http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/mar/13/17-year-old-dropped-from-flds-investigation/
The state's Child Protective Services agency has dropped a 17-year-old mother from its investigation of alleged abuse at the YFZ Ranch, leaving just one child of the 439 initially removed from the polygamous Schleicher County compound.
The nonsuit, filed Thursday, removes from the case a girl who has vexed state and court officials with her refusals to produce her 8-month-old baby, which CPS had sought for genetic testing. The Salt Lake Tribune reported CPS opened a new case in San Antonio, where the girl lives, seeking access to the baby to monitor the girl's parenting skills.
The girl gave birth in June, just days after the return of hundreds of children from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. CPS has alleged she was married to an adult man at age 14.
The only child remaining in the case is a 14-year-old girl that sect documents and pictures show having been married to sect leader Warren Jeffs at age 12.
CPS on Thursday filed a request that the girl, who has struggled to adapt to outside life with two foster families since 51st District Judge Barbara Walther gave the agency custody of the girl last summer, be placed with a distant relative, Bandera resident Naomi Carlisle.
Carlisle, 52, is an FLDS member but has never been a resident of the YFZ Ranch, and five of her 11 surviving children have left the sect upon adulthood, according to investigation documents filed Thursday with the agency's request.
No hearing date on the placement has been set, court administrators said today.
Carlisle provided temporary shelter for her brother's children after their removal from the ranch in April until Texas courts ordered their return in June, the documents state.
"Ms. Carlisle has many strengths that make her an appropriate placement" for the girl, wrote Amanda Way, child placing manager for Adoption Priorities Inc., which conducted the background check on Carlisle. "She is of the same cultural and religious background as (the girl) and will be able to foster those needs. However, she is just far enough removed from the controversy of the FLDS case and the various participants in the case that she seems to be a safe placement option."
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sect teen shows up w/ wrong baby
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6290129.html
Excerpt
SAN ANTONIO — Texas child welfare authorities have asked a judge to order a 17-year-old mother from a polygamist sect to submit to a psychological evaluation after she showed up to an appointment with Child Protective Services claiming someone else's child was hers.
The teen had previously refused to disclose the whereabouts of her infant born in June, when she was 16 and shortly after she and the other 437 children taken from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado were returned to their parents from foster care.
The teen produced a baby purported to be her biological child for an appointment with CPS, but DNA tests taken during the appointment revealed she is not the infant's biological mother, said CPS attorney John Dolezal in a court filing on Thursday.
State officials believe the girl was married to a man in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when she was 14. In Texas, someone younger than 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult, and The Associated Press is withholding her name because it generally does not name possible victims of sex crimes.
"It appears that (the girl) has been separated from her child," Dolezal said in the filing.
The agency is also concerned the girl is "being improperly influenced, against her best interest, into making choices to not produce her child and to produce another individual's child," he wrote.
CPS officials have said they want to ensure the infant is safe and are not seeking custody.
The girl's attorney, Kelly Ellis, is on maternity leave and couldn't immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said that while he was unfamiliar with the latest dispute in the case, the girl previously said she feared the agency would try to take the infant if she allowed officials to examine the baby.
"The department has reaffirmed that they're not trustworthy. She was concerned that they would take the baby," Jessop said.
A hearing in the teen's case is scheduled for Friday.
Her case is one of just two remaining cases in what was initially one of the largest custody cases in U.S. history.
Excerpt
SAN ANTONIO — Texas child welfare authorities have asked a judge to order a 17-year-old mother from a polygamist sect to submit to a psychological evaluation after she showed up to an appointment with Child Protective Services claiming someone else's child was hers.
The teen had previously refused to disclose the whereabouts of her infant born in June, when she was 16 and shortly after she and the other 437 children taken from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado were returned to their parents from foster care.
The teen produced a baby purported to be her biological child for an appointment with CPS, but DNA tests taken during the appointment revealed she is not the infant's biological mother, said CPS attorney John Dolezal in a court filing on Thursday.
