"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 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 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. 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


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


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