served at FLDS ranch
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
Authorities in Texas have confirmed they executed a federal search warrant on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch. In a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, the FBI's Dallas office said the federal search warrant was executed at the Eldorado compound on Tuesday. "The application and affidavit in support of the search warrant are sealed and will remain sealed; no further comment will be made as this is a pending investigation," U.S. Attorney Richard Roper said in a statement released this afternoon. Today, law enforcement wrapped up their search of the YFZ Ranch and returned the property to the FLDS faithful. Authorities have refused to say what evidence was seized, or any more about any federal investigation. Law enforcement were seen going from building to building on the compound, cataloging evidence. The Eldorado Success reported on Wednesday that during the search of the FLDS Church's temple, authorities called for jack hammers to reportedly be used on the annex building. E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com


Parallels to Short Creek raid in 1953 are pointed out
By Geoffrey Fattah Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
In the early morning hours, law enforcement moved into the polygamist community, seizing hundreds of women and children under the premise of child abuse — specifically that young girls were being married to older men. This isn't Eldorado, Texas, in 2008 but rather Short Creek, Ariz., in 1953. At the time, the raid made national news as the largest roundup of men, women and children in modern American history. One University of Utah professor, who has written a book on the history of the Short Creek raid, says what is unfolding in Texas is history almost repeating itself. The removal of hundreds of women and children and placing them in foster care, the raid of a polygamist community by dozens of officers and the accusation of child-bride marriages are all eerily similar, said Martha Sonntag Bradley. If history is to be any kind of teacher, Bradley said, Texas authorities need to know that after the 1953 Short Creek raid, every man, woman and child returned to Short Creek to resume their polygamist lives. The raid quickly became the FLDS Church's rallying point — a tale handed down to the next generation as of a test of faith and of overcoming of outside oppression, which made the community even more closed and opaque to the outside world. "Remember Short Creek" is a motto heard among polygamists. Even today in the twin communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., monuments serve as a reminder. "July 26, 1953. We must never forget how the lord blessed us in restoring our families taken in the 53 raid — Uncle Roy," one states. Read more


Shurtleff says he almost raided polygamous clan
By Paul Foy The Associated Press Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
With 80 search warrants in hand for DNA samples and other evidence, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he was set to conduct a sweeping raid on a secretive polygamous clan in 2006. Instead, Shurtleff changed his mind and clan leaders quickly made themselves scarce. He made the disclosure in an interview with KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City. "We elected not to do that and to try and work with their attorney," Shurtleff said of the Kingston family, a 1,500-member group based in the Salt Lake City area that has a wide range of businesses, from pawn shops to dairies and a coal mine. "And, of course, the result of that was all our subjects disappeared, our targets disappeared and we didn't get the warrants served like we hoped to do," Shurtleff told the TV station Tuesday. An investigator who worked the case seemed shocked by the attorney general's disclosure. "I am not going to comment on an investigation I still believe is viable," said Jim Hill, who now heads up a crime lab for Salt Lake City police. An attorney for the Kingston family, Daniel Irvin, said Shurtleff was seeking DNA in an effort to prove incest was occurring inside the clan. Read more


Ranch youth off state radar
By THOMAS HARGROVE, Standard-Times Washington Bureau San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
How could hundreds of children go unreported, uncounted and unprotected while living on a sprawling Texas retreat created by a polygamist sect? That is a question facing West Texas police officials and state social workers trying to piece together what went on far from public sight at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in rural Schleicher County. Texas Child Protective Services authorities have taken legal custody of more than 400 children living on the 1,700-acre compound near Eldorado, about 40 miles south of San Angelo. It was built by leaders of the breakaway sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which split from the Mormon Church decades ago when the latter renounced polygamy. Police are sorting through allegations of widespread sexual abuse of girls instructed to "spiritually marry" older men on the compound. The ranch was constructed by followers of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, who was convicted in September as an accomplice in the rape of a 14-year-old in Utah. Officially, it seems, the children living on the YFZ Ranch did not exist. The Texas Department of State Heath Services reports only 385 children between the ages of 5 and 14 were living in Schleicher County as of 2004, according to the most recent report available. That's the same year that the FLDS began to populate in earnest the ranch it bought in 2003. In recent years, the county averaged just 35 reported live births each year. "There is no legal requirement to report births in Texas. And you are not required to have a birth certificate," said Carrie Williams of the state Health Department. "Similarly, there is also no legal requirement to obtain a death certificate." Read more


Inside the Mind of a Polygamy Whistle-Blower
16-Year-Old Girl Was Courageous to Speak Out Against Cult, Experts Say
By EMILY FRIEDMAN ABC News Originally published Thursday, April 10, 2008
The 16-year-old girl whose whispered plea for help on a borrowed cell phone exposed the sexual and physical abuse of young girls by an austere polygamist cult showed extraordinary courage and resilience, cult experts said. "There is a part of her that is extremely strong," said Paul Martin, a psychologist and the director of Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center, a facility that treats cult victims. "She has some amazing courage [to speak out against the group]." The girl, who authorities have not been able to locate and do not know whether she is one of the 416 children taken from Yearning for Zion Ranch earlier this week, placed several calls to a local family violence clinic explaining her "spiritual marriage" to a 50-year-old man and how he forced her to have sex with him. Already the mother of one child, the teen told the investigator that she feared she was pregnant again and detailed how the man "would beat and hurt her whenever he got angry." One beating was so severe, according to the court documents, that the girl suffered broken ribs and was taken to the hospital. But despite her alleged brutal treatment, at the end of the phone conversation the girl begins to cry and pleads with the investigator to "forget" her story. "She began crying and then stated that she is happy and fine and does not want to get into trouble and that everything she had previously said should be forgotten," court documents stated. Read more


Polygamy Bombshell: Police Informant in Compound; Cesar Laurean in Custody in Mexico
LARRY KING LIVE CNN Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, a shocking twist from Texas -- there was a spy inside the polygamy sect. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) QUESTION: Did you have an informant inside the compound? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a person that I have been communicating with and I'm not going to go any father than that. QUESTION: How many years have you been communicating with that person? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four years. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Four years? What ugly secrets did the authorities learn? Why didn't they raid the place earlier? Plus, Glenn Beck says America is killing itself. And has Randi Rhodes killed her career with this venomous tirade? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RANDI RHODES, FORMER AIR AMERICA RADIO HOST: Hillary is big (EXPLETIVE DELETED), OK? (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: All next on LARRY KING LIVE. We have an outstanding panel to kick things off. We'll meet them in a moment. The sheriff, by the way, who raided that secret polygamist compound in Texas revealed today that he's had informant for the past four years. The raid was the result, by the way, of a call from a pregnant 16-year-old identified as Sarah. Four hundred and sixty-one children have been removed from the compound. We begin tonight with breaking news. Our national correspondent, Gary Tuchman, is in Colorado City, Arizona. Read more


Soldier Accused of Killing Pregnant Marine Captured; Secrets of Warren Jeffs' Polygamist Kingdom
ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast April 10, 2008
Webmaster note - the first part of this program is not included as it does not pertain to the subject of this web site. Up next, though, we have got new secrets revealed about Warren Jeffs' polygamist kingdom, new insights into how authorities gathered evidence at his compound in Texas. Also tonight: hiding in plain sight. He's suspect number one in the polygamy raid. So, why is he not under arrest yet? And, then, later, one on one with General Petraeus -- CNN's Michael Ware with the questions that the top U.S. commander in Iraq wasn't asked on Capitol Hill. We have got that and a lot more -- tonight on 360. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How old were you when you got married? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sixteen. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sixteen years old. How old were you when you became pregnant with your first child? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sixteen. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 16. And this was an arranged marriage by the religious leaders of that town? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. (END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: Her childhood and innocence stolen by men who believe God's will is to have multiple wives. That interview was from reporter Mike Watkiss' documentary on polygamy. The words you just heard sound similar to the allegations emerging from the Yearning For Zion ranch in Texas. There is a stunning new revelation that local police had a confidential informant who was once a member of Jeffs' church and the tips were being fed to the sheriff for years. Why, then, did it take so long to remove the hundreds of children? Read more


April 11, 2008: Officials say temple bed used for child sex
416 children and 139 women removed from sprawling ranch
News Services The Province - Vancouver BC Originally published April 11, 2008
ELDORADO — State investigators say they have discovered a bed inside a polygamist compound temple that was reserved for husbands — often middle-aged men — to have sex for the first time with their underage "wives." Girls as young as 13 were "spiritually married" at the YFZ (Yearn For Zion) Ranch temple in this small Texas town, according to officials who raided the site April 3. The "spiritual marriages" have no legal standing. The state officials said in an affidavit that the building used as a "temple" on the sprawling 690-hectare complex "contains an area where there is a bed where males over the age of 17 engage in sexual activity with female children under the age of 17." The YFZ ranch is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a sect that split from the mainstream Mormons when polygamy was banned. According to the affidavit, investigators also found documents showing that one man living at the site had 20 wives. The ranchland was purchased in 2003 and the ranch buildings we built by Warren Jeffs, who considers himself the sect's prophet and was jailed for life for being an accomplice to rape. Mainstream Mormons now excommunicate members who engage in the practice and reject any connection with the FLDS. Investigators also found "multiple locked safes, locked desk drawers, locked vaults, as well as multiple computers and beds," the affidavit said. By Tuesday, officials emptied the sprawling compound of 416 children and 139 mothers. The children were deprived of food and locked in closets as punishment and severe beatings were also reported. A number of young girls who were pregnant or had recently given birth were discovered on the ranch after a desperate call for help was made by a pregnant 16-year-old girl, who has still not been identified. Read more


Colorado City CPS phone call resembles one made in Texas
One led to raid, one didn't
By Amanda J. Crawford The Arizona Republic Originally published April 11, 2008
Arizona child-welfare officials are investigating a call from a 16-year-old girl alleging sexual abuse in the polygamist stronghold of Colorado City - a call similar to one in Texas that led officials to raid a related polygamist compound last week and take more than 400 children into state custody. The calls came within a week of each other and were allegedly made by girls of the same age and involved similar allegations of abuse. In both cases, the calls were made to outside organizations and referred to child-welfare authorities. In both cases, officials were unable to immediately find the girls who made the calls. It is unclear at this time whether the calls are related. But the Arizona case prompted a significantly different response than in Texas where police officers stormed the compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, took all the children into state custody and confiscated evidence from the temple. In Arizona, no children have been taken into state custody - in part, officials say, because of differences in the communities and state laws. "I don't have the authority, and local officials don't have the authority, to go in and, based on an unverified phone call, sweep up 400 children," said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who has made cracking down on abuses in Colorado City a hallmark of his administration. "If we found that girl (who made the allegations), we could take her into custody and perhaps her siblings in custody. There is no way in Arizona law we could reach any further." Read more


Missing point of polygamy
Opinion Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
Rarely do I agree with Lee Benson. April 9 was no exception. I sometimes wonder just what his agenda really is — even though he says he is LDS. The Lord often gives his people difficult and lofty opportunities to see if they will "obey" and use them for his purposes. Not all of his people use them with the Lord's intended purpose. Polygamy was one of them. My grandfather married two sisters who bore two large families. The results of this union provided doctors, lawyers, musicians, scientists and were generally contributors to society. There was no hint of older men forcefully marrying children and no hint of incest or free sex between teenagers. The actions of the Texas Child Protective Services are entirely justified to protect children and to stop such activity! The perpetrators will have their day in court. For Benson to call any of the Lord's commandments "murky" is a terrible insult to him and to all of us who greatly benefited from this extraordinary period of the early church. He should apologize. Ruel Clark Bluffdale


Men: Faithful surrounded temple but didn't fight raid
By Brian West Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Dozens of FLDS faithful surrounded the gates of their only temple in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent a SWAT team from entering it, Texas police officials revealed Thursday. "They lined up 57 people, as we counted, around the walls of the temple. They didn't appear to be armed," Texas Ranger Capt. Barry Caver explained. He said church members told him they did so in order to avoid being "in violation of their beliefs by not defending the temple." "Some would kneel and pray. Some of them were sobbing," he recalled. Texas rangers and sheriff's deputies eventually used the "jaws of life" and other tools to physically break down the locked doors of the temple Saturday night, Caver said. Armed with search warrants and a court order to remove everyone 17 and under from the FLDS Church's ranch, officers said it was sometimes difficult to locate the children because some were hiding from them or were being hidden by adults on the compound. "They were shuffled around houses," Caver said. "They were playing kind of the egg-shell game, and we had issues with that." Read more


Polygamy, abuse may seem baffling to kids
By Brian Bethel Scripps Howard News Service Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
How should you respond if your children ask questions about the stories coming out of San Angelo, Texas, about abuse, polygamy and marriage of minors? Sangeeta Singg, a psychology professor at Angelo State University in San Angelo, said some younger children may react with uninterest or confusion. Others, especially teens, may produce tough questions, she said. In general, experts say that parents should answer only what children actually ask — honestly and with brevity — without delving into extraneous information that might confuse them. The issues are especially thorny because they move through the realms of faith and belief, said Wilma Heflin, adjunct professor of children's ministry at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. "Regardless of age, all children are growing and developing physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally," she said. "Sometimes we forget that they are also growing spiritually and that their concept of God is developing." Events such as those happening in Eldorado may cause children to worry about their own safety and security, Heflin said. But they can also "affect deeply children's concept of God," she said. "When abuse is connected with God and interpretations of what God expects or requires, children may lose their sense of trust not only in other adults but also in God," she said. Read more


Investigators offer new details on Eldorado-area temple raid
By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
A week after the raid at the YFZ Ranch began, the investigation is winding down, and new details are emerging about what happened inside the compound near Eldorado as authorities moved through it executing search warrants. When officials asked to enter the massive temple, for example, about 57 men who live on the ranch formed a line around the huge white building to offer, for the most part, superficial resistance. Texas Ranger Capt. Barry Caver said he asked that the temple door be left open or that a key to unlock it be provided so law enforcement agents could search the building. Merrill Jessop, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints community that lives on the ranch, reportedly told law enforcement officers that the men of the ranch would be in violation of their religious belief if they did not try to defend the holy place. They didn't unlock the door, and it had to be physically breached, Caver said during a news conference Thursday. One man was arrested on a charge of interfering with the duties of a public servant. The temple was empty when officials went in. Read more


Housing sect members and children costing San Angelo $60,000 a day, mayor says
BY TRISH CHOATE, Standard-Times Washington Bureau San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
WASHINGTON - The city of San Angelo alone is paying $60,000 a day toward the care of 416 children taken in recent days from a polygamist compound in Eldorado and the 139 women who left with them. That cost is likely to be just pennies in the final tally of state taxpayer dollars that will be needed to foot the bill for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' members' food, shelter, clothing and legal assistance over an unknown period. "It was declared a disaster situation," San Angelo Mayor J.W. Lown said Thursday. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has no plans at this time to request federal aid, Perry spokeswoman Krista Piferrer said. Perry sent a letter Thursday to state Comptroller Susan Combs, asking her to allow the Health and Human Services Commission to cover "allowable legitimate emergency costs for state agencies and local governments." Perry anticipates a big legal bill for the children, who will be accorded hearings concerning their future welfare and custody. Counties typically pay for such hearings, but Perry said he is working with other state officials to marshal dollars for the "emergency situation." The governor said he does not want cost to be a worry for the state and local officials caring for the women and children from the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County. Read more


Texas seeks volunteer lawyers to handle FLDS kids' cases
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
Calling all lawyers. The State Bar of Texas has put out a call for volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono representation for the 416 children now in state protective custody after being taken from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's compound in Eldorado. "Since the news first broke, the State Bar has been providing free online training to all lawyers volunteering to serve as attorneys ad litem for the hundreds of children taken into state custody," State Bar of Texas President Gib Walton said in a statement posted on their Web site. The child custody case is the largest of its kind ever in Texas history. Because of that, the State Bar (which certifies and disciplines lawyers) is coordinating efforts to recruit volunteer lawyers. A massive volunteer training session is being held in San Angelo today, the State Bar said. Walton said in his statement that the State Bar is trying to "help ensure that all persons involved are fairly represented and, in particular, that the children are served fairly and compassionately by our justice system." At a court hearing April 17, Texas child protective services officials must prove that the children were at risk of abuse and neglect to justify their removal. The children will each have an attorney to represent them in court, which means a lot of attorneys are needed. Read more


Eldorado search warrants detail seizure of multiple items
By Brian West Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas authorities released Friday more than 80 pages detailing a multitude of items seized from a ranch of Fundamentalist LDS Church members. Among those items were medical files and photographs of girls and women with the same name of the purported 16-year-old pregnant young mother who called a crisis hotline from the ranch to say she was being physically and sexually abused. Authorities still have not been able to determine if the girl is among the 416 children that were removed from the ranch over the past week and placed into state custody. At least four medical files for patients with the same or similar name were seized, as well as "laboratory receipts" for several different girls with the same name. Judge Barbara Walther ruled earlier this week that all of the evidence will be stored for safekeeping until a yet-to-be-identified third party can sift through it to determine if any of the items should be protected under an attorney-client privilege or a clergy-parishioner privilege. Photographs, family photos, photo albums, hand-written notes, computer hard drives, laptop computers, ordinance and birth records and many journals were all listed in the documents filed in court. One of the more unusual items listed as taken was a "cyanide poisoning document." Read more


LDS Church critical of foreign press accounts of Texas raid
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is criticizing international news media outlets for failing to distinguish between the mainstream Mormon church and the Fundamentalist LDS Church. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discontinued polygamy officially in 1890. More than a century later, some news reports, especially those outside the U.S., still fail to draw clear distinctions whenever stories arise about polygamy in the Intermountain West," the LDS Church said in a statement posted on its Web site. The LDS Church praised many news media outlets across the country for noting the difference between the two churches. However, church officials were critical of foreign media reports that ran photographs of the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City next to stories of the polygamous compound raid in Texas and headlines that use the term "Mormon" without a distinction. "You would think that after over 100 years, media organizations would understand the difference," Elder M. Russell Ballard said in the LDS Church's statement on Friday. "You can't blame the public for being confused when some of those reporting on these stories keep getting them wrong." The LDS Church was particularly critical of the French news agency Agence France-Presse for the photograph mistake, and Russian and Mexican media outlets that incorrectly referred to the FLDS Church as being the LDS Church. The FLDS Church is legally incorporated as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and has been since the 1940s. It is one of many polygamous sects that broke away from the mainstream Mormon Church decades ago over the practice of polygamy, but still incorporates Mormon doctrine in its beliefs. LDS Church leaders have said there is no such thing as a 'fundamentalist Mormon,' but there are an estimated 40,000 in Utah and surrounding states who consider themselves as such. Like the mainstream LDS Church, fundamentalists trace their beliefs to Joseph Smith, who founded the Mormon faith in 1830. E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com


Providing for FLDS costing Texas tens of thousands daily
By Brian West Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Child welfare officials said Friday they've been receiving "hundreds of calls," many from FLDS parents whose children were taken from their homes and placed into state custody. Apart from the 139 mothers and grandmothers who chose to accompany their children and are living with them at the temporary shelters, other mothers or fathers aren't allowed to see them. "These children are with us because we believe they've been abused or neglected. At this point in time, no one else is going to be visiting those children unless a judge says so," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Many of those hundreds of calls are from relatives of the 416 children taken from Yearning For Zion Ranch. Others are calling to share information or offer assistance, Meisner said. Judge Barbara Walther this week ordered the children to remain in the San Angelo area so she can continue to have judicial jurisdiction over the case. But providing for their needs is costing tens of thousands of dollars every day. "My best guess is that we have in excess of 500 people in these response efforts," said Kevin Dinnin, the "incident commander" at the two makeshift shelters here. His job is to provide meals, water, showers, restroom facilities, toiletries, security, medical facilities, transportation, toys and supplies — "things we think will make life better for them in the shelter." Each agency determines its own costs, but he saids his incident management team is burning through nearly $30,000 each day. Read more


Polygamist Sect's Kids Face Health Issues
Lack of Vaccinations, Chickenpox Outbreak Among Medical Hurdles
By DAN CHILDS ABC News Medical Unit Originally published April 11, 2008
While the nightmare of confinement within a restrictive sect in West Texas may be over for more than 400 children in Texas, the outside world may present them with unique health threats. A dozen of the children have already been identified as being infected with chickenpox, and experts fear that the outbreak could be seen by the sect's members as an ominous result of being removed from their cloistered world and complicate efforts to care for these children. "I guarantee you that the chickenpox outbreak will be perceived by the group as a sign of wickedness in the outside world," noted Christopher D. Bader, an associate professor of sociology at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, who studies fringe religious groups. "Every event that happens in [extreme religious sect members'] lives is seen in a religious worldview." According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, a team of medical professionals comprising 25 mental health professionals, four doctors and 10 nurses are providing care for the children, and 14 more doctors and medical assistants will be arriving soon. Read more


Sect told children outside world is hostile, immoral
The Associated Press The Arizona Republic Originally published April 11, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas - All their lives, the girls in the polygamist sect in the West Texas desert were told that the outside world was hostile and immoral, and that venturing beyond the brilliant white limestone walls of their compound would consign them to eternal damnation. Now, if the state gets its way, hundreds of the girls could be put in foster homes, in what could be a wrenching cultural adjustment that may require intensive counseling. "What they are up against is having to deprogram an entire community," said Margaret Cooke, who left the sect with seven of her eight children near the end of 1994. The children "are so naive and they have been sheltered to the point that they don't even trust their own judgment." Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the state Children's Protective Services, said the agency is working with mental health and other experts to make the children's transition as easy as possible. Read more