State officials believe the girl was married to a man in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when she was 14. In Texas, someone younger than 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult, and The Associated Press is withholding her name because it generally does not name possible victims of sex crimes.
"It appears that (the girl) has been separated from her child," Dolezal said in the filing.
The agency is also concerned the girl is "being improperly influenced, against her best interest, into making choices to not produce her child and to produce another individual's child," he wrote.
CPS officials have said they want to ensure the infant is safe and are not seeking custody.
The girl's attorney, Kelly Ellis, is on maternity leave and couldn't immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said that while he was unfamiliar with the latest dispute in the case, the girl previously said she feared the agency would try to take the infant if she allowed officials to examine the baby.
"The department has reaffirmed that they're not trustworthy. She was concerned that they would take the baby," Jessop said.
A hearing in the teen's case is scheduled for Friday.
Her case is one of just two remaining cases in what was initially one of the largest custody cases in U.S. history.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
‘I was 17 and he was 50’
This is a simply incredible story about a woman who left the FLDS with only $20 after being threatened with her life. She now helps others wanting to leave the sect.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/feb/22/i-was-17-and-he-was-50/
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/feb/22/i-was-17-and-he-was-50/
Monday, February 9, 2009
New nonprofit launched to help people from polygamous communities
http://www.sltrib.com/polygamy/ci_11640252?source=rss
Excerpt
Tewell is the driving force behind a new nonprofit organization called Holding Out HELP, designed to offer services such as housing, legal assistance and counseling.
The inspiration for the new nonprofit came after Tewell's own experience helping a family.
Tewell volunteered to open her home as a "safe house" through another organization. Twelve months later, she got a call: A woman and her four school-age children, along with her own mother, wanted out of a Salt Lake Valley-based polygamous community. Both women were plural wives.
"My husband and I looked at each other and said, 'Oh boy, are we ready to take the plunge?'" Tewell said.
Tewell admits she had preconceived notions about the people she was about to welcome into her home.
"I didn't expect them to be educated, I expected them to be in full garb with braids, the image we all have of polygamists," she said. "When they arrived, they were some of the sweetest ladies you've ever met. There was nothing weird. They were just like our family."
At that doorstep introduction, Tewell hugged one woman, told her she was safe and "she just burst out bawling."
www.holdingouthelp.org
Excerpt
Tewell is the driving force behind a new nonprofit organization called Holding Out HELP, designed to offer services such as housing, legal assistance and counseling.
The inspiration for the new nonprofit came after Tewell's own experience helping a family.
Tewell volunteered to open her home as a "safe house" through another organization. Twelve months later, she got a call: A woman and her four school-age children, along with her own mother, wanted out of a Salt Lake Valley-based polygamous community. Both women were plural wives.
"My husband and I looked at each other and said, 'Oh boy, are we ready to take the plunge?'" Tewell said.
Tewell admits she had preconceived notions about the people she was about to welcome into her home.
"I didn't expect them to be educated, I expected them to be in full garb with braids, the image we all have of polygamists," she said. "When they arrived, they were some of the sweetest ladies you've ever met. There was nothing weird. They were just like our family."
At that doorstep introduction, Tewell hugged one woman, told her she was safe and "she just burst out bawling."
www.holdingouthelp.org
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Jeffs' daughter dropped from custody dispute
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6244168.html
Excerpt
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas child welfare authorities have dropped the custody case involving a 17-year-old daughter of jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, saying court oversight is no longer needed.
Child Protective Services on Monday dropped their custody case on the girl, who was allegedly married to Raymond Merrill Jessop in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints the day after she turned 15. Jessop, 37, has been indicted on charges of bigamy and sexual assault of a child.
update: after further probing, this article is about Teresa Jeffs.
Excerpt
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas child welfare authorities have dropped the custody case involving a 17-year-old daughter of jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, saying court oversight is no longer needed.
Child Protective Services on Monday dropped their custody case on the girl, who was allegedly married to Raymond Merrill Jessop in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints the day after she turned 15. Jessop, 37, has been indicted on charges of bigamy and sexual assault of a child.
update: after further probing, this article is about Teresa Jeffs.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sect leader's Fifth pleadings to be reviewed
http://gosanangelo.com/news/2009/jan/23/breaking-news-sect-leaders-fifth-pleadings-to-be/
Excerpt
Even after eight hours in a Schleicher County courtroom, the deposition of YFZ Ranch leader Merril Jessop may not be over.
Attorneys for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints elder and his alleged teenage daughter-in-law will argue in court Monday over whether Jessop should be able to plead Fifth Amendment protection to a series of questions regarding the polygamous sect's financial structure.
"There are quite a few (answers) that are in controversy," said Natalie Malonis, the Denton attorney representing a 17-year-old daughter of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. "He answered some of it. I hope that on Monday when we have our hearing, (the judge) will compel answers."
51st District Judge Barbara Walther set the hearing, Malonis said, after compelling testimony in a 30-minute telephone proceeding on some efforts by Jessop to plead the Fifth, which protects witnesses from being forced to give answers under oath that could incriminate them.
The sect's own documents describe the girl as having been married to Jessop's 36-year-old son. Jessop, 72, has been indicted by a Schleicher County grand jury on charges of orchestrating an illegal marriage ceremony involving a different underage girl.
Malonis said she has not contested all of Jessop's Fifth Amendment pleadings, but that she asked Walther to compel testimony on questions of the sect's finances.
"He may be the only person who can answer that information," she said.
Excerpt
Even after eight hours in a Schleicher County courtroom, the deposition of YFZ Ranch leader Merril Jessop may not be over.
Attorneys for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints elder and his alleged teenage daughter-in-law will argue in court Monday over whether Jessop should be able to plead Fifth Amendment protection to a series of questions regarding the polygamous sect's financial structure.
"There are quite a few (answers) that are in controversy," said Natalie Malonis, the Denton attorney representing a 17-year-old daughter of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. "He answered some of it. I hope that on Monday when we have our hearing, (the judge) will compel answers."
51st District Judge Barbara Walther set the hearing, Malonis said, after compelling testimony in a 30-minute telephone proceeding on some efforts by Jessop to plead the Fifth, which protects witnesses from being forced to give answers under oath that could incriminate them.
The sect's own documents describe the girl as having been married to Jessop's 36-year-old son. Jessop, 72, has been indicted by a Schleicher County grand jury on charges of orchestrating an illegal marriage ceremony involving a different underage girl.
Malonis said she has not contested all of Jessop's Fifth Amendment pleadings, but that she asked Walther to compel testimony on questions of the sect's finances.
"He may be the only person who can answer that information," she said.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Depositions scheduled for FLDS officials
http://gosanangelo.com/news/2009/jan/22/breaking-news-depositions-scheduled-for-flds/
Excerpt
Lawyer Natalie Malonis, the lightning-rod attorney for imprisoned sect leader Warren Jeffs' now-17-year-old daughter, has subpoenaed:
* Merril Jessop, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints elder believed to have run the ranch since Jeffs was imprisoned
* Willie Jessop, a sect member who has served as its spokesman since a state raid in April
The depositions - scheduled for Friday and Monday - were confirmed by the Tom Green County District Clerk's Office. Copies of the subpoenas and subsequent motions to quash them, rejected Wednesday by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther, were not immediately available.
Court documents allege the girl was 15 when Jeffs allowed her to be married to one of Merril Jessop's sons, who was 34 at the time. Jessop and the son, Raymond Jessop, have been indicted by a Schleicher County grand jury on charges related to the underage marriage the state alleges was prevalent at the sect's YFZ Ranch.
Willie Jessop, of no close relation to Merril Jessop's family, has been accused by Malonis throughout the case of attempting to intimidate the girl into being uncooperative with Malonis and authorities. Those allegations led to a restraining order being issued against the girl's mother, Annette Jeffs, that ordered her to keep her daughter away from Jessop.