'Bitter' Campaign Trail Debate Heats Up; Secrets of Polygamy
ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast April 11, 2008
Webmaster note - the first part of this program is not included as it does not pertain to the subject of this web site. Just ahead: new developments out of the Warren Jeffs' polygamist sect, reports of another young women coming forward. We are going to update you on that developing story. And then later, a closer look at the practice of polygamy beyond the headlines, outside Jeffs' FLDS sect. Gary Tuchman has that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And the kids, the range, how many kids? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More than 30. All my kids are sweethearts. (END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) WARREN JEFFS, FUNDAMENTALIST CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS PROPHET: We live in such a wicked day. The people on this land of America are an adulterous generation. We do not want to be like them. The prophets have declared, I would rather have my sons or daughters in the grave than commit sins of immorality. (END AUDIO CLIP) HILL: Yet, that is precisely what his FLDS followers stand accused of doing. In some ways, as you will see tonight, this is a story as old as the West. Yet, it is also as immediate as the headlines. And that is where we begin, with the latest developments, starting with a brave young woman dialing a cell phone. And the information just kept coming. Since that call, 416 children have been taken out of the compound. The country has been shocked by the stories of alleged forced marriages, sex dens, and ritual abuse, some of it allegedly happening in front of church elders. Tonight, both the identity and the location of the informant remain a mystery. Her alleged victimizer is still at large. But there are new developments concerning both, and some late new information about another potential accuser. CNN's David Mattingly is working the story. He joins us now from San Angelo, Texas. Hi, David. DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, those new developments coming out of Colorado City, Arizona, the headquarters, the location of the headquarters of the FLDS. Law enforcement sources there are telling us they're investigating a call from a young girl who claims that she was being abused by a male family member in her home. We're telling you this because this call is very similar to what Texas authorities received here. And you can see how one allegation can lead to a very big case. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTINGLY (voice-over): The discovery of what an informant called sex beds in the temple of the polygamist compound in West Texas was a surprise even to former members of this fundamentalist sect. They tell us these beds are unique to the Texas compound and could be evidence of disturbing marriage rituals created by the jailed leader Warren Jeffs. MARLEIGH MEISNER, SPOKESWOMAN, TEXAS CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES: It's not a stretch to imagine that they would want to, after performing what they considered a sacred ceremony in their sacred temple, do it in -- consummate it, so it would be valid in -- on that holy property, what they consider to be holy. Read more


The Vent
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published April 12, 2008
Hooray for Texas justice! Every person in the United States should scream every day for justice for each little girl born into the culture. Religion be damned. That's just an excuse for dirty old men to have sex with helpless, innocent girls. They are trapped by babies before they are old enough to go to high school or college. Shame on us all for allowing this to exist. Cure it? Take each man involved and castrate him. That'll stop it. ***************************** Can anyone image the uproar and charges of racism if Texas authorities had gone into homes and rounded up 500 illegal aliens? ***************************** Congratulations to the Texas and federal authorities who accomplished at the FLDS compound in Texas what the Utah attorney general and other Utah authorities have failed to do for the last 50 years. Rescuing all those women and children is something that Utah has ignored. It was more important for the Utah folks to "maintain harmony" and look the other way. It's a toss-up as to which is more devastating: the illegal aliens or the FLDS, both of which Utah seems to let be.


Raid fallout affects all children
By BRIAN BETHEL Scripps Howard News Service San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
Dr. Sangeeta Singg worries about the roughly 400 children removed from a religious sect's compound in Eldorado because of suspected sexual abuse - sometimes carried out in their temple. "My perception is that so many of them are almost foreigners in this country," said Singg, a psychology professor at Angelo State University. "They have no idea how to function in the kind of lifestyle most of us are used to living." For now, the children are temporarily housed in San Angelo, where they are adjusting day-by-day to a new way of life, worlds apart from the isolated Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound. But there are potentially thousands of other children and young people who might be affected by news reports coming out of the polygamous sect, Singg said. Some younger children might react with disinterest or confusion, she said. Others, especially teens, may produce tough questions as stories of abuse, polygamy, marriage to minors and more continue to be revealed. Read more


Barlow to meet with Texas Rangers today
FLDS children reportedly doing well
By Brian West and Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The man accused of sexually and physically abusing a teenage girl is expected to meet with Texas Rangers today. He has denied all of the allegations. Dale Barlow, who lives in Colorado City, Ariz., told the Deseret Morning News he's agreed to meet with the officers who contacted his probation officer to make the arrangements. "I was told they wanted to talk to me. It's the first time I've heard from the Texas Rangers," Barlow said Friday night. He said he told Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran a week ago by telephone that he didn't know the girl who called a domestic violence shelter hotline and said she was one of his wives and that he abused her. It was her phone calls that triggered Texas officials to raid the FLDS ranch and remove all 416 children. Barlow said he didn't know if the Rangers planned to arrest him. A warrant for his arrest was issued out of Texas more than a week ago. Child welfare officials said Friday they've been receiving "hundreds of calls," many from FLDS parents whose children were taken from their homes and placed into state custody. Read more


Records point to 4 girls who could be sect's 'Sarah'
CNN Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) -- Authorities searching the compound of a polygamist sect in West Texas found a "cyanide poisoning document" among the dozens of items it seized during a weeklong search. Nothing in the 80-page list of items seized indicated that members of the sect planned to use cyanide. But the list had no explanation of the document and Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange said she did not have any details about it. Also seized were school and medical records, including some that listed the name of a 16-year-old girl whose call to a family violence shelter triggered the raid at the compound. But her name was identical to that of several girls in the sect. The caller had said her 50-year-old husband had beaten and raped her. Other items taken from the compound included computer equipment, family photo albums, a photo of a birthing room, foot and hand prints taken at birth and several copies of the Book of Mormon. The raid of the compound in Eldorado, 40 miles south of San Angelo, began on April 3. Since then, the state has taken legal custody of 416 children on suspicions that they were being sexually and physically abused. Read more


Judge says ranch children must stay in San Angelo
By JAYNA BOYLEand MATT PHINNEY San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
The women and children from the YFZ Ranch won't be leaving San Angelo for a while. State District Judge Barbara Walther ordered that all children removed from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound near Eldorado remain in shelters in San Angelo until after the hearing that begins Thursday in state District Court. Also on Friday, authorities released the search warrant inventory of evidence gathered at the ranch, which ran to more than 80 pages. Authorities have said the custody hearing is expected to last 14 days. No one except the mothers who opted to leave the ranch to be with their children will be allowed to visit them, said Marleigh Meisner, public information officer with Child Protective Services. The women and children are being housed under close security at San Angelo's Fort Concho and the Wells Fargo Pavilion. The women and children have been model visitors, a nonprofit agency leader said Friday. "I have felt a great deal of appreciation from the guests," said Kevin Dinnin, president of Baptist Child & Family Services, a San Antonio-based human services organization that has about 50 staff members helping locally. Dinnin confirmed that the FLDS group has had access to telephones. Read more


Items seized from ranch detailed
By Brian West Deseret News Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas authorities released 88 pages Friday, detailing a multitude of items seized from the Fundamentalist LDS Church ranch near Eldorado. Items taken from the property included photographs, computers, hard drives, journals and identification papers. Also listed were many clothing items, including dozens of collections of white clothing, "temple clothes," shoes, belts, slips and one "clip-on tie." One of the more unusual items listed was a "cyanide poisoning document." "Those were simply pages from a first-aid book, nothing more," said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger. At least two videotapes of SWAT teams entering the temple were also seized from the compound, according to the documents. Officers also took a video from a birthing room as well as a pregnancy test, cell phones, cameras, pedigree charts and contents from a shredder. Texas Rangers Capt. Barry Caver said Thursday he couldn't determine whether the documents had been shredded during the search or sometime before it. Also among items were medical files and photographs of girls and women with the same name as the purported 16-year-old pregnant young mother who called a crisis hotline from the ranch to say she was being physically and sexually abused. It was her phone calls that prompted Texas officials to raid the YFZ Ranch. Authorities still have not been able to determine if the girl is among the 416 children removed from the ranch over the past week and placed into state custody. At least four medical files for patients with the same or similar name as the caller were seized, as well as "laboratory receipts" for several different girls with the same name. Read more


Mental health experts enlisted to help with children of sect
CNN Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) -- Texas officials have brought in mental health professionals and behavioral experts in an effort to ensure a sense of normalcy for the more than 400 children removed from a polygamous sect's enclave, an agency spokeswoman said. But for all their lives, the boys and girls of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have been told the outside world was hostile and immoral. Venturing beyond the brilliant white limestone walls of their compound would consign them to eternal damnation, their church leaders preached. Now, if the state gets its way, hundreds of children could be put in foster homes, in what could be a wrenching cultural adjustment that may require intensive counseling. "What they are up against is having to deprogram an entire community," said Margaret Cooke, who left the sect with seven of her eight children near the end of 1994. The children "are so naive and they have been sheltered to the point that they don't even trust their own judgment." Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the state Children's Protective Services, said the agency is working with mental health and other experts to meet specific needs of the children. That information will be passed to foster families if a judge decides the children should be transferred to foster homes, she said. "We want to keep their world as normal as possible," Meisner said. "We also want to be certain that these children have gained a trust with us. We want these children to know that even if they may not have been safe in the past, they will be safe as long as they are with us." Read more


Mormons back polygamists
Opinion Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
Regarding the story "Reports of polygamy story vary across the world" (MormonTimes.com, April 10): Maybe the rest of the world would believe that your church is different from the polygamists' church that was raided last week if some of you Mormons spoke out against polygamy. So far, I have not heard a single outcry against polygamy, which you supposedly reject, from any of your faithful. Your silence on this issue makes me suspect that you actually support the polygamists and perhaps feel a kinship with them, which, although you tepidly deny it, seems obvious to the rest of us. Suzanne Phipps Salt Lake City
Read this article from newsroom.lds.org here


Attys: Texas polygamists may recant
Prosecutors: Allegiance of Texas polygamists to Jeffs may prove to be hurdle for police
By CHRIS KAHN The Associated Press Newsweek Originally published April 12, 2008
Polygamous sect members who were moved to a Texas compound from their longtime homes along the Utah-Arizona line were hand-picked for their fierce loyalty to leader Warren Jeffs, and that allegiance may be a stumbling block for law enforcement, authorities say. Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, transferred people to Eldorado, Texas, to escape growing government scrutiny on the sect's base in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said. "This was Warren Jeffs' all-star cast," said Goddard, who has been investigating the sect since 2004. "They had the strongest sense of obedience." As a result, their extreme devotion could make it hard on Texas authorities as they push for prosecutions, said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "All these girls are taught from the cradle not to trust anybody from the outside," Shurtleff said. "Especially the government. We're the beast. We're the devil." Authorities raided the Eldorado ranch April 3 after a girl from the clan made a whispered telephone call for help to a family violence shelter. Texas has since taken legal custody of 416 children on suspicions that they were being sexually and physically abused. Jeffs, who was convicted last year in Utah of being an accomplice to rape, wanted "to isolate and perhaps purify the sect from any kind of outside influences," Goddard said. Eldorado "is the most concentrated version of this particular style of life," he said. Prosecutors in Arizona and Utah struggled for years to gain the trust of witnesses in abuse cases, but many young girls still refused to speak out. "We've had them come out and make statements, and then they disappear, or they recant," Shurtleff said. Read more


Legal Notices
Posted in The Eldorado Success newspaper Eldorado, Texas Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
CLERK OF THE COURT: District Clerk Schleicher County Courthouses 2 North Divide Street Eldorado, Texas 76936 ATTORNEYS FOR PETITIONER, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES: Daniel Edwards Gary Banks 622 South Oakes, Suite "L" San Angelo, Texas 76903 CITATION BY PUBLICATION/POSTING TO ALL UNKNOWN PARENTS, AND ANY PERSON CLAIMING TO BE A PARENT OF, ANY ONE OR MORE OF THE CHILDREN REMOVED FROM THE YFZ RANCH, ELDORADO, SCHLEICHER COUNTY, TEXAS, BETWEEN APRIL 4, 2008, AND MIDNIGHT ON APRIL 7, 2008, AND TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, RESPONDENT(S): THE STATE OF TEXAS NOTICE TO RESPONDENT(S): "You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not file a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next following the expiration of twenty (20) days after you were served this citation and petition, a default judgment may be taken against you. Read more


Legal Notices
Posted in The Eldorado Success newspaper Eldorado, Texas Originally published Saturday, April 12, 2008
CLERK OF THE COURT: District Clerk Schleicher County Courthouses 2 North Divide Street Eldorado, Texas 76936 ATTORNEYS FOR PETITIONER, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES: Daniel Edwards Gary Banks 622 South Oakes, Suite "L" San Angelo, Texas 76903 CITATION BY PUBLICATION/POSTING TO THE FOLLOWING PERSONS, WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED TO THE PETITIONER AS ALLEGED PARENTS OF ONE OR MORE OF THE CHILDREN REMOVED FROM THE YFZ RANCH, ELDORADO, SCHLEICHER COUNTY, TEXAS, BETWEEN APRIL 4, 2008, AND MIDNIGHT ON APRIL 7, 2008, RESPONDENT(S): Name of Alleged Parent & Date of Birth Allred, Becky November 2, 1987 Allred, Carol Ann Unknown Allred, Mary December 21, 1976 Allred, Merilyn September 22, 1974 Allred, Richard Unknown Allread, Mary Unknown Allread, Helen Unknown Barlow, Adeline Unknown Barlow, Amy August 28, 1978 Read more


Cops Talk to Suspect in Polygamist Probe, Don't Arrest Him
He Told Cops They've Got the Wrong Guy, and He Can Prove It, His Lawyer Says
By SCOTT MICHELS and OLIVIA STERNS ABC News Originally published April 12, 2008
As authorities continue to search for the 16-year-old girl who made the cry for help from a polygamous compound, legal experts say the legal basis for the Texas officials' raid may not hold up in court if they cannot locate the accuser. "That 16-year-old is the linchpin for probable cause. She is the reason they said they had cause to go in and do this search. If that is not present, if they can't establish probable cause, then everything they gathered in the search will likely be suppressed," said legal analyst Jonathan Turley today on "Good Morning America Weekend." He added, "They will not be able to bring criminal charges. They can even be sued for that search." A custody hearing next week about the 416 children who were seized from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ranch will question whether the state can legally justify its search of the religious compound. "You can't hold over 400 children and keep them from their parents unless you can establish that those parents are directly linked to a criminal allegation or abuse," said Turley, a professor of law at George Washington University who has written about polygamy. To prosecute the other families and children, authorities may have to assume they were all accused. Turley said making such an assumption would be "a serious problem as they go forward. The court will give the state a fair degree of deference in protecting children initially, but that deference quickly evaporates with time. ... You can't say they're all vicariously guilty because they belong to a certain religion." The defense will likely argue that authorities have equated polygamy with child abuse and used that as the basis for the raid. Read more


Care of sect costs state $25,000 a day
By Lisa Sandberg San Antonio Express-News Originally published April 12, 2008
SAN ANGELO — A unique diet, specially tailored clothes, culturally sensitive counseling: the daily cost of providing care to the 555 women and children relocated from a West Texas polygamist compound is running upward of $25,000 a day. The state Friday said it was prepared to foot the bulk of the cost. "We'll find the dollar and cents somehow, somewhere, under the sofa cushion perhaps," said Krista Piferrer, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry. She said the state would assume all unanticipated costs associated with the forced removal and care of 416 children that Child Protective Services officials say were being abused or at risk of abuse, and their mothers, 139 of them, who accompanied the children voluntarily. The relocated followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which broke from mainstream Mormonism a century ago to continue practicing polygamy, are being housed here, 45 miles north of their Schleicher County compound, in two makeshift shelters. As some 500 public and private workers tried to care for them, authorities Friday released an 81-page list of items seized during the weeklong raid of the Yearning for Zion Ranch outside Eldorado. The inventory contained hundreds of family photos and journals, notebooks containing marriage dates and births, and something described only as a "cyanide poisoning document." All remain under court seal. Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange later said the cyanide item was a set of pages torn from a first-aid book on how to treat cyanide poisoning, but didn't know why the sect would have such information on hand. Read more


First look inside YFZ Ranch
First look: Quiet is unnerving as FLDS members seek answers
By Nancy Perkins and Brian West Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
YFZ RANCH, Texas — The children's shoes still sit neatly, side by side where they last left them. Child-sized shovels and miniature wheelbarrows sit on the porch of their three-story, log cabin-like home. The only noise now emanating from this 1,700-acre compound is the rustle of the wind, birds chirping, the occasional scurry of a roadrunner or a truck traveling along the dirt roads. "It's miserable. It's too quiet," says Nancy, struggling to keep her emotional voice loud enough to be heard. This grandmother and others at the reclusive ranch belonging to the Fundamentalist LDS Church on Saturday allowed the Deseret News onto their land and into their homes, which were raided last week by Texas authorities. All 416 children who lived there were removed and placed into temporary state custody. It was the first time they had allowed the media access to places they consider private and sacred. During interviews with ranch residents, FLDS officials insisted that questions remain focused on the children's plight and declined to discuss other topics, including allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Those who spoke asked that only their first names be used. Collectively, their hearts are broken but their spirits undaunted. "If you know what it's like to have a little child look you in the eyes, throw their arms around your neck, smile and give you a hug, then you know what it's like (here now)," she said, turning her head and sobbing into her shoulder. The leader of the Yearning For Zion Ranch says he doesn't understand how the government could sweep in and seize all their children based on an unproven allegation. "This whole situation is abusive and out of hand," said Merril Jessop, a presiding elder in the FLDS Church. "The nearest thing I have ever seen comparable to this, even on the TV shows, is Nazi Germany." "The only thing we ask of the governor and citizens of Texas," Jessop said, "is to give every man, woman and child due process and an attorney before they destroy their lives." Read more Watch an exclusive Deseret News Video on the story above


Fort Concho: Tight quarters, fear taking toll on moms, children
By Brian West and Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Kathleen has been on "night watch" in a makeshift shelter here with 170 children and women for the past six nights. "Many people came in here healthy and strong," the woman said from a cell phone inside the temporary shelter at the "Cattle Arena" annex of the San Angelo coliseum. "I've been walking around and comforting crying, sick children," she said, adding that she also been helping overwhelmed mothers struggle to care for their children in their new environments. Five women spoke with the Deseret News Saturday from inside the two shelters. They are the first of more than 100 women inside the shelters to speak publicly since being taken from the YFZ Ranch along with hundreds of children as part of a raid by Texas authorities a week ago. The women, who only provided their first names, called and spoke to reporters at the Yearning For Zion Ranch, about 50 miles away, via cell phone. Dorothy described the anxiety many of the children feel being away from home, especially at night. She said 25 young girls have mothers who are staying in another shelter, yet Child Protective Services workers have refused to even let them pass notes to each other. That means she has had to comfort many of them. She said the children have told her, "Please come and sleep on my bed so they won't take me. I say, 'No, I will sleep by the door so I can watch all of you.'" Dorothy said workers at the shelter will walk through the crowded room among the children at night, which makes it even more difficult for them to sleep. The cots, cribs and playpens are side by side. Read more


Life's tough for FLDS man without family
By Nancy Perkins and Brian West Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
YFZ RANCH, Texas — It's especially quiet for Richard at 6 a.m. these mornings. Before last week, when law enforcement officers raided his home and took away his wife and seven children, one of his favorite family activities was their morning and evening ritual. "This is where we used to gather," he said while leading Deseret News reporters and photographers through his home on the secluded ranch near the Fundamentalist LDS Church's massive limestone temple. "We would read good works and have what we call a sing song and prepare for the day. Then we would go get a good breakfast together," said Richard, who requested only his first name be used. Without his children there, he says returning home each day has been very difficult. "I've just about decided to step outside rather than come in here every day and relive this memory again," he said of the day his home was ransacked and his kids along with hundreds of other children were taken away in buses from the ranch. "When I'd come home and walk through this door, there were several little children sitting here at this table," he said gesturing. "I would sit down with them, have something to eat and have a little child hanging onto my neck and on each side of me. "Little children love their father and I love them." Photos of early LDS and FLDS prophets, including Warren Jeffs, sentenced to prison last November for performing a child-bride marriage, line the walls of his home. They are joined by additional signs, like "Keep Sweet Forevermore," "Loyalty to Priesthood is Life," and "Let's go from where we are to where we want to be." Read more


Rangers quiz Barlow, let him go
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
ST. GEORGE — The man at the center of the raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's Texas compound has been questioned by Texas Rangers, but he was not taken into custody by them. Clad in their trademark cowboy hats and silver star badges, the law enforcement officers traveled to Utah on Saturday to meet with Dale Barlow, who is trying to persuade them they have the wrong man. "Right now, we're just here to talk to him," Texas Ranger Don Williams said as he walked into the Mohave County probation office in St. George. About a half-hour later, Barlow left a free man — for now, at least. "We made it clear to the law enforcement officials that Dale Barlow has not been to Eldorado (in Texas), he has not been to that compound, he had nothing to do with the accusations," Barlow's attorney, Bruce Griffen, told the Deseret News afterward. "They made a mistake." The Texas Rangers left, declining to say if Barlow remains a suspect or would be arrested. "We can't talk about that," Williams said, getting into a truck. Read more