Excerpt
Lawyer Natalie Malonis, the lightning-rod attorney for imprisoned sect leader Warren Jeffs' now-17-year-old daughter, has subpoenaed:
* Merril Jessop, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints elder believed to have run the ranch since Jeffs was imprisoned
* Willie Jessop, a sect member who has served as its spokesman since a state raid in April
The depositions - scheduled for Friday and Monday - were confirmed by the Tom Green County District Clerk's Office. Copies of the subpoenas and subsequent motions to quash them, rejected Wednesday by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther, were not immediately available.
Court documents allege the girl was 15 when Jeffs allowed her to be married to one of Merril Jessop's sons, who was 34 at the time. Jessop and the son, Raymond Jessop, have been indicted by a Schleicher County grand jury on charges related to the underage marriage the state alleges was prevalent at the sect's YFZ Ranch.
Willie Jessop, of no close relation to Merril Jessop's family, has been accused by Malonis throughout the case of attempting to intimidate the girl into being uncooperative with Malonis and authorities. Those allegations led to a restraining order being issued against the girl's mother, Annette Jeffs, that ordered her to keep her daughter away from Jessop.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
State still seeks custody of sect's 14-year-old bride
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6197746.html
Excerpts
A fight for the custody of the 14-year-old bride of jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs could be heating up, according to a document filed in West Texas over the holidays.
The girl is the only child still in foster care who was among the 439 children taken by CPS last spring from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ranch in Eldorado.
And the teen could remain in foster care permanently, her parents' rights severed, which could free her up for adoption, if her mother does not assure the agency that she can provide a safe home, one where the girl is not married to another man.
A Texas Child Protective Services progress report on the case, filed Dec. 22, reveals the agency's frustrated attempts to persuade the teen's mother, Barbara Jessop, to cooperate with them by assuring them her daughter would not be involved in other marriages.
The agency indicated it now wants permanent custody of the girl.
State seeks reunited family
"Ms. Jessop has not been able to identify how she will be able to protect (her daughter) from future abuse," the progress report, filed in San Angelo, reads.
-----------------------------------
In previous filings, CPS officials have presented records, including excerpts from Jeffs' journals, that indicate the girl was married to Jeffs when she was 12 years old. Jeffs is the jailed leader of the FLDS, a breakaway Mormon sect that practices polygamy.
Those records indicated that the marriage ceremony was performed by the teen's father, Frederick Merril Jessop, considered Jeffs' second-in-command, and witnessed by the girl's mother, the third of Jessop's six wives.
A status hearing, allowing all parties to meet on the teen's case, is scheduled for Thursday in San Angelo.
Excerpts
A fight for the custody of the 14-year-old bride of jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs could be heating up, according to a document filed in West Texas over the holidays.
The girl is the only child still in foster care who was among the 439 children taken by CPS last spring from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ranch in Eldorado.
And the teen could remain in foster care permanently, her parents' rights severed, which could free her up for adoption, if her mother does not assure the agency that she can provide a safe home, one where the girl is not married to another man.
A Texas Child Protective Services progress report on the case, filed Dec. 22, reveals the agency's frustrated attempts to persuade the teen's mother, Barbara Jessop, to cooperate with them by assuring them her daughter would not be involved in other marriages.
The agency indicated it now wants permanent custody of the girl.
State seeks reunited family
"Ms. Jessop has not been able to identify how she will be able to protect (her daughter) from future abuse," the progress report, filed in San Angelo, reads.
-----------------------------------
In previous filings, CPS officials have presented records, including excerpts from Jeffs' journals, that indicate the girl was married to Jeffs when she was 12 years old. Jeffs is the jailed leader of the FLDS, a breakaway Mormon sect that practices polygamy.
Those records indicated that the marriage ceremony was performed by the teen's father, Frederick Merril Jessop, considered Jeffs' second-in-command, and witnessed by the girl's mother, the third of Jessop's six wives.
A status hearing, allowing all parties to meet on the teen's case, is scheduled for Thursday in San Angelo.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
CPS final report includes abuse & neglect
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/24/1224eldorado.html
Excerpts
A Texas Child Protective Services investigation has found that of the 439 children removed from the Yearning for Zion ranch in West Texas earlier this year, 275 were abused or neglected.
The final report released Tuesday said that 12 girls were victims of sexual abuse because they entered "spiritual marriages" between the ages of 12 and 15. Seven of them have had children, the report said. It also said that 263 other children suffered neglect.
But the report does not include specific information on how investigators determined whether each child was abused or neglected, citing confidentiality requirements in state law.
The case "is about sexual abuse of girls and children who were taught that underage marriages are a way of life," said the report by the Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS. "It is about parents who condoned illegal underage marriages and adults who failed to protect young girls — it has never been about religion."
As a result of the investigation, the report said, 170 parents have taken classes "on appropriate discipline and the psychosexual development of children" and 50 girls took classes on how to identify and report sexual abuse.
CPS is working with the families of 15 children, including two who remain in state custody, department spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. The rest of the children are entirely in their parents' care. He said CPS has exhausted the options state law provides.
------------------------------------------------
State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville, whose district includes Eldorado, where the ranch is located, said the report "validates many of the things (CPS) was criticized for doing," including going into the ranch in the first place.
He said he'll file a bill during the legislative session that begins Jan. 13 that would allow CPS to remove perpetrators rather than alleged victims in cases that involve large communities such as the ranch.
McCown said that state law already offers an option for removing perpetrators but that it may not be wise to do so.
"If you've got a 13-year-old girl forced to marry a 50-year-old man, and her mother made her wedding dress, then leaving her in the care of her mother and removing her father doesn't necessarily solve the problem," McCown said.
In the separate criminal investigation, 12 male residents of the ranch have been indicted on charges including sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault, tampering with evidence, bigamy and failure to report abuse. Among the indicted is sect leader Warren Jeffs.
Texas in 2005 raised the age of legal marriage from 14 to 16, in part to discourage Jeffs' group from settling in Texas, said Hilderbran, who worked to pass the legislation.
Excerpts
A Texas Child Protective Services investigation has found that of the 439 children removed from the Yearning for Zion ranch in West Texas earlier this year, 275 were abused or neglected.
The final report released Tuesday said that 12 girls were victims of sexual abuse because they entered "spiritual marriages" between the ages of 12 and 15. Seven of them have had children, the report said. It also said that 263 other children suffered neglect.
But the report does not include specific information on how investigators determined whether each child was abused or neglected, citing confidentiality requirements in state law.
The case "is about sexual abuse of girls and children who were taught that underage marriages are a way of life," said the report by the Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS. "It is about parents who condoned illegal underage marriages and adults who failed to protect young girls — it has never been about religion."
As a result of the investigation, the report said, 170 parents have taken classes "on appropriate discipline and the psychosexual development of children" and 50 girls took classes on how to identify and report sexual abuse.
CPS is working with the families of 15 children, including two who remain in state custody, department spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. The rest of the children are entirely in their parents' care. He said CPS has exhausted the options state law provides.
------------------------------------------------
State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville, whose district includes Eldorado, where the ranch is located, said the report "validates many of the things (CPS) was criticized for doing," including going into the ranch in the first place.
He said he'll file a bill during the legislative session that begins Jan. 13 that would allow CPS to remove perpetrators rather than alleged victims in cases that involve large communities such as the ranch.
McCown said that state law already offers an option for removing perpetrators but that it may not be wise to do so.
"If you've got a 13-year-old girl forced to marry a 50-year-old man, and her mother made her wedding dress, then leaving her in the care of her mother and removing her father doesn't necessarily solve the problem," McCown said.