FLDS-raid timeline
Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, March 29: Texas authorities say a 16-year-old girl called a child protective services hotline, alleging that her husband beat and raped her and that she was pregnant with a second child. She said she lived on the secretive YFZ Ranch, the site of the Fundamentalist LDS Church's first-ever temple. Thursday, April 3: Armed with a warrant, authorities enter the YFZ Ranch to investigate. Friday, April 4: Buses escort children from the YFZ Ranch (named for a song by FLDS leader Warren Jeffs titled "Yearning for Zion") as law enforcement continues to search the compound. By the end of the evening, 167 children had been removed. Many are housed at the civic center near Eldorado, where cribs and cots are set up. Saturday, April 5: Women willingly leave the YFZ Ranch to join the children who were removed from the compound. The search continues on the ranch for more children. Read more


Is raid on NBA next step?
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Texas has rounded up teenage ranch girls impregnated by older men who believe in God. Shouldn't the next step be to round up teenage girls in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio impregnated by older men who don't believe in God? Perhaps these others have not been targeted yet because they live in cities and have more acceptable beliefs ... like faith in professional basketball players. The Texas welfare department should station officers at the gates of the big arenas during the NBA playoffs and sweep up some more sad stories. I always did think mainstream Texans were far too morally perfect to tolerate the riffraff of the world. Congratulations, Texas. The eyes of Utah are upon you. Kimball Shinkoskey Woods Cross


Raid nothing like LDS history
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Columnist Lee Benson comparing what was happening in Eldorado, Texas, to polygamy in early Latter-day Saint history (April 9) is ridiculous to the extreme. I personally know from family records, journals and other sources that there is no comparison. The difference is between freedom and slavery. What would you have Texas authorities do when a young girl cries for help and it becomes known that depraved and evil men are making sexual slaves of 13-year-old girls? Hang up the telephone and yawn? Believe me, no one is yawning over protecting the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights of helpless women and children. George B. Robinson Salt Lake City


Photo of FLDS kids degrading
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Deseret News has sunk to new lows with the publishing of the front-page picture of children taken from the Texas FLDS compound (April 10). The tabloidlike presentation of innocent children at play being turned into sensationalism fodder is degrading to all individuals and our own society norms. Children can't even play and feel free anymore to be themselves without some sneak stalking them and taking their picture. The individuals responsible for this tabloid slip or "misphoto" need to sincerely apologize and rethink their own human values, if they have any left. William Bodell Cottonwood Heights


Raid about abuse, not faith
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
I am concerned by some comments being made about the raid of the FLDS compound in Texas. This is not about persecuting a religion. It is not even about a man having more than one wife. It is about child abuse, plain and simple. If consenting adults want to live in a plural relationship, that's their business. But we are talking about young girls being forced into "marriages" with old men or young men not of their choosing. They are brainwashed to believe that there are no good people on the outside of their closed society. Out of the clutches of abusive, dictatorial, wicked men, perhaps those who still have a glimmer of hope or dignity can be given a chance to choose for themselves what kind of life they lead. Paula Brown West Jordan


Texas did the right thing
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
An old saying, "It's easier to be forgiven than to get permission," is appropriate for the action taken by the authorities in Texas. If they had waited for the courts or others to provide permission, perhaps another hundred or more young girls would have become pregnant. Dave Garside Sandy


Operation against FLDS was well-handled
By Ty Meighan Scripps Howard News Service Deseret News Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — When I heard that authorities were at the gates of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound in Eldorado last week, I immediately thought about the unfortunate culmination of the siege on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco 15 years ago. On Feb. 28, 1993, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raided the Branch Davidian compound, resulting in the deaths of six Branch Davidian members and four ATF officials. The raid was prompted by allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct and stockpiling of illegal weapons. The FBI laid siege to the compound until April 19, when federal agents released tear gas into the building, where several fires quickly consumed the compound. In the end, more than 80 men, women and children were dead, including Branch Davidian leader David Koresh. The situation in Eldorado had the potential to explode, especially since the FLDS employs armed guards and church officials initially resisted authorities entering the compound. Law-enforcement officials were prepared for the worst, bringing in ambulances as they got ready to enter the temple, which sect members consider sacred. Thankfully, the developing investigation has been peaceful so far as local and state authorities work to discover and document what has been going on in the gated compound. Those of us in the media, and taxpayers in general, must hold government and law-enforcement officials accountable for wrongdoing and questionable decisionmaking. Clearly, officials made some serious mistakes in handling the Branch Davidian situation. At the same time, we also should acknowledge when they do something right — especially when it could potentially save some of our most vulnerable residents from further harm. Let's look at what state and local authorities — and dozens of caring residents — have done in Eldorado. Details are still developing, but we know quite a bit about what's going on from documents and state and local authorities. Read more


Eldorado, sect 'aren't unfriendly'
By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
John Nikolauk noticed a bright-eyed young boy walking next to his mother, who was carrying a baby in her arms. The family, all members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, stopped walking to let Nikolauk pass by. Instead, the Eldorado mayor stopped himself. "What's your name?" Nikolauk said. The mother said: "Fred." "Fred, you are quite a kid," the mayor said in reply. The little boy ran up and put his small hand around one of Nikolauk's fingers in a silent greeting. "Tears welled up in my eyes," Nikolauk said of the brief encounter. "I walked back and told my wife, 'See that little guy. That's Fred.' Every time we saw him we'd say, 'Hi Fred,' and he would look up and smile." After four years, a handful of Eldorado residents a week ago had their first meaningful interaction with FLDS members who lived on a ranch just north of town. He, along with just a few others, first met group members at a makeshift shelter after children were taken off the YFZ Ranch in the face of allegations of physical and sexual abuse by men at the sect's compound. Some 139 women followed, in many cases to stay with their children. It's a fear that was always in the back of some people's mind even as they dealt with their shy neighbors as best they could. Read more


Local center helps children
Letters San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Editor: Recent events have unfolded before our eyes regarding the children and their mothers from the compound in Eldorado. This situation has brought to our collective attention that San Angelo really does have a heart to help those who cannot help themselves. The Children's Advocacy Center of Tom Green County has received hundreds of calls asking the same question over and over, "How can I help?" While it is impossible to speak to how to aid these individual cases, there are ways to help. The Children's Advocacy Center has been caring for children in these types of circumstances for more than 15 years, and the process is always costly both in terms of money and personnel. Please be aware that the center has a Web site available to answer that ever-present question of how to help. Call the center at 653-HOPE or log on to cactomgreen.org. Debra Brown Executive Director Children's Advocacy Center


Men should have been displaced
Letters San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Editor: If the 565 women and children taken from the Eldorado compound are assumed to be victims, why then are they the ones being punished by being displaced from their home where they had a source of food, stability and familiarity? Now we have children traumatized and subject to sicknesses and mothers who are insulted and humiliated. If anyone had to be taken into custody, why not take the 57 men who are assumed to be the perpetrators? Wouldn't it have been the more civil, humanitarian, logical and least expensive way to go? What a fumble. Donise Coonrod San Angelo


Protecting children must be main goal
In Our Opinion San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
On April 3, spurred by a plea for help from a 16-year-old girl, state and local law enforcement approached the gates of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound near Eldorado. Ten days later, our community is in the midst of the largest child-protective services case in Texas history. State officials have removed 416 children from the ranch and taken them into custody in San Angelo. The national spotlight is glaring down on us as the case has drawn widespread attention from media organizations throughout the nation. As this situation continues to unfold, we must keep in mind that the ultimate goal is to protect the children. No one should be allowed to abuse children, who are our most vulnerable citizens. When word of the Eldorado operation spread, many people feared a replay of the 1993 federal raid of the Branch Davidian compound, which led to the death of more than 80 men, women and children. In Eldorado, law enforcement officials prepared for the worst. Fortunately, the raid ended peacefully. To their credit, FLDS members have been mostly cooperative. The raid has brought together a massive effort where state and local authorities, along with volunteers, church groups and businesses, worked to meet the needs of children removed from the compound. We don't know the full extent of problems investigators have unearthed on the compound grounds. What we do know from court documents and authorities is disturbing. State officials claim a "pervasive pattern and practice" of sexual abuse and forced marriage inside the Schleicher County compound. Court affidavits provide a rare glimpse into the secret world of the polygamist sect. As Americans, we should be free to practice our religion and faith, but that does not extend to activities that violate laws. Read more


Praying for the sect members
Local ecumenical service draws four dozen
By ANGELA SHAFFER, Special to the Standard-Times San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Under a bright blue sky, San Angelo's faithful prayed for forgiveness, wisdom and unity in the names of the 416 children removed this month from an isolated West Texas religious sect compound. "We're here to pray for light, love, and healing for the women and children of the compound," said Charlotte Anderson, a parishioner from the city's Holy Angels Catholic Church. "A lot of San Angeloans want to help, but we don't have the resources to do so. However, we can all offer prayer." More than 50 people gathered at an ecumenical service Saturday at San Angelo's Visitor Center to pray for those involved with and displaced from the YFZ Ranch. Texas authorities removed the children because of allegations of forced marriages, sexual abuse and beatings of young girls and women. The children were removed about a week ago from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' compound near Eldorado, some 40 miles south of San Angelo. The children and 139 women are being cared for at Fort Concho and the San Angelo Fairgrounds until a state custody hearing on Thursday at the Tom Green County Courthouse. Anderson, along with Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, organized the event in response to the events surrounding the YFZ Ranch. The Cokesbury Christian Singers from the city's First United Methodist Church provided hymns from the 1908 version of the Cokesbury hymnal. Director Koste Belcheff said that while he and the choir couldn't give directly to the displaced YFZ Ranch's women and children, they could "provide a little ministry to those who need it most." Read more


Extreme sects can besmirch all faiths in the eyes of some
By BRIAN BETHEL, Scripps Howard News Service San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
From sex scandals to splinter groups, from the fall of men and women of faith to bloody conflict in the name of God, the public face of modern religion may seem pockmarked - and sometimes deeply, perhaps irrevocably, scarred. However, the exact effects of religious scandal, negative publicity and on occasion outright hypocrisy on mainstream society is difficult to quantify, said Charles Kammer, professor of religious studies at the College of Wooster in Ohio. Experts are quick to point out that though stories like those about sexual abuse of girls at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints compound near Eldorado swirl into public consciousness with regularity, the human failings they represent are not new. Even the 12 apostles in the Bible displayed great and vastly human failings, said Bishop Michael Pfeifer, head of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo. One betrayed Christ and committed suicide, another denied him, and all forsook him in manifold ways. "So even they were not up to the mark," Pfeifer said, adding that men and women throughout the history of the church, including those who have enjoyed great power and influence, have fallen far short of perfection. Egoism, a desire for power, a yearning for control over others and innumerable other "strange gods" often lead people away from the pillars of faith, justice, peace, freedom and truth that make up true religious expression, Pfeifer said. Read more


Mainstream Mormons see attention as an opportunity
By BRIAN BETHEL, Scripps Howard News Service San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Charles Webb of San Angelo, state president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, admits to a bit of confusion when trying to compare mainstream Mormonism with the fundamentalist splinter sect in Eldorado. Simply because there isn't any comparison, he said. "As far as I can tell, they're diametrically opposite of us, in terms of what we believe, the way they treat their families, everything," he said. The polygamist Eldorado sect, which is not affiliated with the mainstream LDS Church, does not reflect his own faith, which forbade the practice of polygamy starting in the late 1800s, he said. "I'm sure there are some people who still think we're the same," he said of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. "I think there are people who will believe that no matter how many times you tell them it's just not true." Calvin Hill, who heads Abilene's LDS Third Ward, said that he views events such as the FLDS raid and Mitt Romney's recent run for president of the United States as an opportunity to tell others about his faith, separating fact from fiction. "I don't see it as something to get frustrated about," he said. "I see these things as an opportunity to let people ask some questions and get some good information on the table." What's frustrating is when there is any implication that the mainstream LDS church somehow promotes the abuse of children, he said. "We do not accept that behavior in any manner," he said. "Anyone who even promoted that type of behavior with a child would be excommunicated."


'Safe'
Traditional, modern ways intersect for 555 residents of raided sect
By Rick Smith San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
The news photograph shows a boy and a girl, perhaps preschool age, playing outside a stone barracks at Fort Concho. The boy runs toward adults seated on the porch, clutching a big orange ball. The girl follows, head down, her long hair in tight braids. Both are dressed in old-fashioned, blue handmade clothing. They look as though they have stepped out of the 19th century. They might be the children of parents stationed at the frontier fort. But the photo is not a tintype from another age. Other photos bring us into the present day, showing orange plastic fencing around the parade ground, guarding the fort's temporary residents from reporters eager to shout questions and from the dozen television satellite trucks idling across Oakes Street, ready to beam images from the fort around the world. State troopers maintain around-the-clock watch at the fort's perimeters, helping keep the sect members unavailable for interviews. In a matter of days, the women and children of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' YFZ Ranch near Eldorado have gone from near-total seclusion to the planet's front pages, Web sites and newscasts. They have traveled from a private compound in the middle of nowhere to two temporary compounds in San Angelo, one only blocks from the city's downtown district. A small army of volunteers, city and state employees and others has worked to ease the transition. "We want to make sure these children are safe and comfortable," said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for the state's Child Protective Services agency, which led the investigation that brought all these women and children to San Angelo. Read more


Future unclear for removed youths
By MICHAEL GRACZYK The Associated Press San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Here are some questions regarding what is next for the 416 children removed from the YFZ Ranch because of allegations of a "pervasive" pattern of physical and sexual abuse involving the minors. The questions were fielded late last week by Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the agency caring for the women and children, and John J. Sampson, a University of Texas law professor who teaches the Children's Right's Clinic, which provides legal representation for abused and neglected children in Travis County. What's the next legal step? Meisner: April 17, a full adversarial hearing, 10 a.m., in the Tom Green County Courthouse. At that point, we will make a recommendation to a judge. There will be attorneys appointed, or even perhaps (they) have already been appointed to represent the children. For each child individually, or as a group? Read more


Court has been clear about protecting children in freedom of faith cases
By BRIAN BETHEL, Scripps Howard News Service San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
A country as vast and pluralistic as the United States, will always have examples of "cultish or extreme faiths," said Alan Wolfe, who teaches in the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. And it is inevitable that media will pay attention to such groups, he said. But in general, religious freedom in the U.S. is protected through the Bill of Rights. It is when laws are broken that it becomes necessary for law enforcement and courts to step in, Wolfe said. "Generally, you can have freedom of religion, but you can't break the law," he said. "There are always going to be limits, and there's no such thing as a perfect freedom of religion. There will always be tension between religion and the law." Dr. Paul Fabrizio, a political science professor at McMurry University in Abilene, said the U.S. Supreme Court first ruled on limits of the First Amendment's free expression clause in a case in the late 1800s involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. "That case, of course, involved their practice - at the time - of polygamy," Fabrizio said. "The court essentially ruled in that case that while you can believe whatever you want, how you practice your belief can be subject to government regulation, and even control." Read more


New anti-polygamy laws largely untested
By DAN KELLEY, Scripps Howard News Service San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
Prosecutors are using new weapons against bigamy and marriage of underage teens in the FLDS case - the biggest child-custody case in Texas history. The laws were fashioned after the Texas Legislature responded to Utah authorities' experience with the Mormon splinter group. In 2001, Utah authorities began a crackdown on underage marriages and arranged marriages of teenagers, targeting members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, a sect based in two towns on the Utah-Arizona border. The allegations made national headlines - young girls forced to marry older men, teenage boys ejected from the community to create a surplus of brides, and police officers who turned a blind eye toward the practices. A handful of prosecutions ensued. In 2004, the sect began building a compound in Eldorado - the result, Utah authorities said, of a prophecy its leader had. Alarmed that the sect's members were building a compound, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff urged Texas lawmakers in 2005 to strengthen the state's laws. He described the sect in stark terms. "Imagine a community run as a theocracy, where women are considered nothing but property," Shurtleff told the Texas Legislature, "where women have two purposes: to please their man sexually, and have children." Texas lawmakers heeded the advice and made sweeping changes to Texas law against bigamy and underage marriage. Read more


Darby had role in YFZ Ranch startup
BY TRISH CHOATE, Standard-Times Washington Bureau San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Sunday, April 13, 2008
WASHINGTON - A man who helped the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints acquire land for the YFZ Ranch is now the state legislator representing San Angelo. Rep. Drew Darby said he extricated himself from YFZ Land, Limited Liability Co., when he realized he had been misled, and that it was no corporate retreat the group was building in Schleicher County. "It became apparent what their motives were," said Darby, a San Angelo real estate lawyer and title company owner, "and so I certainly got out of that picture." In 2006, Darby, R-San Angelo, was elected to House District 72. The district includes Scurry, Mitchell, Coke and Tom Green counties. One day a few years back, Darby said, the real estate agent who worked on the property sale came in and asked Darby to organize a company for David S. Allred to buy a tract in Schleicher County. Darby formed YFZ Land in 2003. He worked solely with Allred and met no other members of the Mormon splinter sect, which practices a form of plural marriage and is not associated with the mainstream Mormon Church. Darby described Allred as "a man of very few words, very well-mannered, just all business." Darby was listed as the registering agent for YFZ Land in documents filed Oct. 27, 2003, with the Texas Secretary of State's Office. Read more


Sect Mothers Appeal to Texas Governor
By JENNIFER DOBNER The Associated Press The Daily Sentinel - Grand Junction, Colorado Originally published April 13, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The mothers of children removed from a polygamous sect's ranch in West Texas after an abuse allegation are appealing to Gov. Rick Perry for help, saying some of their children have become sick and even required hospitalization. In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the mothers from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints also say children are "horrified" by physical examinations they have undergone while in state custody. The mothers said the letter was mailed Saturday. Perry spokesman Robert Black said Sunday that he had not seen the letter and couldn't comment. Some 416 children were rounded up and placed in temporary custody 11 days ago after a domestic violence hot line recorded a complaint from a 16-year-old girl. She said she was physically and sexually abused by her 50-year-old husband. The one-page letter, signed by three women who claim they represent others, says about 15 mothers were away from the property when their children were removed. "We were contacted and told our homes had been raided, our children taken away with no explanation, and because of law enforcement blockade preventing entering or leaving the ranch, we were unable to get to our homes and had no-where to go," it said. "As of Wednesday, April 9, 2008, we have been permitted to return to our empty, ransacked homes, heartsick and lonely." The mothers said they want Perry to examine the conditions in which the removed children have been placed. "You would be appalled," the letter said. "Many of our children have become sick as a result of the conditions they have been placed in. Some have even had to be taken to the hospital. Our innocent children are continually being questioned on things they know nothing about. The physical examinations were horrifying to the children. The exposure to these conditions is traumatizing them." Read more


All Texans overanxious?
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
It seems to be a Texas thing. There was Lyndon B. Johnson and the bogus "Gulf of Tonkin incident" leading to the Vietnam War. Then George W. Bush and the bogus "weapons of mass destruction" leading to the Iraq war. Now Judge Barbara Walthers and the bogus "abused and pregnant 16-year-old female" leading to the FLDS roundup. All three were conceived by an agenda that could not wait to be verified or made constitutional. When are we going to care enough to say, "That is enough"? Gordon Jay Butler Roy


Raid aftermath: Cell phones are confiscated
Texas: Order affects FLDS women, kids
By Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — A Texas judge on Sunday ordered law enforcement officials to immediately confiscate all cell phones in the possession of FLDS women and children now housed in temporary quarters here. "I just called to say hi. They are about to collect the phones, I think," one soft-spoken FLDS woman said during a telephone call to another member of the Fundamentalist LDS Church who was outside the shelter. "I don't like what they're doing." Several of the women inside the shelters spoke by cell phone to the Deseret News on Saturday to describe the living conditions there. Children could be heard crying in the background of each conversation. The News published an article on Sunday quoting the women, who complained there was no privacy and that their children were getting sick. FLDS faithful outside the shelter are convinced Sunday's court order is a direct result of the women speaking to the newspaper. "This is nothing more than retaliation of Child Protective Services to punish those who were disclosing what is really happening behind the walls of this concentration camp," said Don, an FLDS member who asked that his last name not be used. "These are my family members." FLDS members outside the shelter said authorities wearing rubber gloves and using metal detectors combed the facilities looking for cell phones. "They looked in every baby diaper and over every woman and child," said one man. Read more


FLDS parents hit with court papers for pending custody battle
Court papers printed in anticipation of hearing
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
Legal notices are being published in the Eldorado hometown paper, addressed to "all unknown parents, and any person claiming to be a parent of, any one or more of the children removed from the YFZ Ranch." The notices, filed by attorneys for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, announces the petitions for hundreds of children taken from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's Texas ranch. "You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not file a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next following the expiration of twenty (20) days after you were served this citation and petition, a default judgment may be taken against you." The legal notices are being published in the Eldorado Success, the town's weekly newspaper, in anticipation of Thursday's court hearing that will determine whether the children will be placed in foster care or returned to their parents. Newspaper publication is another method of serving court papers when someone cannot be located to be personally served. The notices name all of the children that have been identified by Texas child welfare workers. "Baby girl Jessop, a child." "Freddie, a child." "Naomi, a child." Some of them are simply listed as "in the interest of 330 children from the YFZ Ranch" or "in the interest of 16 children from the YFZ Ranch." A separate notice published in the newspaper names the parents they know of and lists their birth dates. It's a long list of Barlows, Allreds, Jessops, Johnsons, Mussers, Nielsens, Steeds, and Jeffs, etc. Each lawsuit requests emergency protection of a child. Read more


Ex-member defends Texas raid
Polygamous groups reach out to FLDS women, children
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
Carolyn Jessop knows many of the people swept up in the raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch. Her ex-husband, Merril Jessop, is the ranch's boss. Some of her stepchildren are in the shelters. "I feel protective of these people," she said Sunday. It's one reason why she disputes any of the claims made by FLDS members who spoke to the Deseret News during a tour of the YFZ Ranch. Many said they were being persecuted for their religion, something Jessop said she has not seen. "They went in and found abuse. They took these kids out because they physically saw — and found — abuse," she said. "They saw girls that were pregnant at an age where, in Texas, that is a felony. This is about child abuse." A judge issued an order to remove all of the children from the ranch. In interviews with the Deseret News, FLDS leaders and members refused to talk about the allegations of physical and sexual abuse leveled against them. Jessop concedes that authorities' claims that growing up in a polygamous household is tantamount to abuse may be too broad, but said any child in a polygamous family has the same right to protection from abuse as anyone else. It was Jessop's flight from the FLDS Church years ago with her eight children in tow that led to the creation of resources in Utah for women and children leaving polygamy. Her autobiography, "Escape," about becoming Merril Jessop's fourth wife at age 18 before fleeing the polygamist sect has become a best-seller. Read more


State moves FLDS members from Fort Concho
By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
Three charter buses filled with women and children from the YFZ ranch were moved around 1:35 p.m. today from Fort Concho to the San Angelo Fairgrounds. The reason for the move was not immediately clear. The caravan of buses, escorted by San Angelo police officers and Department of Public Safety troopers, were traveling toward the San Angelo Fairgrounds. Witnesses say all the women and children at Fort Concho were part of today's move. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints members had been housed at the fort since April 5. The FLDS members were moved to the fort as part of an ongoing investigation in claims of pervasive sexual abuse involving minors at the YFZ ranch near Eldorado. Texas officials also allege physical abuse, as well as forced "marriage" in the state's largest child-custody case. The YFZ Ranch about 50 miles from San Angelo. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints practices a form of plural marriage in which the men take several 'spiritual wives' that are not intended to be officially recognized by the law. The sect split from the Mormon Church decades ago when the latter renounced polygamy. Currently, about 416 children and 139 adults are being housed in San Angelo. A group of about 170 FLDS members are already being housed at the San Angelo Fairgrounds Wells Fargo Pavilion. Trish Choate, a Washington reporter for the Standard-Times, contributed to this report.