In the separate criminal investigation, 12 male residents of the ranch have been indicted on charges including sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault, tampering with evidence, bigamy and failure to report abuse. Among the indicted is sect leader Warren Jeffs.
Texas in 2005 raised the age of legal marriage from 14 to 16, in part to discourage Jeffs' group from settling in Texas, said Hilderbran, who worked to pass the legislation.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Just 19 children cases remain from FLDS raid
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5106323
(KSL News) Just over a dozen FLDS children remain under court jurisdiction in Texas following a raid on the FLDS compound in Eldorado earlier this year.
More than 400 children were removed from their families during that raid, and all were placed under court jurisdiction until Texas Child Protective Services could determine if they were in danger of abuse.
The Deseret News reports today that all but 19 children have been "non-suited," meaning their cases are no longer being investigated.
The reasons vary from the children aging out of the system to parents taking appropriate steps to prevent abuse.
(KSL News) Just over a dozen FLDS children remain under court jurisdiction in Texas following a raid on the FLDS compound in Eldorado earlier this year.
More than 400 children were removed from their families during that raid, and all were placed under court jurisdiction until Texas Child Protective Services could determine if they were in danger of abuse.
The Deseret News reports today that all but 19 children have been "non-suited," meaning their cases are no longer being investigated.
The reasons vary from the children aging out of the system to parents taking appropriate steps to prevent abuse.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
DNA taken from polygamist sect baby
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6154234.html
SAN ANTONIO — Investigators from the Texas Attorney General's Office on Monday took DNA samples from a baby born to a member of a polygamist sect months after a high-profile raid, thwarting efforts by the mother to prevent the sample from being collected.
Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, confirmed late Monday that investigators executed a search warrant and gathered a DNA swab. The office is handling the prosecution of some members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints accused of charges including bigamy and sexual assault of a child.
Child welfare authorities previously tried to examine and collect a sample from the baby born June 14, saying they wanted to establish paternity, but the baby's 17-year-old mother refused to disclose the child's whereabouts. A stand-off in court in San Angelo on Nov. 25 led to an undisclosed agreement between the two sides.
But the search warrant, obtained in criminal court, forced the issue.
FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said authorities went to an FLDS home in the San Antonio area, where some of the families have moved since the April raid on their West Texas ranch, and collected DNA from the baby girl.
He had said previously the teen mother, who was in foster care late in her pregnancy, was afraid authorities would take the newborn if she allowed them to examine the baby.
Child Protective Services said in court filings investigators believe the girl was married to a man in FLDS when she was 14.
In Texas, someone younger than 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult, and The Associated Press does not name possible victims of a sex crime.
SAN ANTONIO — Investigators from the Texas Attorney General's Office on Monday took DNA samples from a baby born to a member of a polygamist sect months after a high-profile raid, thwarting efforts by the mother to prevent the sample from being collected.
Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, confirmed late Monday that investigators executed a search warrant and gathered a DNA swab. The office is handling the prosecution of some members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints accused of charges including bigamy and sexual assault of a child.
Child welfare authorities previously tried to examine and collect a sample from the baby born June 14, saying they wanted to establish paternity, but the baby's 17-year-old mother refused to disclose the child's whereabouts. A stand-off in court in San Angelo on Nov. 25 led to an undisclosed agreement between the two sides.
But the search warrant, obtained in criminal court, forced the issue.
FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said authorities went to an FLDS home in the San Antonio area, where some of the families have moved since the April raid on their West Texas ranch, and collected DNA from the baby girl.
He had said previously the teen mother, who was in foster care late in her pregnancy, was afraid authorities would take the newborn if she allowed them to examine the baby.
Child Protective Services said in court filings investigators believe the girl was married to a man in FLDS when she was 14.
In Texas, someone younger than 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult, and The Associated Press does not name possible victims of a sex crime.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Polygamist ranch leader indicted
This is big, exciting, great news!!!!!