Women return to Texas polygamist ranch
CNN Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- A group of women from a polygamist sect's Texas ranch returned to the compound Monday after authorities separated them from the 400-plus children now in state custody. Rhonda Jeffs, mother of two of the children and a spokeswoman for the other women, said mothers of children 5 and older were told they could not remain with the children but could go back to the ranch or to a women's shelter. The number of women who chose to return was not immediately known, but it appeared to be fewer than the 130 who had accompanied the children taken after an April 4 raid on the compound. "We wanted to come home," Jeffs said. "Where else would we want to go? They didn't even let us say goodbye to our children." Mothers who had children under age 5 were allowed to stay, Jeffs and Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said. She said state officials made the decision after consulting with lawyers, health officials and child-welfare officials. "They reached a consensus that this was in the best interests of the children," Meisner said. Earlier in the day, CNN reporters were given rare access to the compound, owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- a rogue Mormon sect. A woman from the ranch told CNN's Anderson Cooper that the mothers feel "persecuted" after having no choice about leaving their children. Read more


Texas authorities move children while dozens of attorneys meet with judge
By Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas authorities loaded more than 150 children taken from the YFZ Ranch nearly two weeks ago onto buses Monday afternoon, moving them from the cramped conditions they have endured at Fort Concho to the San Angelo Coliseum. Nearly a dozen large charter buses loaded with women and children left with police escorts followed by reporters and photographers in their own vehicles. Some of the children waved at reporters as they were driven away. The Deseret News reported Sunday that the women and children being housed in the historic fort were complaining that illness was sweeping through the group and that there was no privacy. "We have been more sick than usual. We don't like what they're doing," one woman at the shelter said. She did not want her name used because she was using her cell phone and feared losing it. "There's tension in the air, that's for sure." Authorities confiscated that woman's cell phone and other electronic communication devices found among those housed at the two shelters after the newspaper quoted several women who spoke with a reporter for a Sunday article. Another 170 children are being housed nearby at the Wells Fargo Pavilion, which is near the coliseum. There are 139 women, who are mothers or other close relatives of the children, living in the same conditions and taking care of them. Three of the women living with the children also sent a letter Saturday to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, asking him for help with their situation. They invited him to visit the temporary shelters so he could see the conditions firsthand. But Perry has yet to receive a letter from mothers of children removed from the ranch, his spokeswoman, Allison Castle, told the Deseret News Monday. Read more


FLDS women removed for San Angelo shelters
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
A spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints said this afternoon that the Texas Department of Family and Child Protective Services moved the 139 women who had been in San Angelo back to the YFZ compound near Eldorado. "CPS stripped them from the kids," FLDS spokesman Rod Parker said. "It creates a whole different set of issues. It's an outrage." CPS spokesperson Marleigh Meisner denied that all the women were removed. She said only FLDS women with children 5 or older were removed. Meisner said the decision to separate the parents from their children was reached after consulting mental health experts and attorneys in the case. She said they "thought it would be in the children's best interest." Some of the women affected by the change asked to be taken to another safe location. Others asked to be taken back to YFZ compound, Meisner said. She could not say how many woman went to the other safe location or how many returned to the ranch. Robert Black, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry, said the governor is given routine updates of what is going on in the FLDS saga. Perry's primary interest is to make sure the children are taken care of, Black said. He agreed its common practice for parents and children to be separated after allegations of abuse so CPS workers can get "to the bottom" of the allegations. Read more


Attorneys raise concerns about FLDS child-custody cases
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
Attorneys unleashed a litany of concerns this morning about how 51st District court will handle what is likely the most challenging case its ever received. The attorneys questioned the constitutionality of a state proposal that hearings for all 416 children be conducted en masse and alleged that adult women sequestered at Fort Concho have been told they will not be allowed back into the complex if they leave, even to talk to an attorney. State authorities were not immediately available to respond to the concerns. The concerns, initially expressed by local attorney Theodore A. Hargrove III, were echoed by Rod Parker, a former attorney for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who is serving as a spokesman for FLDS parents, after the informal meeting this morning between 51st District Judge Barbara Walther and nearly three dozen attorneys in the complex child-custody case. "I don't see how this can be resolved by Thursday," when the first custody hearing is scheduled, Parker said. "I'm sure the court appreciates the issues." Hargrove read a list of concerns on behalf of attorneys representing the adult mothers housed at Fort Concho. Among them: The constitutionality of a state proposal that an evidentiary hearing be done en masse, allegations that the women have been tacitly discouraged from visiting with attorneys for fear of being barred from returning to the fort, and persistent problems with as many as 30 young women who have children but whose age - and whether they are adults - is uncertain. "The adult women's attorneys don't feel en masse is the way this should be done," Hargrove told Walther. "Constitutionally, there are a lot of problems with due process." Read more


Tex. Compound Was Considered A 'Holy Land'
Sect Members Aspired To Live at Raided Site
By Sylvia Moreno Washington Post Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
ELDORADO, Tex., April 13 -- The secretive and insular community established near this West Texas town by a radical offshoot of the Mormon Church is considered by the sect's members to be a holy shrine populated by its most fervent adherents and is propped up financially by members of the group living in other states, according to law enforcement officials and former members. Interviews with law enforcement authorities and former members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints depict the Yearning for Zion Ranch, which was raided last week by Texas authorities, as an outpost whose adult residents were considered the sect's elite. They were handpicked by the church's leader, Warren Jeffs, who was convicted last year in Utah of being an accomplice to rape for arranging the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her cousin. Jeffs dubbed those chosen for the ranch as the "elect" or "heart's core," selected to live in the "holy land," as he called the compound. The adults were his most loyal followers and the young children were the least "contaminated" by the outside world, former church members say. According to court documents, adherents living at the ranch practiced the most extreme tenets of FLDS doctrine, including forcing girls as young as 13 to "spiritually marry" older men for the purpose of bearing their children. The community near Eldorado was financially supported by FLDS members in Arizona and Utah, said former member Richard Holm. Donations to support the ranch would help make the giver more worthy, said Holm, a former Colorado City, Ariz., resident now living in Hurricane, Utah. "They wanted to be holy enough to be called there themselves," said Holm, who was kicked out of the sect by Jeffs in 2003. Read more


Waco, FLDS raids similar
Branch Davidian fiasco only legal precedent
By Jayna Boyle San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Monday, April 14, 2008
America's most sweeping religious-compound raids are rooted deep in Texas. Last week, a small army of troopers, deputies and wardens swarmed the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound near Eldorado, removing 416 children based on allegations of sexual and physical abuse, and forced "marriages." The FLDS raid is the biggest child custody case in Texas history. Fifteen years ago, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound near Waco. The armed standoff ended violently on April 19, 1993, when the compound burned to the ground. At the end of that day, 76 Branch Davidians, including 21 children, were dead. Five other sect members and four federal agents died on Feb. 28, 1993 - the raid's first day. The FLDS and Branch Davidian raids have more in common, however, than dubious distinctions in U.S. and Texas record books. Experts say the FLDS compound shows the same cultlike characteristics evident at the Branch Davidian site: Appointed leaders: Warren Jeffs, apparent leader of the FLDS despite being convicted in Utah of being an accomplice to rape. He is serving a term of up to life in prison. David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians. Isolation: Both sects lived in isolation on compounds. Beliefs: Promotion of belief that the outside world is dangerous. Finally, it took clashes with authorities to reveal the scope of their secretive operations. "State governments don't always know what religions are doing," said Dr. Richard Pesikoff, a professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Pesikoff was part of a team that looked into the crimes of adult members of the Branch Davidian compound and is in the private practice of adult and child psychiatry and psychoanalysis. "They make their own rules," he said, "and create an environment that fits the leader's needs." Read more


Watch Neal Karlinsky's April 14, 2008 report for ABC World News Tonight


Inside the World of Polygamy; Interview With Stephen Colbert
LARRY KING LIVE CNN Originally broadcast April 14, 2008
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Stephen Colbert -- he's on the campaign trail in Philadelphia. TV's fake news man keeps it real. But first, exclusive -- a rare glimpse inside the world of polygamy. The woman who helped put the leader of a secretive sect behind bars will tell her story. Plus, within the compound walls -- a reporter has a firsthand look. What will happen to the hundreds of children taken away by the state, as allegations of sexual abuse, even rape, swirl? It's all right now on LARRY KING LIVE. In this first segment, David Mattingly, CNN national correspondent, will be joining us by phone. He, by the way, is inside the YFZ compound in El Dorado. And in Salt Lake City is Brian West, the reporter for the "Deseret Morning News". He's been in that compound earlier, interviewed a number of mothers and other ranch residents. David, who is with us by phone, what can you tell us right now is happening there -- David? DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Larry, we've been granted some extraordinary access to this ranch. We are inside near one of the residential areas. We are talking to several of the women who were brought back after staying with their children for the last 10 days. What they are telling us is that they were taken to the coliseum in -- excuse me, Larry. They were taken to the coliseum (AUDIO GAP)... KING: OK, we'll cut out of David and get back to him as soon as we can straighten that out. Obviously, there's an echo concept. But Brian West, when were you there? BRIAN WEST, WENT INSIDE POLYGAMISTS' COMPOUND: We were there Saturday, Larry. KING: And what did you observe? WEST: Well, it was a really fascinating look. They don't let any media in until Saturday. We were the first ones to ever go in there. And I guess now that's changing, even as we speak. But I thought it was a community that seemed very orderly, very well run. I remember one of the first observations we had was looking at these homes -- these log cabin like homes and thinking how well crafted and constructed they were, a lot more modern than I think I would have expected them to be, with all sorts of, you know, appliances like you and I might have in our homes. I didn't notice any televisions, but maybe that was one of the only differences. KING: How many people were still there? WEST: Well, we spoke with a couple -- or saw a couple of dozen men. It's my understanding there's about 60 or 70 men and 10 or less women that were there, although I understand now some of the women have come back tonight that were in the shelter before. Read more


Inside a Polygamist Compound; Obama's Firestorm
ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast April 14, 2008
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, there's two breaking news stories on two fronts in the emotional custody battle playing out in west Texas. CNN's David Mattingly is right now inside the polygamist compound where more than 400 children were removed 10 days ago amid allegations of abuse. Gary Tuchman also has explosive new details about the phone call that triggered the whole raid. We will get to Gary in a moment. First, David joins me from inside the FLDS compound, which is normally strictly off limits to outsiders. David, this is remarkable. How did you get in? DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it was an absolutely extraordinary turn of events. Late this afternoon, the state took all of the women and children out of the shelter, took them to the Coliseum in town, and then separated the mothers from the children. Now, the only mothers that were allowed to stay behind were the mothers of children that were ages 4 and under. The rest of the mothers were offered a choice. You can go to a shelter, you can go to a safe place, or you can go back to the ranch. Most of them decided to go back to the ranch. If you ask the mothers themselves, they say all of them did. The state is telling us, however, that some of the mothers did choose to stay behind and go to this safe place, but they will not tell us how many. And then we arrived here. And, eventually, the attorneys for the ranch showed up and the decision was made to open the gates that have been closed to the outside world for the last four years and allow us inside to talk to these women about what they went through today and what they have been going through for the last 10 days. You can see some of that going on behind me. Some of the women are still outside. They're still talking about the events of the day. They were taken to the Coliseum. They say they were lied to by the state, saying that they were just told they were going to be separated for a moment. And then they realized they were not going to be seeing their children again. They believe that their rights have been violated. And when you talk to them, every single one of them will say that. They believe that they are being persecuted because of their religion. When you ask them about specific charges, Anderson, about what the state is alleging about the sexual and physical abuse of children here, they say that does not go on. Read more


Watch Anderson Cooper's live coverage of this story above Per Carolyn Jessop, Kathleen is Merril Jessop's 5th plural wife (Carolyn was his 4th plural wife).


Women taken from children: 'We were deceived.'
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
ELDORADO - Directly contradicting state authorities about the nature of the raid on and removal of children from a religious compound, a group of angry, tearful women lashed out at Child Protective Services and demanded the return of their children. The 20 women said CPS officials deceived them into letting go of their children before being told to either be taken to a nearby battered-women's shelter or return to the YFZ Ranch. They are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who until Monday afternoon had been housed at Fort Concho in San Angelo. "That trick of taking our children from us earlier today. We had no choice. We were deceived," said Marie, 35. Marie, like the rest of the women who spoke outside their dormitory-style living quarters on the ranch, declined to give a last name. An unknown portion of the 139 women who state officials said willingly left the ranch to be with their children during the April 3 raid were allowed to stay with their children if the children were under age 5, said CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner. Those with older children were given the choice of a shelter or returning to the FLDS ranch northeast of Eldorado. The decision separates an unknown number of the 416 children now housed at the San Angelo Fairgrounds from their mothers. Meisner declined to comment on why the removal was deemed in the children's best interests, saying only: "I think this is something we'll certainly be talking about tomorrow." The state removed about two dozen teenaged boys, Meisner said, and sent them to a facility outside of San Angelo. She declined to reveal the location of the facility and did not give a reason for the move. Monday's action left attorneys for the sect and its followers irate. "They just hauled them off," said Rod Parker, a former FLDS attorney who now is a spokesman for the parents. "They just separated them from the kids. It's an outrage." Read more


Official: Sect kids are 'healthy, robust'
By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The children from the YFZ Ranch came to San Angelo a "healthy and robust" group of people and remain that way, said a state health department official. Sandra Guerra-Cantu of the Texas Department of State Health Services said the 416 children have received ample medical care while in state custody. "There have been some childhood illnesses that are expected for this age group," she said. "But they have all been mild and self-limited." She described some illnesses as runny noses and colds. About 20 children have been treated for chicken pox, she added. "Anyone needing care has sought care or requested assistance," Guerra-Cantu said. "I want to make everyone aware the health and safety of the children is continually being addressed." Representatives of mothers from the YFZ Ranch sent a letter to the Governor's Office asking for help. In that letter, the women said some children had gotten sick because of the conditions at Fort Concho, where they were being housed. All the children are now being housed at the San Angelo Fairgrounds. Officials are using two event centers at the location. Read more


The Future of the Polygamist Kids
By HILARY HYLTON/AUSTIN TIME Magazine Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, produced haunting images: 416 children, the girls in calico dresses, removed from log cabin homes, looking questioningly into nowhere as they were led from their polygamist enclave into a secular world they have always been taught to fear. They sang hymns as they were driven away along with 139 adult women from Eldorado's Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade branch of the Mormon faith. And now, it's the secular power which cracked down on the ranch because of sex-abuse allegations that faces its own quandary: What is Texas going to do for the well-being and the future of these boys and girls? It is an enormous legal and welfare challenge. Most have never attended school nor worn contemporary clothes; and each one is likely to require his or her own lawyer. (Fortunately more than 350 lawyers have already offered their pro bono services to represent the chidren.) The children were being vetted and screened at Fort Concho, an historic frontier fort in nearby San Angelo. Texas officials say they were removed from the polygamist enclave because they were in danger of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. But on Monday, the kids were relocated from Fort Concho to the San Angelo Coliseum because their mothers claimed they were falling sick. The Associated Press said about 20 children had come down with mild chicken pox. Read more


History is repeating itself
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Was it just me, or did anyone else notice an eerie similarity in the pictures of women and children being herded onto buses by "police force" in the recent FLDS raid and pictures of Hitler's men rounding up Jews and herding them onto trains and buses? History has a way of repeating itself. Hitler's exploits brought on the ire of the world and combined the efforts against him. Will history repeat itself in the same way against the Texas authorities and other Child Protective Services who are overstepping bounds? Tisha Mecham Sandy


Texas behavior questionable
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Separation, incarceration and interrogation. When the North Koreans did it to some of my buddies, it was called "brainwashing." When we do it to combatants at Guantanamo, it is called "illegal, immoral and unconstitutional." When it is done to innocent teens to toddlers in Texas, it is called "legal, nonabusive and protective" by arrogant Child Protective Service agents of the state. Let us hope that this state agency is not planting seeds of future Oklahoma City-like incidents by their questionable behavior. Gordon Jay Butler Roy


Show some compassion
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
To Suzanne Phipps (Readers' Forum, April 12): We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are opposed to polygamy, but that does not mean we need to go out in public with a megaphone yelling our opposition to it. We can oppose polygamy and still feel compassion for the women and children of the FLDS Church. Myrle Farnsworth West Valley City


LDS not condemning FLDS
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I'm responding to Suzanne Phipps' accusation that Mormons secretly support the FLDS Church because we "haven't made a single outcry against polygamy" (Readers' Forum, April 12). As Mormons, we don't believe in polygamy, yet we are still tolerant of other religions even if we have different beliefs. We feel it isn't our job to condemn other people for their differences. Eric Walker Kaysville


Polygamists abuse children
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Polygamy is a institution that breeds corruption, abuse and confusion. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I completely decry polygamy. Can I state it any clearer? I much more enjoy reading an article about a boy saving his brother from drowning than a group of people abusing children in Texas. Michael H. Raleigh Sandy


FLDS women, children transferred
By Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — A Texas judge and dozens of attorneys struggled on Monday to figure out a way to handle a Thursday court hearing that could send hundreds of polygamous sect children to foster care. "Right now we are focusing on the actions by the Department of Child and Family Services who are seeking protection of the children," said Judge Barbara Walther of the Texas 51st District Court at the Tom Green Courthouse. The judge wanted attorneys to help determine the most expedient and judicious way to handle the massive number of cases scheduled to be heard in her courtroom on Thursday. "We want your input on how to handle the hearing," she said. "I want to ensure that any adults that need an attorney — and they have an absolute right to have an attorney — have one or they can apply for one." Texas Rangers, law enforcement officers from two counties and other authorities raided the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado in Schleicher County 10 days ago. Two deputies providing security at Monday's hearing said they participated in the raid, which netted 416 children. Another 139 women elected to accompany the children when they were bused from the ranch. A spokesman for the FLDS Church, Rod Parker, said members of the church feel that the judicial system is biased against them. "They are out of their element and are frightened," said Parker, a Salt Lake attorney who has represented the FLDS church for more than a decade. "There is a big concern about not being able to have their voices heard." Among the dozens of attorneys who showed up for the hearing, which is required within 14 days of the state's decision to place the children into temporary custody, were lawyers who said they represented the children and their mothers and fathers. Attorneys for the FLDS Church also attended the three-hour hearing. Read more


FLDS mothers say Texas officials lied to them
'The children didn't want us to go'
By Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas authorities executed a carefully orchestrated plan to force dozens of Fundamentalist LDS Church mothers into leaving their children behind in state care, said women who spoke to reporters at the YFZ Ranch Monday night. "They said they were going to bring us together so we could see each other, and they lied," said Marie, a 32-year-old mother of three children, ages 9, 7 and 5, who were separated from her earlier that day. "They read a court order and said, 'Your children are ours.'" Marie sobbed as she wrapped her arms around a heavy log pole on the porch of a home on the ranch, squeezing it as if it were her missing child. "I tried so hard to protect my children. They don't know that people hurt each other. They've been so protected and loved," she said as tears streamed down her face. Women of all ages and children staying at two shelters were bused midafternoon on Monday to the San Angelo Coliseum. The move came after the Deseret News quoted mothers staying at the shelter who said their children were getting sick and wanted to go home. Once the women and children were at the facility, state child protective services workers broke the women into two groups, putting mothers with children younger than 5 years old into one group, with the rest of the mothers or those without children there in another group. "They told the children that the mothers were needed in another room, that we were going to get some information," Marie said. "The children didn't want us to go. They wanted to be with us." As soon as the mothers were inside the room and the door was closed, police officers and child welfare workers entered, surrounding the women while a court order was read to the group. According to the women, the court order said, "You are to leave this building. Your children are with us. You have a choice. You can go to a women's violence shelter or go home to the ranch." Read more


Utah polygamists offer support to Texas kids
By Elaine Jarvik Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Nearly 500 letters from Utah polygamous children and parents will be part of a care package that will travel to Texas this week. Addressed to the children taken by Texas officials from the Fundamentalist LDS Church compound in Eldorado, the letters express empathy and offer advice. "When they did this our our family," wrote an 11-year-old named Jennifer, "I prayed to Heavenly Father." This is the first time that letters from polygamous children have been made public, according to Heidi Mattingly, a member of the Davis County Co-op, also known as Kingston group. Mattingly and other members of the pro-polygamy coalition Principle Voices held a press conference on the steps of the Salt Lake City-County Building Monday afternoon to urge "cultural sensitivity" on the part of the social workers and others dealing with the 416 Texas children currently being housed at the San Angelo Coliseum in Texas. The children aren't more important than other children, but their needs are unique, said Mary Batchelor, Principle Voices executive director. "They need to be talked to by adults who dress modestly." Principle Voices is made up of members from three polygamous groups — Centennial Park, Apostolic United Brethren and Davis County Co-op — as well as "independents." Read more


Battle Over Sect Children Begins
One of the Largest Child Custody Cases in U.S. History Gets Under Way in Texas
By SCOTT MICHELS, NEAL KARLINSKY, MARK LIMA and SIGFRID RYDQUIST ABC News Originally published April 15, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas, April 15, 2008 — More than two dozen teenage boys taken from the polygamist sect have been shipped 400 miles away to a ranch for troubled boys and girls, the state confirmed to ABC News today. The revelation came a day after the distraught mothers of 416 children taken by Texas officials from the polygamist group pleaded to be reunited with their kids. The women were forcibly separated from their children after the kids were moved from a cramped shelter to the San Angelo Coliseum, a sports facility, on Monday. ABC News has learned that the court with jurisdiction over the massive child custody battle authorized 27 of the boys to be transferred Monday night to Cal Farley's Ranch for Boys and Girls. The ranch, outside of Amarillo, is 400 miles away and about a seven hour drive from Eldorado, where the sect's secretive Yearning for Zion Ranch is located. Marleigh Meisner, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, confirmed the court order and said Cal Farley's would be the boys' temporary foster placement. James Bradshaw, a lawyer for the parents, said the order cited 27 teenage boys. "Obviously this is going to make it pretty difficult for them to meet with their lawyers," he said. Each child in a custody case is entitled to a lawyer. Cal Farley's Ranch, like the sect's own ranch, is a self contained town with its own medical facilities and school system. While the sect's teenagers have lived a sheltered life away from what they called the "outsiders world," Cal Farley's describes itself as a place "where a troubled boy could be given a second chance," according to the Cal Farley Web site. Read more


Texas officials defend separation of FLDS children and parents
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas child protection officials defended the removal of 416 children from the polygamist YFZ Ranch and said they were hopeful a judge on Thursday will continue to keep the children in the state's custody. "We believe we have a strong case," and that the children will remain in the state's temporary care, said Marleigh Meisner, with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. At a news conference Tuesday at a San Angelo museum, Meisner said she believed that there are children in the state's care that have been victims of physical and sexual abuse and other children who were at risk. The ranch was "not a safe environment for these children." Meisner outlined a collaborative response by state agencies in dealing with the overwhelming magnitude of caring for such a large number of people. On Monday, the state agency came under fire for the seemingly abrupt separation of hundreds of children from their mothers and other female adult caretakers. The decision — which came 11 days after the initial raid — came after "a lot of thought," she said. "We really stand by that decision." Often, Meisner explained, children who remain in the company of an adult during the midst of a child abuse investigation do not feel that they can freely speak. Read more


Watch the April 15, 2008 CBS Evening News coverage by Hari Sreenivasan on the YFZ raid and the removal of the FLDS children


Ex-FLDS members try to counter claims of persecution
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Hearing the FLDS mothers complain about having their families ripped from them is bitterly ironic to Richard Holm. "The families there have been stolen and kidnapped from their fathers," he told the Deseret News on Tuesday. Holm was kicked out of the church in 2003 by its leader, Warren Jeffs, and his two wives and children were told to leave him. They were placed with his brother. "They (FLDS leaders) are guilty of what they're accusing the authorities of doing," Holm said. Under Jeffs, dozens of men were told to "repent from a distance" for various sins. Some left the FLDS Church and have been speaking out against the polygamous sect, while others continue to be seeking penance and hope to be allowed back in. Hundreds of teenagers have also been kicked out or run away from the polygamous sect. Known as the "Lost Boys," some have wound up living on the streets or crashing in crowded apartments. Some have turned to drugs or crime. Those who work with the "Lost Boys" say the children are viewing what happened in Texas as another raid. "They have a kind-of solidarity with the FLDS," said Michelle Benward, the director of New Frontiers for Families, which runs a youth home in St. George for some of the children. She said many of the young men are very worried for their families, and they've had to talk to them about abuse versus religion. "There's 50-some odd years of indoctrination that this is likely to happen. You have a prophet telling you it's going to happen. You believe it's revelation, not behavior," she said. "It's hard for some of them to separate what's the right thing to do with what's gone on because it's so extreme." Read more


Sect's boys moved to temporary foster homes
CNN Originally published April 15, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- About two dozen adolescent boys taken from a polygamist ranch were moved Monday afternoon to temporary foster placement outside the San Angelo, Texas, area, authorities said Tuesday. "A judge did make that decision, and a judge did order that, and so this is really the first of placements," Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said. She did not provide details except to say that the boys remained together. More than 400 children from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound in Eldorado, Texas, are in state custody. State officials took the children after a 16-year-old girl made a series of phone calls in late March, claiming that she had been beaten and forced to become a "spiritual" wife to an adult man. Acting on her calls, authorities raided the ranch in Eldorado, about 190 miles northwest of San Antonio, on April 4. Two men were arrested for obstructing the raid, and it remains unclear whether the 16-year-old who made the initial call has been identified. Authorities had moved the children Monday from the Fort Concho historic site to larger facilities at the San Angelo Coliseum and the nearby Wells Fargo Pavilion. Mothers who had children under the age of 5 were allowed to stay with their children in San Angelo, but other women were returned to the compound. Six women opted not to go back to the compound when given the chance, Meisner has said, and they were taken to "a safe place." Read more


Texas defends separation of polygamist families
Officials say sect children more willing to tell truth without moms around
The Associated Press MSNBC Originally published April 15, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas - State officials Tuesday defended their decision to suddenly separate mothers from many of the children taken in a raid on a polygamist ranch in West Texas. Texas Children's Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said the separation was made Monday after they decided that children are more truthful in interviews about possible abuse if their parents are not around. When state troopers and child welfare officials seized 416 children from the compound, 139 women accompanied them on their own and had been allowed to stay with the children until Monday, when they were driven back to the compound. Only women with children under 5 could stay at the San Angelo Coliseum, where they were being held. Meisner said the decision was made after much discussion with experts. The mothers have complained the state deceived them, but Meisner said the situation was explained and, while there were tears, the operation went smoothly. "I can tell you we believe the children who are victims of abuse or neglect, and particularly victims at the hands of their own parents, certainly are going to feel safer to tell their story when they don't have a parent there that's coaching them with how to respond," Meisner said. Read more


Lawyers: 'Billable hours for the soul' in Texas
350 Texas lawyers to represent 416 kids, parents in polygamist sect case
The Associated Press MSNBC Originally published April 15, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas - They don't know where they're staying. They don't know if there's a courtroom large enough to hold them all. And they don't know who their clients are. But some 350 lawyers from all over the Lone Star State are converging on this West Texas city to represent free of charge the 416 children and scores of parents caught up nearly two weeks ago in a raid on a polygamist sect's compound. "We've got a saying in this pro bono business here that it's 'billable hours for your soul,"' said Dallas attorney Ken Fuller, as he geared up to head to San Angelo, about 275 miles away. He jokingly added: "We're just redneck lawyers. We're just going down there to make sure due process is followed." A marathon court hearing is set for Thursday in one of the biggest child-custody cases in U.S. history. State officials contend the youngsters were being physically and sexually abused, and they want to place the children in foster care or put them up for adoption. The sheer size of the case prompted the Texas state bar to call for volunteer lawyers to represent the children, as well as any parents who want to fight for custody. Unlike some other states, Texas does not require lawyers to do pro bono, or unpaid, work. Stewart Gagnon, a family law specialist with Fulbright and Jaworski, one of the biggest law firms in Texas, said he and 11 attorneys from the Houston firm are making the trek. "I think it's important for lawyers to be involved where they're trained to be," he said. Read more


Mothers tell their side of polygamy story
By Don Teague, NBC News Correspondent MSNBC Originally published April 15, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas – For nearly two weeks, journalists covering the removal of children from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound, known as the YFZ Ranch, have had access to just one side of the story. During the initial raid, the men who live on the ranch weren’t allowed to leave, and the women who had been removed with their children were sequestered away in shelters. That gave state officials the advantage of presenting their allegations of physical and sexual abuse of children on the ranch to the public with little chance for rebuttal except through church lawyers. Well, the situation changed dramatically last night, when Texas Child Protective Services and police officers separated dozens of mothers from their children, keeping custody of the children and sending the women back to the ranch. (Some may have chosen to go to a battered women’s shelter, according to a CPS official.) Immediately after the women went home, I received a call on my cell phone from a spokesman for the family. "They’re all back at the ranch," he told me. "They want to talk." "When?" I asked. "As soon as you can get here," he said. Read more


State now a danger to children, sect's mothers say
CNN Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- The mothers of some of the 416 children taken from a polygamous sect's ranch say that authorities have denied them their constitutional rights and that they want their children back. "The state of Texas has confiscated our children on an alleged allegation that has no facts. And now they're holding our children. And we want the children back," a woman who identified herself as Kathleen told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday night. The mothers of all children age 5 and older were separated from the children Monday. The mothers had the option of returning to the ranch or going to a state safe house. Although sect members said all of the mothers of the older children returned to the ranch, Texas Child Protective Services officials said Tuesday that six women had gone to the safe house. The children were taken in a caravan of 19 buses from a crowded shelter at the historic Fort Concho in San Angelo to the larger San Angelo Coliseum, Assistant Police Chief Kevin Holloway said. The decision to separate children age 5 and older from their mothers was made carefully and with input from attorneys and therapists, CPS spokesman Marleigh Meisner said Tuesday. It was decided that the move was in the "children's best interest," she said, and she later added that children who are victims of abuse or neglect typically feel "safer" and are more truthful if their parents are not around. Meisner also said Tuesday that about two dozen boys were moved Monday to temporary foster placement on the order of a judge. The children were removed from the compound April 4 and 5 because authorities suspect they "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse," CPS spokesman Darrell Azar told CNN during the relocation. Read more


At the green gate, and then a glimpse of the polygamist’s life
Katherine Wojtecki CNN Producer CNN Originally published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Every day for the last week and a half that I have been here in remote Texas, I’ve approached anyone and everyone who came to the beaten-up green farm gate that is the sole entrance to the compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS. Then, out of nowhere, buses pulled up carrying what appeared to be women from the compound, and I thought this could be our chance, our one chance to persuade them to let us inside this mysterious place that we all knew so little about. The women started to file off the buses and started talking with us, telling their side of the story, and the impact on them and their children of the raid in which the state removed 416 children after allegations of physical and sexual abuse. As the women finished talking with us, and started climbing into their SUV’s to head up the long road to the compound, I knew that was my chance. I approached the men at the gate and asked if our cameras and satellite truck could go in for the first-ever look with television cameras. I tried my best convincing, and they said yes. I almost didn’t believe it. This group had usually dodged reporters, and refused to say anything at all to outsiders. As soon as they unlocked that green gate every member of the media started driving up, and asking to be let in, too. And so the men decided if they let us in, they were going to have to let everyone else in. Read more


Update on Polygamist Custody Case; One Week Left Until the Pennsylvania Primary; McCain Cruises While Democrats Continue to Battle
LARRY KING LIVE CNN Originally broadcast April 15, 2008
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, one week and counting -- the primary clock is ticking in Pennsylvania. Clinton attacks. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP CLINTON CAMPAIGN AD) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama said that people in small towns cling to guns or religion as a way to explain their frustrations. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very insulted by Barack Obama. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just shows how out of touch Barack Obama is. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Obama reacts. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When we get past the politics of division and distraction, and we start actually focusing on what we have in common, there's nothing we can't accomplish. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: And McCain talks tax. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to create a new and simpler tax system and give the American people a choice. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Plus, the women speak -- the latest as the polygamy scandal takes a turn. It's all right now on LARRY KING LIVE. We'll get into politics hot and heavy in a little while. But we'll begin with David Mattingly, our CNN national correspondent. He's been inside YFZ compound, the polygamist compound in Texas. In fact, he talked to some of the compound members a little earlier. Watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While were over there, it felt like that in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we were the Jews taken to the concentration camps, persecuted for our religion. Read more


Texas Authorities Defend Handling of Polygamist Ranch Raid; Pope Benedict XVI Visits the United States; Barack Obama - the Making of a Presidential Candidate; Herschel Walker's Secret Battle with Multiple Personality Disorder
ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast April 15, 2008
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, our first look at dramatic pictures of police raiding that polygamist compound in western Texas. They were taken inside the hideout as the operation went down, taken by the polygamists themselves -- new developments tonight, authorities defending their handling of this raid. Hundreds of kids are now in state hands. It is a legal mess, to say the least, and the mothers are insisting their kids are being traumatized. We will have that tonight. And the latest on the Pope Benedict's -- on Pope Benedict's historic visit, no separation of church and state on this trip. Could the trip here actually sway the upcoming election? We will take a look at that tonight. And up close with Barack Obama, the making of a presidential candidate -- how he got to where he is today. Also tonight, a football star's hidden battle with multiple personality disorder. Herschel Walker says he doesn't remember winning the Heisman Trophy. That is how ill he says he was. Now he's telling his story. We begin with the latest from Eldorado, Texas, the first images we have seen of the police raid at a polygamist compound with ties to Warren Jeffs. Now take a look at the pictures. You can see police wearing body armor, carrying automatic weapons. There's another shot of an officer with an automatic weapon there hiding behind some boulders. The officers had massive backup. An armored personnel carrier, there is that rolling in. And another shot of the backup -- the photographs all taken by members of the sect as the raid unfolded, released to the Associated Press today. More than 400 kids, as you know, were removed from the compound during that raid. And they remain in state custody tonight. And there's growing outrage within the sect. Some of their mothers now say they were lied to and misled by police. CNN's David Mattingly is just outside the compound. He joins me now. David, what's the latest? DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, that was a story from the mothers we heard many times behind these gates here last night. We are going to take you inside there now to show to you exactly the way that I saw it. The encounter went like this. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) MATTINGLY: All right, here we go. This is an extraordinary moment. For the first time in four years since this facility has been out here, they are allowing us inside the gate. We just passed through and now we're going onto one of the main roads inside the gate. We immediately drove through what seemed to be a construction zone. There was heavy equipment parked everywhere. Then we saw several large wooden buildings, living quarters, we were told. There's a sense I get of just looking here for this first few moments, this place seems to be huge. One thing I am noticing, that the direction we're going seems to be away from the temple, and that we're going into what looks like maybe one of the residential areas. We're pulling over here. This must be our location. We will see what happens. On a balcony, women stood watching, clearly upset. Below, mothers were eager to send one message, that they are the victims. Read more


Texas Supreme Court advisory
ASSISTANCE POURS IN TO HELP BELEAGUERED COURT STAFF IN YFZ RANCH CHILD-PROTECTION CASES
Contact: Osler McCarthy, staff attorney for public information 512.463.1441 or click for email Originally published Monday, April 16, 2008
Teams of volunteer lawyers have crowded into San Angelo for the custody hearing Thursday concerning 416 children taken from a polygamist church’s ranch in nearby Eldorado in Schleicher County. Overwhelmed court staff in Schleicher and Tom Green counties have been assisted by Carl Reynolds, executive director of the Texas Office of Court Administration, in what is being called the largest child-custody case in U.S. history. Other resources are being provided by the Texas Supreme Court’s recently created Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families, which was formed to help channel resources and train lawyers, child-protection social workers and other staff involved with courts handling child-protection cases, and by the Texas Access to Justice Commission. The Access to Justice Commission and the State Bar of Texas have appealed for qualified family lawyers across Texas to volunteer their time to represent parents and children in the case. Earlier this week the Supreme Court approved local rules allowing electronic court filings for the Schleicher County district court to handle the needs of the many attorneys assisting in the cases. Read more


Polygamist Moms: We Were Taken Away 'Like Animals'
Police Wearing Body Armor, Carrying Automatic Weapons for Raid in Which They Took More Than 400 Children
By JONANN BRADY Good Morning America ABC News Originally broadcast April 16, 2008
Three mothers from a polygamist community in West Texas complained today that they and more than 400 children were taken away at gunpoint "like animals" by heavily armed cops who raided their ranch earlier this month. The women talked to "Good Morning America" hours after officials of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints released photos of the raid showing police in body armor carrying automatic weapons and backed by an armored personnel vehicle. The sect is fighting back with a public relations campaign to counter claims by Texas authorities that young girls were physically abused and forced to marry at a young age at the Yearning for Zion Ranch outside the town of Eldorado. Police raided the ranch after receiving a phone call for a 16-year-old girl who claimed her 50-year-old husband beat her and forced himself on her sexually. She told a family victims hotline that she had an 8-month-old child and believed she was pregnant again. The trio of mothers from the sect denied to "GMA" that underage girls in the compound are abused, and said that the 16-year-old who allegedly called the hotline does not exist. "We were taken at gunpoint and there's no papers served, like we're animals, and our children taken away," said one of the women, Esther. "And a story we're not allowed to hear, they won't give us...about a person that does not exist." Authorities have not located or identified the 16-year-old caller, who identified herself as Sarah. The women, who declined to give their last names, said they were all born into the sect. And one, Nancy, said she was married when she was 16, but denied there was any coercion in the marriage. "We can leave any time we want to leave," Nancy said. "I feel we are the most free women in the whole world," Esther added. When the third woman, Marie, was asked if she knew of young girls forced to have sex, she giggle slightly and said, "No I do not." Read more


Watch Good Morning America's live coverage of this story above


Sect members stand by Texas ranch, deny child abuse claims
CNN Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) -- Members of an embattled polygamist sect said Wednesday that life was relatively normal on their West Texas ranch at the center of one of the nation's largest child-custody cases. The Yearning for Zion ranch, owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was raided two weeks ago by state authorities in search of a 16-year-old girl who claimed her husband beat and raped her. Child welfare officials have removed all 416 children living there from the custody of their parents. The 16-year-old has yet to be found. Members gave a few tours to show that their lives -- isolated from what they regard as a hostile and sinful outside world -- center on family and faith. A gleaming, white limestone temple is the center of the 1,700-acre ranch with large, log-style homes, a school, a dairy, a rock quarry and a community garden planted with vegetables, fruit trees and a grape arbor. Set back some three miles from a state highway, the ranch sits behind two locked gates, which outsiders and excommunicated members suggest is a symbol of the control church elders have over the lives of the faithful. No one who lives here calls it a compound. "All of us say the ranch. It's the ranch. It's home," said Rozie, a 23-year-old married member of the sect. Members won't allow their last names to be used because they worry about the effect on their children in state custody. Read more


State says it had to talk to kids solo
By Terri Langford Houston Chronicle San Antonio Express-News Originally published April 16, 2008
SAN ANGELO — With a critical court hearing over sexual abuse allegations looming Thursday, officials Tuesday defended Child Protective Services' decision to separate some of the children removed from a polygamist community from their mothers. Progress in getting credible information from children taken from the West Texas compound has been painfully slow, and agency officials said they could get better answers without the mothers present to coach them. Marleigh Meisner, a CPS spokesman, said Monday's decision separated at least 57 women from the 416 children taken into custody. Child Protective Services is seeking state custody of every child it could find during a six-day search of the West Texas compound of a breakaway sect that has practiced polygamy in Utah and Arizona more than a century after mainstream Mormons renounced it. Also Tuesday, a spokesman for the sect gave the Associated Press photos and video taken during the first few days of the search showing officers in body armor, assault rifles at the ready. Some of the mothers told reporters late Monday that they had been lied to and threatened by CPS officials to return to the ranch. No threats were made to the women, said Meisner and Darrell Azar, spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the agency that oversees CPS. All the women were informed of their rights and the procedures about to occur — that if a judge Thursday agreed that the children would remain in state care, they would be placed in foster homes, the officials said. "We believe that children who are victims of abuse or neglect, and particularly victims at the hands of their own parents, certainly are going to feel safer to tell their story when they don't have a parent there that's coaching them with how to respond," Meisner said. Read more


Heavily armed operation pleased officials, not FLDS
By Nancy Perkins and Amy Joi O'Donoghue Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas authorities entered the YFZ Ranch April 3 armed with a search warrant, automatic weapons, SWAT teams, helicopters, dozens of law enforcement vehicles — including an armored personnel carrier — and were met with no resistance from the more than 600 residents of the polygamous community. "They first got under the gate under false pretenses," said Isaac, a 33-year-old FLDS man who did not want to be identified because he has several children who are now under state custody. "They had police cars box in the whole property." Tela Mange, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the operation went well. "Everyone was really pleased with how well things went," she said. "There were no shots fired, no incidents. We credit that to the time the sheriff (Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran) and the Texas Ranger captain spent developing a relationship with the leadership at the ranch." Officials said the raid was prompted by a cell phone call from a 16-year-old girl who said she lived at the ranch, was pregnant and was being abused by her 50-year-old husband. Texas Rangers, along with other law enforcement, sought a search warrant to enter the YFZ ranch and search for the girl, who has not yet been located. FLDS members say they do not know the girl, and they believe the phone call was bogus. Members of the FLDS faith recorded what happened over the three-day raid using video, audio, still photography, and by writing down their personal observations. Officials confiscated much of that documentation, but not all of it, said FLDS spokesman Rod Parker. Read more


Fallout from FLDS raid is intense
Texas authorities defend removal of 416 children
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas child protection officials defended the removal of 416 children from the polygamist YFZ Ranch and said they were hopeful a judge on Thursday will continue to keep the children in the state's custody. "We believe we have a strong case," and that the children will remain in the state's temporary care, said Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Meisner said foster homes have already been lined up should the children remain in custody. At a news conference Tuesday at a San Angelo museum, Meisner said that she believed there are FLDS children in the state's care who have been victims of physical and sexual abuse and other children who were at risk. The ranch was "not a safe environment for these children." Meisner was joined by two legislative officials who pledged the state's full support, including monetarily, for the inevitable fallout of such a large-scale operation in which children could be under the umbrella of foster care indefinitely. "As a human being, none of us like human misery, nor do we like the abuse of children," said Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo. "We have a saying here: 'Don't mess with Texas.' I'm going to change it up and say, 'Don't mess with the children of Texas.'" Darby called the FLDS situation a "great human tragedy" but praised the outpouring of support and cooperation Texas agencies have received. Read more


Quilting marathon for FLDS children to continue this week
Staff report San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The quilting marathon that started last week to benefit the women and children of the YFZ Ranch will continue at Christ Lutheran Church, 3417 Sherwood Way, Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. After that, said organizer Judith Lester, the marathon will relocate to the Girl Scouts El Camino Program Center at 304 W. Avenue A. The schedule there will be Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 10 a .m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday starting at 10 a.m. The goal is to create one quilt for each of the 416 children who were taken from the ranch, Lester said. To date, sign-up sheets show that at least 130 people have participated in the quilting, Lester said. The group has also received donations of money, fabric, supplies and food for the quilters. "One woman had an eye appointment, and her eye doctor sent us a fresh $100 bill," Lester said. People with all levels of skills and experience at quilting - including none at all - have come by to donate their time and effort, she said. For more information, call (325) 949-3221 during quilting hours or (325) 944-8797 during the evening and leave a message.


FLDS: A church, or a cult?
By ISAAC WOLF and TRISH CHOATE Standard-Times Washington Bureau San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
WASHINGTON - As details emerge about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the answer to a central question about the polygamist religious group remains unclear: Is the FLDS in Texas operating as a church? The answer is clearer to the IRS and tax officials in Schleicher County, site of the Yearning For Zion Ranch raided early this month on suspicions of sexual abuse and forced marriage. But it's still in debate within the Mormon community, including as many as 70 sects spawned from the movement Joseph Smith founded 150 years ago. But neither the FLDS nor the YFZ Ranch has filed for status as a nonprofit organization with the IRS, an IRS spokesman said. In Schleicher County, records reflect the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado has not requested an exemption from property taxes as a religious organization, an option for qualifying property. The land and improvements have an assessed value of $21 million, according to the Schleicher County Appraisal District. Indeed, the YFZ Ranch's property tax tab adds up to $1 million from 2004, when the sect first began paying property taxes, through 2007, tax records state. The FLDS practices a form of plural marriage in which the men take several "spiritual wives" who are not intended to be officially recognized by the law. The sect split from the Mormon Church decades ago when the latter renounced polygamy. Whatever the taxman's viewpoint, an expert on Mormon splinter groups considers FLDS a church. Read more


Hotels bursting with visitors
By Rick Smith San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A large convention, spring sporting events and University Interscholastic League contests traditionally make April one of the busiest months for San Angelo hotels and motels. Add to the mix hundreds of people involved with the fallout from the raid on the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, and there is no room at the inn for visitors. To house additional workers, as well as tourists who lack reservations, the city has tapped unusual options. "We've sent people to hunting lodges in Fort McKavett, and to motels in Eden and Ballinger," said Pamela Miller, vice president of the San Angelo Convention and Visitors Bureau. Visitors have found rooms in private homes and in a bed-and-breakfast that hasn't officially opened for business. "We're doing our best to help everybody," Miller said. Scott Zaruba, manager of Inn of the Conchos and president of San Angelo's hotel and motel association, said recent days have been hectic. "Most of the hotels are full," he said. "It definitely puts a strain on the system." Several local hotels volunteered to wash bed linen for the women and children from the YFZ Ranch. "The city said they needed somebody to do the linen, so we offered to help," said Scott White, general manager of the Staybridge Suites. The Fairfield Inn and Suites and Hampton Inn also helped with the laundry, he said. Read more


County continues disaster declaration related to YFZ raid
By Sandy Rojas San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Tom Green County Commissioners' Court decided unanimously on Tuesday to continue the disaster declaration issued by San Angelo Mayor J.W. Lown and county Judge Mike Brown concerning the housing and 24-hour protection of children removed from the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado and housed in city facilities. The state made the original request to provide a secure facility and additional services for the protection of 200 children removed from the compound. That number now stands at 416 children. "Provisions for 200 children was what was requested by the state, and we went ahead and kept it that way," Brown said. In other business, a request from county Elections Administrator Vona McKerley to close polling Precinct 211 in Vancourt was approved. The precinct will be permanently merged with Precinct 213 in Wall. The relocation of four additional polling locations will be considered later. A proclamation declaring April 22 as Women's Equal Pay Day submitted by the San Angelo Business and Professional Women was approved.


Polygamy sect members insist no force is used
Women fighting for return of children say love, not abuse, binds followers
By Mike Celizic TODAY Show Originally broadcast Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Love, not abuse, is what binds families living on a Texas religious sect’s compound where hundreds of children were taken into the custody of child welfare officials last week, according to sect members angry over the unprecedented action. "Everything that involves what we do with our children is through love," a woman identified only as Monica told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Wednesday from Eldorado, Texas. "We love them and they love us. How could they love us if we abuse them? They love us, and we love them." Wearing a floor-length dress with full sleeves and a high collar of the type a 19th-century pioneer would be familiar with, Monica’s eyes welled up behind wire-rimmed glasses, but her voice was soft and her diction precise as she talked about being separated from her five children in the raid. With her was another mother, Rachel, whose four children are also among the more than 400 girls being held by child welfare officials pending court hearings scheduled to begin on Thursday. Another woman who was described as a baby sitter was with them, along with Rod Parker, a lawyer and spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints sect to which the women belong. Parker maintained that the state overstepped its bounds in removing hundreds of children in response to a telephone call alleging the forced marriage and sexual abuse of one 16-year-old girl, who has yet to be identified. "I think that they’ve vastly overreached in terms of removing children from an environment," Parker told Vieira. "I also think that the basis on which they moved in here and the way that it was done was completely inappropriate. I don’t see any evidence that could justify the wholesale removal of hundreds of children from what is in essence a community. They didn’t do this on a family-by-family basis." Parker and the women denied allegations by former church members that girls as young as 13 and 14 are forced into plural marriages with men who might be 40 years older than they. Vieira asked the women if that allegation is true. Read more


Watch the Today Show's live coverage of this story above (It is believed that Rachel is Warren Jeff’s daughter and Monica is one of his plural wives,)


Texas officials brace for marathon day in court
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — An anticipated media briefing set for this afternoon was canceled by state child welfare officials because they had hoped to have a child trauma expert on hand. Meanwhile, Texas officials were bracing for an unusual day in court tomorrow. Dr. Bruce D. Perry is the senior fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy, a non-profit organization based in Houston. Perry has been working with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and many of the 416 children removed from the YFZ Ranch earlier this month. Perry was praised Tuesday by state officials who described his work with children as "phenomenal." It was anticipated that Perry would address the mental and emotional well-being of the children in state custody and speak to what counselors and child protective services workers are doing to ease the pain of separation from their families. Attorneys within the legal division of the state agency have been meeting one-on-one with the children who are segregated into groups based on a number of factors, including age and gender. For example, the agency on Monday shuttled 27 adolescent boys several hundred miles away to the Cal Farley Ranch near Amarillo, Texas. DFPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins said the ranch is a licensed contract provider that the agency routinely uses. The ranch provides a number of settings for a variety of children from varying age groups. Read more


Issues are colliding, ACLU says
By Elaine Jarvik Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The April 3 raid on a Fundamentalist LDS Church compound near Eldorado, Texas, has the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas deep in thought. "There's an awful lot of issues clawing at each other," said ACLU executive director Terri Burke on Tuesday after spending the entire day in meetings with her staff trying to come up with an official statement. "I will say this, though: This situation really points up how very, very difficult these kinds of issues are, how complex it is." Those competing issues include the need to protect children from abuse, protect the relationship of parents and children, and protect everyone's constitutional rights, including freedom of religious expression and due process. "Those issues are just colliding." "We think that except in the face of imminent danger, to breach that relationship (between parents and children), it must be for very good and solid reasons, and there must be good, solid facts. And, again, we don't have those facts," she said. The staff actually came up with a three-page statement about the situation, and then "we reread it and decided it was arrogant. Because everything we know, we know from newspapers." Read more


Images show police well armed for raid on polygamist retreat
By JENNIFER DOBNER The Associated Press Washington Post Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Police wore body armor, toted automatic weapons and were backed by an armored personnel carrier for a raid on a West Texas polygamist retreat, photos and video released Tuesday show. Four still photos and a slice of video were released to The Associated Press by Rod Parker, spokesman for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which owns the raided Yearning for Zion Ranch near San Angelo in Eldorado. Sect members took the photos and video during the first few days of a seven-day raid that involved police agencies from six counties, the Texas Rangers, the state highway patrol and wildlife officers. Authorities were looking for a teenage girl who had reported being abused by her 50-year-old husband. A sect member whose wife shot the video said sect members got the impression that state officials "were doing something more than they said they were going to do." The man declined to give his name for fear that speaking out would cause problems for his children, who are in state custody. Tela Mange, a state Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, said officers are trained to protect themselves. "Whenever we serve a search warrant, no matter where or when, we are always as prepared as possible so we can ensure the operational safety of the officers serving the warrant, as well as the safety of those who are on the property in question," Mange said. The armored car was precautionary and designed to remove someone from the property, not to force entry onto the ranch, she said. Read more


Gestapo tactics in Texas
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
I guess I should thank the Deseret News for publishing Ty Meighan's piece about the operation against the FLDS in Texas (April 13). I find it enlightening that he thinks the operation was handled well. With Waco as his yardstick, I suppose he's right. After all, no one was killed, and they didn't burn the compound. Still, I find it strange that anyone can approve of the state's Gestapo forces removing 416 children from their homes on the basis of unverified phone calls from some unknown person. George Hawkins Bountiful

FOX News report on April 16, 2008 With Janet (believed to be Rulon Jeffs' daughter) Rosie and Sally


Mysterious Sarah may be unnecessary in Texas bid to keep FLDS children
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The pleas of Sarah, the mystery polygamist child bride who told authorities she was battered and sexually abused, was the key that unlocked the doors of the sprawling YFZ Ranch in Eldorado. But according to state child protection officials, she won't have to walk through the courtroom doors Thursday for the state to prove its case of widespread child abuse at the Fundamentalist LDS Church compound. "I think some people have really focused on that (Sarah) but the reality is that her phone call is the reason we went out there, but it was not the reason for the removals," said Greg Cunningham, spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. "The removals happened based on what we saw out there." FLDS members have said they believe the teenage girl who telephoned authorities in late March alleging abuse and a desire to leave the enclave in Eldorado is a fake. The 16-year-old girl, who said she had an 8-month-old infant and was pregnant with her second child, called an area family violence shelter several times saying she needed to leave her current living situation, according to court documents. Among other things, she said she was "spiritually" married to an older male, was not allowed to leave the compound, was last beaten on Easter Sunday and routinely forced to have sex. Her calls precipitated a court order to search the ranch on April 3, but Cunningham said it was what investigators found while they were there that gave greater indication of collective abuse that went beyond one victim. "It was the investigation afterward that led us to believe there was abuse happening in widespread fashion at the compound," he said. Read more


Commentary: Can Texas take the children?
By Sunny Hostin CNN Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sunny Hostin is a legal analyst on "American Morning." NEW YORK (CNN) -- It's every mother's nightmare: Someone takes your child. Well, that is what has happened in the Texas polygamist sect case. We have watched more than 400 children being taken from home by bus. Most of the children were accompanied by their mothers. But now the sect's mothers and children older than 5 have been separated. And the question heard around the country is, "Can this happen in America?" The short answer is yes, and thank goodness. In fact, in this case, both law enforcement officers and officials from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services had every right to remove these children. The long answer? Well, the impetus for the search of the ranch and the removal of the children were phone calls on March 29 and 30, from a 16-year-old girl named Sarah to a local shelter. Sarah indicated that she was "spiritually married" to an adult male member of the church and that he had physically and sexually abused her. In addition, she told the shelter she had an 8-month-old child. State law requires anybody who believes that a child has been abused or neglected to report it to the Child Protective Services program, Texas family protective services or a law enforcement agency. The law requires CPS to investigate reports of child abuse or neglect for the primary purpose of protecting children. Children are at risk if there is a reasonable likelihood that they will be abused or neglected, as defined by the Texas Family Code, in the foreseeable future. Read more


Attorneys flooding into San Angelo, to represent kids from polygamist sect.
Monumental court case expect to be biggest child custody hearing in US history.
By Michael Board WOAI NewsRadio 1200 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A small army of attorneys have swarmed the small west Texas town of San Angelo, to help represent the 416 kids removed from that polygamist compound. "I've read about the reports," says San Antonio lawyer Stephen Foster, "But if there's one thing I've learned in my years as being both a defense attorney and a prosecutor, it's that you have to wait to see things for yourself." The polygamist "Yearning for Zion Ranch" was raided earlier this month after reports of child abuse. A hushed call to an abuse hotline, reportedly from a 16-year old child bride, stated she was beaten and raped by her 50-year old husband... and that she was pregnant with hid second child. Both Child Protective Service workers and State Troopers raided the compound, removing all the kids. The child custody hearing is Thursday. Today is a planning day. Foster has not been assigned a case yet, so he doesn't know how difficult it will be to defend some of the child victims. Investigators have said the older kids show signs of brainwashing. "There's never a case that's easy. Every case has it's own unique challenges," Foster tells 1200 WOAI news. "Nobody said being an attorney is easy." It's expected that the judge will place most of the kids in foster homes or group homes while the investigation takes place.


NANCY GRACE
Polygamist Women Leave Children, Return to Compound
CNN Originally broadcast April 16, 2008
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight: A single desperate and secret phone call from a borrowed cell phone brings down the biggest child protective bust in U.S. history, 416 children, 139 women literally hauled off by the busload. In a stunning turn of events, the mothers actually leave the children behind, voluntarily returning to that secluded compound, all claiming they were misled by Texas authorities. But the authorities say they even had to confiscate the moms` cell phones to stop intimidation and witness tampering. Teens given pregnancy tests, the so-called plural wives stonewalling police. Are they choosing polygamy and the husbands they share with each other over their own children? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Female members of the polygamist sect, separated from their children since Monday and now back on the Yearning for Zion ranch coming forward to plead for the return of their children. But when they were asked about alleged child sexual abuse and whether 14 and 15- year-old girls get married, the women refused to respond. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The complaint that the state has is they felt these children were in danger of being forced into marriage at ages 16 and younger, the girls in particular. And that`s why they moved in (INAUDIBLE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you saying that... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No force. No force. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, do women age 16 and younger marry out here? Is that common? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want the children back. That`s all we`re talking about tonight. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This young woman named Sarah, who called in with the complaint, does she exist? Do you know who this is? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. We do not know who she is. I have never even heard of her in my entire life. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what she`s alleging, that her husband forced herself on her and beat her? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is not alive. There is no such person. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you think this came from, if it did not come from someone who lived at this compound? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone that has... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone who... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... once lived here and been mad and turned against, a traitor. Read more


Inside Raided Polygamist Home; Democratic Debate Wrap-Up
LARRY KING LIVE CNN Originally broadcast April 16, 2008
LARRY KING, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, mothers fighting for their children tell their side of the polygamy story. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never thought I was doing anything wrong. KING: Frightened, upset... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're going to take me. Mother, they're going to take me. Don't let them take me. I don't want to go. KING: But fiercely determined to claim their kids. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I will do all it takes to get her back. KING: Plus, an exclusive look inside the raided home of an anguished mom -- her daughter's bedroom empty. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is terrible. KING: And powerful polygamy leader Winston Blackmore is back with a message for all the fathers. What is it? Find out now on LARRY KING LIVE. Good evening. We begin tonight at the Eldorado Yearning For Zion Ranch in Texas with three women, all of whom have been separated from their children. They are Esther, Marilyn and Sally. And they're in front of a bunch of other women, much faced with the same plight. Marilyn, we'll start with you. How many children do you have? MARILYN, SPEAKING FROM INSIDE YFZ RANCH: I have one. KING: Just one. How old? MARILYN: She is 7-years-old. KING: Esther, how many do you have? ESTHER, SPEAKING FROM INSIDE YFZ RANCH: I have five. KING: And what are their ages? ESTHER: They range from six to 13. KING: And, Sally, how many do you have? SALLY, SPEAKING FROM INSIDE YFZ RANCH: I have nine that they have taken, ages 5 to 17. KING: Were you -- Marilyn, were you surprised at the raid? MARILYN: Yes, sir, I sure was. Read more

Watch Larry King's live coverage of this story above It is believed that Esther is a plural wife of Warren Jeffs. It is believed that Merilyn and her mother, Sally, are both plural wives of Wendell Nielsen.


Teen boys are taken to facility in Amarillo
By Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — More than two dozen FLDS teenage boys removed from the YFZ Ranch nearly two weeks ago are trying to maintain their way of life nearly 400 miles from the judge that will soon decide their fate. "Every indication is that the boys are doing fine," said Dan Adams, owner of the Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, located about 400 miles from San Angelo. "They are separated from the other boys and their activities. We're just providing basic supervision." Adams said the FLDS teens were meeting Wednesday with court-appointed attorneys who traveled to the boys ranch from locations throughout Texas. Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins said the ranch is a licensed contract provider that the agency routinely uses. The ranch provides a number of settings for a variety of children from varying age groups. Fundamentalist LDS Church spokesman Rod Parker said that while the parents of the boys know where they are, there is no communication between them. "The parents have no idea what's going on (with their boys)," Parker said. "We don't know why they moved the boys so far away." When officials moved the FLDS children from cramped quarters at Fort Concho to the San Angelo Coliseum, the teen boys were instead transported to the boys ranch near Amarillo. "These boys came in under an emergency situation," said Adams. "We don't really know how long they're going to stay here." Read more


County books auditorium to accommodate hearing masses
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
With the strain anticipated from hundreds of attorneys and other participants in today's 416-child custody hearing, Tom Green County Courthouse officials and administrators have set up San Angelo City Auditorium as a massive overflow room. The auditorium, which seats 1,570, will feature a satellite link so 51st District Judge Barbara Walther can communicate with the many attorneys for children and adults involved in what is likely the largest such hearing in state history. "We're trying to figure out how to accommodate this many people," said District Clerk Sheri Woodfin. As many as 400 attorneys are expected to be on hand, representing the women and children who until a raid begun April 3 lived at the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, home to a portion of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. State officials removed the 416 children from the ranch. The officials allege that a "pervasive pattern and practice" of forced marriage and sexual abuse placed all children there at risk of abuse or at risk of perpetuating the alleged abuse. Along with the logistics of holding the hearing - at which Walther will determine whether the state can retain temporary custody of the children - the court also must decide how to conduct the hearing. Child Protective Services attorneys have requested a single hearing to present its evidence, something to which attorneys representing the mothers have objected. In a hearing last week, CPS attorney Gary Banks said the agency was working to cut its presentation down from a length of five hours. Read more


FLDS child-custody hearings begin today
San Angelo residents believe Texas did right thing in raid
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue and Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The eyes of the nation are pinned on this west Texas town as what is said to be the country's largest-ever child custody case begins to unfold today in a cramped courtroom. No one knows it more keenly than the residents of San Angelo, who foremost worry about the fate of the 416 children taken from a polygamous compound and largely stand by their state's actions. "As far as the community, if anything it's going to bring us closer together," said Roman Thomas, who was manning the counter at his parents' restaurant, RJ Bar B que, Wednesday. "Our biggest deal right now is bringing the kids to safety. The people of San Angelo will pull together, make sure the kids are safe, and work things out after that." Thomas paused to take a walk-in order of ribs before finishing his thoughts about the fate of the FLDS children whose lives are on hold. "I'm a religious man and as far as being a Christian, what religion could possibly be out there that would be involved with child abuse? I never heard of that religion. That might be their beliefs. To be honest, I just think they should blow the whole deal up there." Marisa Gasca and Tiffany Holmes nodded to each other when asked if they thought Texas had done the right thing in taking the children from their parents. Read more


Vague child laws make FLDS case murky
By James Thalman Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Attorneys arguing over the removal of 416 children from the FLDS ranch will be debating laws that are often vague, vary significantly among states and, while intended to protect children being abused, do not always work in the child's best interests. A hearing required to establish temporary managing conservatorship of a child — similar hearings are required in Utah — is to be held today. About 160 separate child removal petitions — one in the interest of 330 children taken from the ranch — have been filed in the 51st District Court in San Angelo, Texas, near the YFZ Ranch of the Fundamentalist LDS Church. While the fate of those children remains undecided, a national observer and advocate of child welfare reform said if the children have been removed from their parents for no statutory reasons, they need to be returned. "Since I'm not a lawyer, I can't say if any specific laws have been violated," said Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. "But in general, the laws are extremely broad and extremely vague." The federal courts can, however, become very involved in the daily life of a state child protection agency. The treatment of children taken into foster care by Utah's child protective services became a federal case that lasted 14 years. Federal court oversight ended this past June in the so-called "David C." class action lawsuit. Read more


District judge considered well-suited for trial of Texas polygamists
By Anna M. Tinsley Fort Worth Star-Telegram Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
As the storm continues swirling around the polygamist sect whose compound near Eldorado was raided, Barbara Lane Walther is trying to make some sense of it. Walther, the 51st District judge, issued search warrants based on accusations of a pattern of sexual abuse of youths for the West Texas compound occupied by followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — and the order that 416 children there be taken into state custody. The 55-year-old Republican judge has been thrown into the limelight with the biggest case she has presided over. Those who know her say she's the right person for the job. "I cannot think of any judge who is better qualified and better prepared and better suited to handle a thing of this magnitude," said Rob Junell, a former Democratic state representative from San Angelo and now U.S. district judge in Midland. "She's the kind of person you'd want to be the judge in this type of case." He and others say Walther, whose district includes Coke, Irion, Schleicher, Sterling and Tom Green counties, has been a steady force in West Texas courtrooms for years, presiding over cases ranging from murder to a monkey biting a teenager. Read more


When will they come for me?
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
First they came for the Branch Davidians, but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Branch Davidian. Then they came for Elian Gonzales, but I didn't speak up because I was neither an immigrant nor a Cuban. Then they came for the FLDS polygamists, but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a polygamist. Then they came for me. And by that time, there was no one left to speak up for me. David S. Glod Draper


Injustice imposed on FLDS
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Where are the American Civil Liberties Union and Rocky Anderson at the terrible injustice imposed on the women and children at the Texas compound? Dan Memmott Nephi


FLDS moms, kids are victims
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
I am bewildered at the logic of victimizing victims. Those 416 FLDS children and their mothers are indeed victims. Kidnapping is illegal. Those children were kidnapped because they were taken by force under false pretenses from their mothers and have been denied their constitutional rights. The San Angelo, Texas, authorities are fooling themselves when they think that foster mothers are better than the child's own mother. Loa Don Glade Salt Lake City


FLDS coverage too much
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
First of all, congratulations for returning to your historic masthead, Deseret News. All this Morning News stuff gave no indication of who you are and what you represent. Second: You've been giving all too much attention to the problems of an obscure religious sect in central Texas whose doings have little local significance but are confusing to national readership. Indeed, it seems such headlines have backfired. Two major TV channels have shown front-page Deseret News headlines about the FLDS raid, asserting that the Utah church was demonstrating sympathy with its FLDS "brothers." People interviewed on the streets said the Texas group should go back to Utah where it would be welcome. This seriously undercuts the efforts of LDS President Thomas S. Monson and others to distance us from the fundamentalists. I suggest the Deseret News downplay all future news items about the Texas group or put it on an inside page. David B. Timmins Salt Lake City


Too many FLDS stories
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Since the raid of the FLDS compound in Texas, the Deseret News has been covering every aspect of this investigation to an unnecessary degree. A cursory look at many other newspapers and news organizations throughout the country shows that this story no longer merits four or five articles per day on the front page. But the Deseret News, the newspaper owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which I am a member, continues to give this story unnecessary attention. No wonder people think we Mormons are still practicing polygamy. Doug Hall Glenpool, Okla.


Uncertain Future for Polygamy Kids
Debate Rages Over Who's Done More Harm to Kids: State or Sect
By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES ABC News Originally published April 17, 2008
April 17, 2008 — It was like a kid's worst nightmare: Police with automatic weapons descended, strangers swept children off to a cold, crowded shelter, chicken pox broke out, and then their moms were hauled away. In the largest child welfare case in U.S. history, 416 children were removed from the polygamous Yearning for Zion ranch in rural Texas after authorities received a complaint alleging sexual abuse. These insulated children -- some as young as 5 years old -- have been taken from their mothers to prevent any further possible abuse and will be placed in foster care until a judge unravels this massive custody fight. But child welfare experts fear the state's actions may be worse than whatever might have gone on at the ranch. "What Texas has done is barbaric," said Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. "The worst thing you can do to these children is separate them from their mothers." "Taking a child away is tantamount to pouring salt in an open wound, so basically the position of the Texas Department of Child Protective Services is 'Pass the salt,'" he told ABCNEWS.com. Read more


City residents open their homes to lawyers
By Jayna Boyle San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Griff Griffin isn't connected to the legal system in San Angelo - or any legal system at all, for that matter. But when he and his wife heard about today's Child Protective Services hearing involving the 416 children removed from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound near Eldorado, they decided to make their home available to the out-of-town attorneys brought in for the case. "We want to help in any way we can," said Griffin, 46. Hotels and motels in San Angelo booked up fast with CPS workers and organizations helping secure the children's safety, so few attorneys were able to make ordinary lodging arrangements. Mary Jane Steadman, a volunteer coordinator for the attorneys, said from 280 to 350 attorneys needed somewhere to stay. The problem was resolved because people like the Griffins offered to be hosts to the attorneys: Steadman said more than 450 beds in San Angelo were offered by local residents. "A lot of wonderful people have opened up their homes," Steadman said. Griffin and his wife, Pattie, found out about the need through their church. He was not sure Wednesday afternoon whether any attorneys would be staying with him, but his family has been helping the women and children displaced from the YFZ Ranch in other ways. The Griffins volunteered to help serve dinner to the women and children in the coliseum. Read more


Judge's experience a match for massive FLDS case
By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Barbara Walther smiled when she asked Gerry Goldstein whether he needed a copy of the Texas Family Code during a court hearing last week. The 51st District Court judge offered to give the high-profile San Antonio attorney her copy, and longtime observers were not surprised when Walther soon after began picking apart Goldstein's reading and interpretation of state law. "She's a very caring person outside the courtroom," said a former local district attorney, Steve Smith, who prosecuted cases in Walther's court for 12 years. "Inside the courtroom, you better have your t's and i's dotted - even your lower-case j's dotted." Walther is a former court master who heard family law cases exclusively for five years. As such, she is well-versed in the statutes that will be used beginning today to question whether the state can retain custody of the 416 children it removed this month from a polygamist sect's ranch. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' ranch is northeast of Eldorado in Schleicher County, at the southern end of a court district that also includes Tom Green County. When the court bailiff commands hundreds of attorneys, reporters and observers to rise this morning, Barbara Lane Walther and her no-nonsense, sometimes-acerbic style will take center stage in what is likely the largest custody hearing ever seen in Texas. Walther, 55, is known as an exacting jurist, impatient with attorneys who approach a case or enter an argument unprepared. State district court judges typically make between $125,000 and $140,000 a year. She declined to comment for this story, citing the workload of the case she is about to hear. A reason for Walther's approach to court may be because Walther herself prepares so well, said 119th District Judge Ben Woodward. "She's very qualified," Woodward said. "This is going to be a very challenging case, but she's got the qualifications and the background to meet the challenge." Read more


Attorneys, media, others descend on San Angelo for FLDS custody hearing
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue and Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Attorneys, the media and polygamist wives in long flowing dresses already have started filtering into the downtown courthouse and City Hall auditorium here for what is anticipated to be at least a day-long hearing to determine the fate of 416 Fundamentalist LDS Church children. A variety of police cars, huge satellite TV trucks from a number of media outlets and a host of other visitors have been crammed into this west Texas town for what is said to be the nation's largest ever child custody case. Because of the crowds, the hearing before Judge Barbara Walther also is being teleconferenced in the expansive auditorium of City Hall, a four-story building constructed in 1928. Security demands are such that public safety officials from all disciplines — including fire marshals and a narcotics detective who was working front-door security — are being tapped to make sure things go smoothly. Outside the courthouse on the sidewalk was Mary Batchelor, executive director of Principle Voices. The Utah-based organization has worked closely with Attorney General Mark Shurtleff in setting up the so-called "safety net," which seeks to bridge the gap between polygamists and state bureaucracies. She said today that her group was shocked by the April 3 raid at the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, and that it was reminiscent of similar raids that occurred in Utah in the 1930s , '40s and '50s. Those raids, she said, also were prompted by allegations of child abuse, claims that were later proven to be unsubstantiated. Read more


Sect mothers head to court for custody battle
CNN Originally published April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- A custody hearing scheduled to begin Thursday morning will decide the fate of more than 400 children taken from a polygamist sect's ranch in central Texas amid allegations of abuse. Two weeks after pulling all children from the YFZ (Yearning for Zion) Ranch, outside nearby Eldorado, the state must tell Judge Barbara Walther why it felt the move was necessary. Because of the sheer size of the case -- 416 children represented by 350 volunteer attorneys and lawyers for the parents -- the hearing will be staged at multiple locations around town, hooked up by closed-circuit television and funneled into the Tom Green County courthouse. The YFZ ranch is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a Mormon offshoot that practices polygamy. Followers say the accusations of sexual abuse are false. "This, what is happening to them, is the worst abuse that they have ever had," said Esther, one of three FLDS mothers interviewed by CNN's Larry King on Wednesday night. "I just don't understand why you would want to just come right into our community and do this." The often-tearful mothers pleaded to be granted access to their children. "Our children need us," said one of the women, only identified as Sally, "and they have been torn from us illegally with officers with guns. "Some of our children we have not been able to have contact with for 10 days to almost two weeks." Read more


Does Teen Bride at Center of Polygamy Case Exist?
Cops Can't Find Sect Teen Who Called for Help
By SCOTT MICHELS and CHRIS CUOMO ABC News Originally published April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas, April 17, 2008 — Among the hundreds of children, lawyers and caseworkers involved in an unprecedented child custody hearing this morning, one person will be noticeably absent -- the 16-year-old girl whose call for help set in motion the largest child protection case in U.S. history. Texas authorities say they have not located or identified the girl, though they have said they believe she is among the 416 children from a polygamous sect who were taken into state custody nearly two weeks ago. Some people are now questioning whether she exists at all. Though the girl is not key to today's hearing, her absence looms over the case. Without her, any potential criminal charges that might be brought against members of the sect in the future could be jeopardized, legal experts say. "This girl is proving to be the linchpin of the entire operation," Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University, told ABC News. "If she doesn't exist, it's going to make it very difficult to defend this search. And if you can't do that, you can't use anything they found in there." In late March, a girl who identified herself as Sarah made several petrified calls to an abuse hot line, complaining that her 49-year-old husband physically and sexually abused her, court records say. The calls prompted government officials to raid the Yearning for Zion Ranch in West Texas and take all the children into custody. But, several women who live on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ranch told ABC News that Sarah does not exist. "She's a bogus person," a woman who identified herself as Joy said earlier this week. Read more


Polygamist Custody Hearing Begins
By AP/MICHELLE ROBERTS TIME Magazine Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
(SAN ANGELO, Texas) — The 416 children who once led cloistered lives on their church's ranch outside a tiny town in West Texas have spent the past two weeks sleeping on cots, shuffled from shelter to shelter. On Thursday, a judge was to hear from their attorneys, along with attorneys for their parents and Child Protective Services, on whether the children ought to be returned to the ranch run by a polygamous sect or be placed in permanent foster care. "Our attorneys are going to take all the evidence we have and make a case for keeping the children in our care," CPS spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said. At least a dozen sect members wearing long, pioneer-style dresses quietly made their way to the courtroom early Thursday. Most of the women, accompanied by lawyers, looked down as they passed a throng of video cameras and news reporters. "I hope we can come up with a resolution where these child can be safe and happy," Susan Hays, an attorney representing a 2-year-old girl in the case, said Thursday before the hearing. "It's difficult when you have a case this large." Read more


Custody hearing confounded by throngs of children, attorneys
CNN Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- A hearing to determine who gets custody of more than 400 children kicked off Thursday amid confusion stemming from the number of children, parents and attorneys, and the process for handling the hearing. The children were removed from a ranch belonging to a polygamist sect after authorities said they received allegations of abuse. State attorneys requested DNA samples to match children to their parents, as well as a psychiatric evaluation of the children -- a request that immediately prompted objections. Judge Barbara Walther told attorneys objections were premature. "It's not going to be perfect, but let's just try to get this started and see how it goes," she said. "This is wasting time." Children and their attorneys are being called in groups designated by color, with each color representing a different age and sex of the child. Some attorneys said they were having to use limited information in representing children, particularly young ones. Lawyer Susan Hays, representing a toddler, said she arrived at the hearing without records and had no access to the child's father. Read more


Sect Case Opens and Judge Pleads for Patience
More Than 300 Lawyers Raising Objections
By SCOTT MICHELS ABC News Originally published April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas April 17, 2008 — The massive custody case of 416 children taken from a polygamist sect opened today to a chorus of complaints and motions that indicate it will take a long time to sort out the children's future. The courtroom in San Angelo, Texas, was jammed with nearly 350 lawyers representing many of the children. Among all the men dressed in suits were about a dozen mothers from the sect dressed in their distinctive pioneer style ankle length dresses and a handful of men from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. During the first 40 minutes of the hearing, state District Judge Barbara Walther was confronted with the enormity of the case - the largest child custody case in the nation's history - and the difficulty in keeping order in such a complicated proceeding. Lawyers repeatedly rose from the section where the public generally sits to make objections to the process that was just beginning, and Walther would tell them to sit down. At one point a lawyer who said she represented an 8-year-old girl objected, protesting that each child was entitled to an individual hearing and to be able to present evidence. A clearly frustrated Walther assured the roomful of lawyers they would be able present evidence. "Give us a chance to get this going. Let's just try to start this process before you say its not going to work," she snapped. Read more


Hearing for polygamists' kids resumes
Texas judge allows lawyers for 416 children time to review evidence
The Associated Press MSNBC Originally published April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas - A court hearing to decide the fates of hundreds of children seized from a polygamist retreat ground to a halt almost as soon as it began Thursday as hundreds of lawyers demanded to study the first piece of evidence before it could be introduced. State District Judge Barbara Walther called a recess 40 minutes after the hearing started in what could be the nation's largest child custody case. She wanted to allow the 350 lawyers spread out in two buildings to read the evidence and decide whether to object en masse or make individual objections. The hearing resumed about an hour later. The lawyers are representing the 416 children and dozens of parents from the Yearning For Zion ranch owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade Mormon sect accused of forcing underage girls into polygamous marriages. The 80-year-old Tom Green County courtroom and a satellite courtroom set up in a City Hall auditorium two blocks away were jammed with dozens of mothers from the retreat, dressed in their iconic pastel prairie dresses and braided upswept hair. In the satellite courtroom, about 175 people strained to see and hear a large projector set up on the auditorium's stage, which offered a grainy live feed of the proceedings with barely audible sound. "I'm not in a position to advocate for anything," complained Susan Hays, the appointed attorney for a 2-year-old sect member. The mothers in the primary courtroom were sworn in as witnesses, standing and mumbling their 'I do's' in timid voices. As they sat silently, the flock of lawyers buzzed with murmurs and popped up to make motions or object as Walther tried to maintain order. Read more


LIVE FROM THE COURTHOUSE:
Updates on FLDS custody hearing
By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
Standard-Times reporter Matt Phinney updates the FLDS child custody proceedings in the 51st District Court from the remote location at the City Auditorium, while reporter Sandy Rojas reports from outside the courthouse, and reporter Trish Choate is reporting at large. Jayna Boyle is reporting from Eldorado. The hearing started at 10 a.m. 9 p.m. - The judge finishes up with a final question and leaves the bench. A San Angelo police officer walks through asking everyone to wrap it up because the building is closing. Few people remain. Outside, an FLDS woman and man walk into the night. 8:37 p.m. - The judge returns to the bench. "I personally am happy to work until midnight," she said. But her staff is telling her that's not a good idea. She begins to brief attorneys on "the game plan" when a question arises from an attorney. The upshot of that question is the judge tells lawyers to stay if they're representing the mother of a child younger than 4 housed at the pavilion or the coliseum - and the mother hasn't seen that child - and the mother is willing to "take up residence" with her child. She's not saying that will be ordered, but the attorneys should stay. Attorneys can look at documents early Friday at a local church. The judge will take the bench at 9:30 a.m. Friday. 7:56 p.m. - An attorney representing four mothers steps forward to say that none of the evidence and pleadings involves her clients and their children. "Nevertheless, they are detained at the (San Angelo) coliseum," said the attorney whose firm represents more than 40 mothers. "There is no mother at the coliseum or at the Wells Fargo Pavilion that is an adult or that everyone agrees is an adult that is detained," the judge said. "Your clients, the mothers, are not being held by this court." Read more


Hearing over polygamists' kids turns into farce
Judge fights to maintain order, makes no decision on fate of 416 children
The Associated Press MSNBC Originally published April 17, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas - A court hearing to decide the fate of the 416 children swept up in a raid on a West Texas polygamist sect descended into farce Thursday, with hundreds of lawyers in two packed buildings shouting objections and the judge struggling to maintain order. The case — clearly one of the biggest, most convoluted child-custody hearings in U.S. history — presented an extraordinary spectacle: big-city lawyers in suits and mothers in 19th-century, pioneer-style dresses, all packed into a courtroom and a nearby auditorium connected by video. At issue was an attempt by the state of Texas to strip the parents of custody and place the children in foster homes because of evidence they were being physically and sexually abused by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade Mormon splinter group suspected of forcing underage girls into marriage with older men. As many feared, the proceedings turned into something of a circus — and a painfully slow one. By midafternoon only two witnesses had testified, and both only to lay the foundation for documents to be admitted. One witness, a state trooper, was cross-examined by dozens of attorneys, each of them asking the same question on behalf of a child or parent. As the afternoon dragged on, no decisions had been made on the fate of any of the youngsters. Read more


Details of Polygamy Sect Laid Bare
Records indicate underaged marriages, multiple wives
By Jim Forsyth WOAI NewsRadio 1200 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
An investigator for Texas Child Protective Services told a chaotic hearing in San Angelo today that officials decided to remove more than 400 children from a polygamist ranch in west Texas after interviews with some of the girls in the Yearning For Zion compound revealed a ‘pattern that children having children’ was acceptable, and that ‘no age was too young for spirits to unite,' 1200 WOAI's Michael Board reports from San Angelo. Angie Voss, the agency’s Supervisor for Investigators, recalled receiving a telephone report from a pregnant 16 year old girl named Sarah on March 29, indicating that she had been abused by her husband, a 50 year old man. She said she went to the ranch to find ‘Sarah,’ and was first told that there was nobody named Sarah living there, but later was told there were several ‘Sarahs.’ Voss also told of being ‘frightened’ when she was interviewing girls at the sect’s schoolhouse. "There were men all over," she said. "They surrounded the schoolhouse." But she said when sect leader Merrill Jessop got on the speakerphone and told the men to cooperate, they immediately left. Texas State Police Sergeant Danny Crawford, who led the raid on the 1700 acre compound which was prompted by the call from Sarah, testified of finding a safe, and inside the safe was a complete list of 38 families living on the YFZ ranch, including the names of men, their wives and their children, and gave the ages of the women and their children. He indicated that one man was listed as having nine ‘wives,’ and other was listed as having 22. Read more


Blogging on Polygamist Hearing
Judge to decide on Temporary custody of 400 kids, removed from polygamist ranch
By Michael Board WOAI NewsRadio 1200 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
10:00 Hundreds of lawyers, dozens of mothers in peasant clothes and a hoard of media flock to the courthouse in Tom Green Country 11:00 First witness takes stand, and attorneys started jumping up and down objecting. The judge doesn't seem impressed. She seems determined to get this started. 11:15 we're breaking. Judge trying to get this train back on the tracks. First witnesses is Mark Connelly. He's the deputy general council for the department of state health services. He's admitting some medical records. We don't know what the records are, but we belive that they could show either abuse or child pregnancy. They're the records of three girls. Details are apparently sealed. 11:45 Second witness. Sgt. Danny Crawford, DPS. He did the raid on the compound. He's bringing records found in a safe in the FLD's big limestone building. Holy cow, this is prompting a huge lawyer response. They all say it was not siezed correctly, and it's bishop's records, which are not admissable. Court overulled all objections. 12:10 Gerrry Goldstein steps up. Gerry Goldstein steps down. Judge says he's part of a crimianal trial.... and has no basis in the this hearing. This is the first, brief, sighting of the San Antonio attorney, hired to reprsents the FLDS chuch. 12:14 prosecutor "What you will hear is that the identiy of the kids has been secreted. Their identity changes from day to day." Just what we've been told all along. 12:18 documents seized from "church" show that this household kept good records. It shows that head of household and then wives and children and gives ages. It apparently clearly show pattern of many children and many wives, including a fair nunber of underage wives. D'Oh! Bad news. Read more


LARRY KING LIVE
Polygamy: Shocking Testimony
CNN Originally broadcast April 17, 2008
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw some of your friends on Larry King last night and they were talking about how this is an injustice. Do you believe that's the case? (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Disorder in the court -- Texas showdown turmoil -- polygamists versus the state. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you describe what it's like in there? Is it really crowded and chaotic? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right, yes. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: But confusion reigns as one of the biggest child custody fights in U.S. history gets underway. Anxious parents angling for a front row seat. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not a -- it's not very organized. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: And asking where are my kids? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know what they've done to them. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Attorneys don't have answers. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have the typical documentation we'd have on a family. I don't have access to a father. (END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Plus, former polygamists on the mothers who cried for their kids in our exclusive interview. It is all right now on LARRY KING LIVE. Read more


ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES
Polygamist Custody Battle Under Way
CNN Originally broadcast April 17, 2008
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We continue with the breaking news, and we have the latest on the polygamist sect fighting for its children. The largest child custody case in American history got under way today, and just wrapped up. Chaos in the courtroom is the word we heard a lot today, inside that courtroom, mothers and lawyers and the state of Texas battling over some 416 children of Warren Jeffs' polygamist sect. David Mattingly is just outside the courthouse, as it has just ended for the day. David, what is the latest? DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, a very compelling story today from one of the state's lead witnesses, the supervising investigator for Child Protective Services. She was talking about how the state had no idea what they were getting into when they went into that compound two weeks ago. They originally thought there was only 100 to 150 people there. They were very wrong about that. And they were also looking for one 16-year-old pregnant girl who claims she had been abused. But, when they went in there, they didn't find that 16-year-old girl. Instead, she said they found many more. That number of many more turned out to be five. And then the attorneys for the families came back and said, well, if you have been able to confirm that there were five teenage girls who got pregnant and married here, why not just take them into custody and give the rest of the children back to their parents? That's when the state started explaining its rationalization about this. First of all, they said these girls were telling them that, whenever the prophet tells them to marry, they will marry. They believe you're never too young to marry and that the greatest thing that they can presidency do, the greatest blessing in their lives, is to have children. They said, for that reason, because of that belief system that is built into these children, they feel like they cannot send any of them back there, because, then, every child would grow up and be a potential victim of that abuse, as they're describing it. They cannot send back the young men, they say, because those men would grow up to participate -- Anderson. COOPER: So, David, essentially, what the state is saying, no matter what, even if we only have these five 16-year-old girls -- or girls who got pregnant or married at the age of 16, which is illegal -- no matter what happens, we can't send any of these kids back, ever? Read more


Letters to the Editor
Actions by Texas officials shameful
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published April 18, 2008
Every citizen of the United States should be incensed by the raid in Eldorado, Texas. Consider 400-plus children were rounded up and confined because of a single phone call made by an allegedly abused girl of 16. Neither that girl nor her alleged abu-ser has been found. However, 400-plus children are subjected to virtual imprisonment, traumatic medical examinations and poor living conditions because something might have happened to them. In reality these children are being abused by the state of Texas not by their parents. Texas ought to be ashamed of their obvious disregard for citizen's constitutional rights. Our judicial system operates by setting precedents. What happens when this raid sets the precedent for state forcing children into public school when their parents wish to home-school them. What about mothers who wish to home-birth, or parents who find alternative medicine a more appropriate choice, or something as simple as parents making their children do daily chores? America became a strong nation because of constitutionally guaranteed rights, including a parent's right to care for their children. Speak up, America and don't let trumped-up charges guide our nation into the slavery of its citizens. Set those children free, Texas! Catherine Williams Virgin


Eyes of justice are all watching Texas
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published April 18, 2008
We thought it was a good idea when Texas authorities swooped down on a compound owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to investigate allegations that a 16-year-old girl was being abused. We even thought it was a good idea when they removed more than 400 children from the compound where followers of jailed prophet Warren Steed Jeffs practice polygamy and that sect has seen several members found guilty of inappropriate sexual conduct with minors. We don't think it's a good idea, however, that barely two weeks into the case these same Texas authorities are talking about adopting out the children removed from the compound. This case is raising all kinds of questions about overstepping the bounds of law. Where it would be entirely appropriate to remove any child in danger of sexual, physical or emotional abuse from the site, we don't see how the Texas courts, in good conscience, could remove all of the children. It seems excessive and expensive as every one of those children will be entitled to legal representation. It seems an egregious abuse of power, particularly since nobody has been formally charged with a crime. We encourage law enforcement to keep a keen eye on this and any other group that would do harm - particularly to children. We have no tolerance or compassion for those who - whether in the name of religion or some notion of natural law - decide to take a wife under the age of 16. Read more


FLDS hearing lurches through 11 hours of uncertainty in San Angelo courtroom
By Paul Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
Girls at the YFZ Ranch were forced into marriage and gave birth as young as 13, a Child Protective Services investigator testified in perhaps the most groundbreaking moment of a sometimes-dramatic but mainly tedious opening to the state's largest custody hearing. Although CPS investigations supervisor Angie Voss could confirm only five of the 416 children taken into custody since April 3 are younger than 17 and have either given birth or are pregnant, she told two packed courtrooms that dozens more young women likely conceived before legal age. "My concern for these children was a global pattern and belief," she said, "that underage marriage or children who have children was what they were supposed to do." Voss, on the stand for six of the hearing's 11 hours Thursday, provided the most eye-opening moments to a hearing that began with dozens of attorneys in the Tom Green County Courthouse and San Angelo City Auditorium firing objections at 51st District Judge Barbara Walther for nearly four hours. A law required 14-day action to determine whether the children removed starting April 3 from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound near Eldorado should stay in state custody. The hearing continues at 9:30 a.m. today. Read more


Busy Day at Court Handling Sect’s Children
By KIRK JOHNSON and JOHN DOUGHERTY The New York Times Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Tex. — It took only a few minutes from the judge’s opening gavel Thursday morning for an emergency court hearing on the fate of 416 children taken by the state from a polygamist compound two weeks ago to dissolve into chaos. About 100 lawyers, for the children, their families and the state, were gathered in the main courtroom at Tom Green County Courthouse; another 100 or so were dispatched to the San Angelo city auditorium three blocks away, and connected to the main courtroom through a video conferencing system. Court exhibits had to be copied and carried between the locations by clerks. It took an hour just to enter the first exhibit into the record. Some lawyers complained heatedly to Judge Barbara Walther that the mass hearing, radically different from a typically intimate Family Court custody session, was unfair and benefited the state. Just as vehemently, Judge Walther denied their objections and said that all parties would be heard, no matter how long that took. "We have to balance the requirement in the statutes that this hearing must be held within 14 days," Judge Walther said. "It’s not a perfect solution. I wish I could give you a perfect solution. There is not one." She assured the lawyers for the children and their families, "You have not waived all of your rights." Read more


Courthouse site of much drama in FLDS case
By Trish Choate San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
Objections, debate and testimony circulated around San Angelo about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints while a custody hearing stuttered on. And that wasn't even in the courtroom. "It's all a coverup," a woman shouted Thursday while walking by the Tom Green County jail. Downtown was nearly swallowed whole by the behemoth hearing to determine whether the 416 sect children go back home to their parents. A fleet of television satellite trucks staked out the perimeter of the Tom Green County Courthouse, and journalists sprawled on the lawn, soaking up spring sunshine while waiting for the next big revelation. At the City Auditorium, San Angelo police dug through women's purses as they entered and eyeballed all comers for forbidden cameras and recording devices. One officer said it was getting old, digging through purses. "But we can't stop," he said. "Thank you for not beeping," another city officer said during a successful walk through the gauntlet of security. Inside the auditorium, a break gave the legion of lawyers representing various parties in the custody hearing a chance to stretch their legs and trade jokes up front. In the back, FLDS women sat quietly in a pastel rainbow of prairie dresses, their hair tucked in complicated braids. A few FLDS men listened on the back row, dressed in button-down shirts cinched up to their Adam's apples. Read more


Witness: Teens at ranch said any age OK to marry
CNN Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- A child protection supervisor testified Thursday that she encountered several pregnant teen girls at a polygamist ranch who called each other "sister wives" and who believed it was acceptable to be "spiritually united" with a man at any age. "It was the belief that no age was too young to be married," said Angie Voss, a supervisor for investigation at Texas Child Protective Services. Thursday's hearing was aimed at determining who gets custody of more than 400 children who were removed from the YFZ (Yearning for Zion) Ranch in an April 4 raid. The hearing took longer than expected because of objections from some of the 350 attorneys representing the children. Voss said about 130 of the children removed were under the age of 4 and that girls as young as 13 had conceived children at the ranch. Boys were also removed from the ranch, Voss testified, because "I believe that the boys are groomed to be perpetrators." "I was concerned," Voss said of her visit to the ranch. "It was a scary and intimidating environment. I was afraid. I saw men all over." She said she saw men in a guard tower looking down on them as they entered the ranch, and men escorted the women to the schoolhouse for the interviews. Read more


Judge, San Angelo taking monumental hearing in stride
It's like a circus without monkeys, one resident says
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — "Come on down." It wasn't "The Price Is Right," but the repeated directive of a seasoned self-professed country judge whose pending decisions in a polygamy custody case has all eyes on Texas — and her decisions. As the hours passed during a monumental, marathon hearing to determine the continued custody status of 416 children seized after an early April raid at the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, it was apparent no one had ever quite experienced such a case before and to maneuver through the proceeding was sort of like the first day of kindergarten. Judge Barbara Walther seemed unflappable and tried to set the ground rules early on. Speak only when you're recognized. And goodness, gracious, "only lawyers can stand. I am not going to have people jumping up and down," she said in a Texas drawl. Outside, the reporters, photographers, and an exceptionally polite bevy of security officers mingled and passed small talk. The locals looked on. One man compared it to a circus coming to town, without the monkeys. Even the local squirrels were nervous as one uniformed woman pointed out. One furry little thing came darting down the sidewalk, jumping sideways from the media and hoping to get to a safe place. "They're really pretty tame — these ones in San Angelo. I think she's nervous and wants a tree." Read more


Keep the FLDS in the news
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
It is ironic how the fundamentalists are now using the "evil" media to gain sympathy for their cause. Although I feel sorry for the separation of mothers and children, I say let them use the media all they want. It only exposes them. It's good for the world to see them for who they are — passive, robotic women who have been brainwashed as young girls to believe that someone else has the right to take away their childhood. Kay Lin E. Olsen West Jordan


Actions in Texas appalling
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
I am extremely disappointed and appalled with the authorities of the state of Texas. This is America, not some Nazi state. I only hope the emotional wounds inflicted on these children will heal swiftly and completely. These peaceful people are still American citizens. Mark D. Reese Draper


Texas took the wrong people
Opinion Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
The state of Texas got it backwards. They should arrest the men who committed these sex crimes, not the victims. This it tantamount to arresting the woman who has been raped and letting the perpetrator go free. Brian Rogers West Bountiful


Polygamy Trail Leads to Colorado
Texas Rangers Take Part in Arrest of Woman Who Allegedly Made Hoax Call in Colorado
By JIM AVILA, TERI WHITCRAFT, REYNOLDS HOLDING, ANDREA BEAUMONT and SCOTT MICHELS ABC News Originally published April 18, 2008
AN ANGELO, Texas, April 17, 2008 — Texas Rangers participated in the arrest of a Colorado woman who allegedly pretended to be a girl locked in a basement. The Rangers were in the state as part of their investigation into the Texas polygamy custody battle, local police told ABC News. It was unclear if the arrest was related to the phone call from a woman who claimed to be a 16-year-old girl, a phone call that sparked what has become one of the largest child custody cases in U.S. history. Officials in Texas raided a polygamist compound and took 416 children into custody after an abuse hotline received a series of phone calls from the purported teen who said she was being held at the compound. The girl, who called herself Sarah, said she was being physically and sexually abused by her adult husband, court documents say. Texas child protection lawyers have said they believe the girl does exist, even though they have not found her. But ABC News has learned that Texas Rangers flew to Colorado Springs, Colo., and participated in the arrest of a 33-year-old woman who was charged with filing a false report. The FBI also told ABC News it is assisting local police in the investigation. Colorado Springs police said in a statement that "The Texas Rangers were in Colorado Springs Wednesday as part of their investigation involving the compound in Texas." Colorado Springs police said they arrested Rozita Swinton last night on local charges of pretending to be a girl locked in a basement, claiming abuse and calling authorities for help. Read more


Polygamist ranch probe shifts to Colorado
CNN Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
(CNN) -- The investigation into alleged abuse at a polygamist ranch in Texas has shifted to Colorado, where police said Thursday that they have arrested a woman for making a false report to police. Investigators with the Texas Rangers traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado this week "as part of their investigation involving the compound in Texas," the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a statement. The reason for their visit was not immediately clear. The Colorado Springs police statement said its officers charged 33-year-old Rozita Swinton with false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor. The charge relates to an incident in Colorado Springs in February, but documents related to the case have been sealed "so details of that case cannot be discussed," the Colorado Springs police statement said. The Texas Rangers "have not filed any charges on Rozita Swinton as of this time," the statement said. Authorities in Texas raided the YFZ (Yearning for Zion) Ranch in Eldorado, Texas on April 4, removing 416 children. The ranch is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon offshoot that practices polygamy. The raid was prompted by a series of phone calls in late March from a 16-year-old officials referred to as Sarah, who claimed she had been beaten and forced to become the "spiritual" wife to an adult man. FLDS members have denied the girl, supposedly named Sarah Jessop Barlow, exists. Some of the FLDS women who spoke with CNN on Monday said they believe the calls were a hoax. Read more


Judge tightens reigns at FLDS hearing
CNN Originally published April 18, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- A child protection supervisor took the stand for a second day Friday as part of a hearing to determine who gets custody of more than 400 children removed from a polygamist sect's Texas ranch earlier this month. Angie Voss, a supervisor for investigation at Texas Child Protection Services, was undergoing cross-examination as the hearing resumed. However, questioning was fragmented, as Judge Barbara Walther seemed determined to keep tighter control on the proceedings than on Thursday, when chaos reigned and testimony stretched into the night. Walter said Friday testimony would end by 4 p.m. (5 p.m. ET). Voss testified Thursday that she and other investigators encountered several pregnant teenagers at the YFZ (Yearning For Zion) Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, about 40 miles outside San Angelo. The girls called each other "sister wives," Voss said, and believed it was acceptable to be "spiritually united" with a man at any age. "It was the belief that no age was too young to be married," she said. The ranch is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon offshoot that practices polygamy. Walther must determine whether the state acted properly in removing the children during an April 4 raid at the ranch. The raid stemmed from a series of phone calls in late March from a 16-year-old officials referred to as Sarah, who claimed she had been beaten and forced to become the "spiritual" wife to an adult man. FLDS members have denied the girl, supposedly named Sarah Jessop Barlow, exists. Voss testified that, during the interviews, the girls would often change their names. Read more


Children in FLDS Compund are "Not Safe at This Time"
Testimony continues in San Angelo
By Jim Forsyth WOAI NewsRadio 1200 - San Antonio, Texas Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
An investigator for Texas Child Protective Services told a judge in San Angelo today that 'specific men' in the polygamist compound raided by state police two weeks ago are ‘suspected perpetrators of child abuse’ and Angie Voss testified that the 416 children who were removed from the sprawling Yearning for Zion Ranch should not be returned to their homes on the ranch. "I don’t believe the children are safe at this time," Voss said. There is a culture of young girls becoming pregnant by much older men." Tom Green County State District Judge Barbara Walther’s courtroom was not the scene of chaos on the second day of what is believed to be the largest single child custody hearing in American history as it was on day one, as fewer attorneys and fewer reporters jammed the courthouse and an overflow room set up two blocks away. Lawyers for CPS rested their case at mid afternoon, after questioning child psychiatrist Dr. Bruce Perry, who is an expert on children in traumatic situations. One of the cases he handed was the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, where more than eighty people, including several children, died in a fire fifteen years ago tomorrow. He testified that the ‘authoritarian culture’ which exists in communities like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound near El Dorado is bad for young girls and young boys. "As they grow up, there is a high probability that the boys on the ranch will become sexual abusers down the road," Perry testified. Read more


Bed in temple not used for sex, sect expert says
CNN Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- It is not common for a polygamist sect to force girls as young as 13 into marriage, as the state alleges, according to the first defense witness to testify at a hearing Friday. Religious scholar John Walsh also addressed a particularly damning piece of evidence found when authorities raided the YFZ (Yearning For Zion) Ranch -- at least one bed inside a temple that was allegedly used to consummate such marriages immediately after the ceremony. "Historically, the only use of a bed in a temple is for temple worship itself," said Walsh, who said he has studied the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- a Mormon offshoot that practices polygamy -- for 18 years. "The worship lasts a couple of hours, so all the temples will have a place where someone can lie down." But, he said, "To my knowledge, there has never been any sexual activity in a Mormon temple." Read more


Texas AG may pursue bigamy prosecutions
Utah officials meet to discuss polygamy issues
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — As the attorney general of Texas hints at prosecuting Fundamentalist LDS Church members at the YFZ Ranch for bigamy, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff met with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and representatives from the Division of Child and Family Services to talk about the polygamy issue in Utah. "They were on the same page, that we'd go after the most serious crimes," Paul Murphy, the Utah Attorney General's Safety Net coordinator who works with polygamous communities, said of last week's meeting. "We are prosecuting people for child abuse, domestic violence and fraud. I haven't heard them chomping at the bit that they want to prosecute people for polygamy," he told the Deseret News Thursday. Prosecuting polygamy itself is a complex proposition, even though Utah has secured a pair of convictions for bigamy (as an enhancement to cases involving child brides). Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is hinting at the possibility of bigamy prosecutions here. In national TV interviews, Abbott said some women from the FLDS Church's Eldorado ranch, who have spoken to news reporters, appeared to have admitted to bigamy. "Questions were made to those women, and I think those women need to be asked some other questions," Abbott told the Fox News Channel. "The women were asked on national TV if they were married to men who were also married to other women, and they answered yes. That's a violation of Texas bigamy laws." Abbott said the women have all declined to answer questions about underage marriages at the YFZ Ranch. When contacted by the Deseret News on Thursday, the Texas Attorney General's Office would not say if it was actively pursuing a bigamy prosecution. Read more


Is arrest tied to FLDS raid, phone calls?
By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
Police in Colorado Springs have arrested a woman for investigation of making a false report to authorities that may be connected to the Fundamentalist LDS Church's raid on the YFZ Ranch in Texas. The woman allegedly has a history of making calls while pretending to be a young girl. Rozita Swinton, 33, was arrested on a warrant charging her with false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor, the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed in a brief statement issued late Thursday. Swinton was arrested at her home on Wednesday in connection with an incident that occurred in Colorado Springs in February, police said. "The Texas Rangers were in Colorado Springs (Wednesday) as part of their investigation involving the compound in Texas. They left and have not filed any charges on Rozita Swinton as of this time," Colorado Springs police said. Colorado Springs police refused to release any other details, saying that the affidavit for the arrest warrant is sealed. The El Paso County Jail said Swinton posted $20,000 bail and was released. It is unclear how Swinton is connected to the phone call that sparked the raid on the FLDS Church's Yearning for Zion Ranch two weeks ago. Read more


LIVE FROM THE COURTHOUSE:
Day 2 of updates from FLDS custody hearing
By Trish Choate San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
Standard-Times reporters Trish Choate and Matt Phinney file live updates from the FLDS child custody proceedings in the 51st District Court from the remote location at the City Auditorium, and reporter Sandy Rojas reports from outside the courthouse. The hearing started Thursday and resumed shortly after 9:45 a.m. today. 7:29 p.m. — Court reconvenes. The judge thanks all members of the bar for their work and cooperation. She announces her decision that the children should not return to the ranch. She says this is the beginning. Hearings will begin June 5, but they will not be en mass. The court orders maternity and paternity testing for each child. On Monday, a mobile lab at the fairgrounds will test the DNA of all the children and mothers there. Parents are entitled to an attorney, whether or not they can afford it, she notes. For now, it’s over. 6:39 p.m. - The court is taking a short break. 6:05 p.m. - Lucille Nielson takes the witness stand and says she will turn 25 next week. She says she has a son who is about to turn 2. Jim Jessop is the biological father of her child. She says that in the civil context, she is not married to her husband but has a spiritual marriage with him. She says she was 19 when she entered the spiritual marriage. Lucille says she lives with her spiritual husband and Sarah Jessop, his legal wife. Another woman named Megan also lives there as a "sister wife" or spiritual wife. Read more


Attorneys representing FLDS looking for custody changes, visitation
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue and Nancy Perkins Deseret News Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Defense attorneys hired by some of the parents of children taken into custody in the raid on a Fundamentalist LDS ranch near here earlier this month continued on Friday to cross-examine a child protective services supervisor in a court hearing. The mid-morning legal proceedings featured questions by one attorney that hinted some of the mothers would be willing to follow whatever court order necessary to regain custody of their children. "One of your concerns is that they have a mindset. What do they have to do to prove they are amenable to counseling services?" said an attorney questioning Angie Voss, the supervisor. What if, the attorney went on, her clients were willing to get an apartment, obtain a restraining order against the FLDS husbands or fathers, and would only allow the men to have supervised visitation? Voss did not directly answer the question, but said, "This population of women have a difficult time making decisions on their own." Read more


Expert: Polygamists' belief system is abusive
But mothers are loving parents, according to testimony
The Associated Press MSNBC Originally published Friday, April 18, 2008