SAN ANTONIO — A 72-year-old elder of a breakaway polygamist Mormon sect and two other church members surrendered to authorities Monday to face felony charges relating to the underage marriage of girls to older men.
Fredrick "Merril" Jessop, a leader in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who oversaw the sect's West Texas ranch, faces one count of conducting an unlawful marriage ceremony involving a minor on July 27, 2006 — the same day one of his daughters was allegedly married to jailed FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. She was 12 at the time and is now the only child from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in foster care after her mother refused to cooperate with child welfare authorities.
Merril and his first six wives, from left, Cathleen, Ruth, Faunita, Tammy, Barbara and Carolyn
A grand jury in Eldorado, Texas, indicted Jessop, Jeffs and two other members of FLDS on Nov. 12. Jeffs, convicted in Utah and awaiting trial in Arizona on charges related to underage marriages of sect girls, faces charges in Texas of sexual assault of a child and bigamy.
The two other men who turned themselves in Monday are:
Wendell Loy Nielsen, 68, charged with three counts of bigamy. The indictment includes few details, but church records released as part of a separate child custody case list 21 women married to Nielsen in August 2007.
Leroy Johnson Steed, 42, who is charged with sexual assault of a child, bigamy and tampering with evidence. Church records show Steed married to a 16-year-old girl in March 2007.
All three men were booked Monday and then released after posting bond.
"We've said all along we're not running. We're going to take it head on," said FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop. "The allegations they're making and what they're trying to do is nothing more than harassment."
Church records and journal entries released in the custody case indicate several of Merril Jessop's daughters were married to men in the church when they were 16 or younger.
One of Merril Jessop's wives, Carolyn, fled the FLDS community on the Arizona-Utah line with her children in 2003 and wrote a best-selling book, "Escape."
In all, 12 FLDS men have been indicted since Texas authorities raided the ranch in April looking for evidence of underage girls forced into marriages and sex with older men.
Generally, teens younger than 17 cannot consent to sex with an adult under Texas law. Bigamy is also illegal. While the FLDS plural marriages are not legal marriages, Texas law forbids even purporting to marry.
Nother pic of Merril with wives:
SAN ANTONIO — A 72-year-old elder of a breakaway polygamist Mormon sect and two other church members surrendered to authorities Monday to face felony charges relating to the underage marriage of girls to older men.Fredrick "Merril" Jessop, a leader in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who oversaw the sect's West Texas ranch, faces one count of conducting an unlawful marriage ceremony involving a minor on July 27, 2006 — the same day one of his daughters was allegedly married to jailed FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. She was 12 at the time and is now the only child from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in foster care after her mother refused to cooperate with child welfare authorities.
Merril and his first six wives, from left, Cathleen, Ruth, Faunita, Tammy, Barbara and Carolyn
A grand jury in Eldorado, Texas, indicted Jessop, Jeffs and two other members of FLDS on Nov. 12. Jeffs, convicted in Utah and awaiting trial in Arizona on charges related to underage marriages of sect girls, faces charges in Texas of sexual assault of a child and bigamy.
The two other men who turned themselves in Monday are:
Wendell Loy Nielsen, 68, charged with three counts of bigamy. The indictment includes few details, but church records released as part of a separate child custody case list 21 women married to Nielsen in August 2007.Leroy Johnson Steed, 42, who is charged with sexual assault of a child, bigamy and tampering with evidence. Church records show Steed married to a 16-year-old girl in March 2007.All three men were booked Monday and then released after posting bond.
"We've said all along we're not running. We're going to take it head on," said FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop. "The allegations they're making and what they're trying to do is nothing more than harassment."
Church records and journal entries released in the custody case indicate several of Merril Jessop's daughters were married to men in the church when they were 16 or younger.
One of Merril Jessop's wives, Carolyn, fled the FLDS community on the Arizona-Utah line with her children in 2003 and wrote a best-selling book, "Escape."
In all, 12 FLDS men have been indicted since Texas authorities raided the ranch in April looking for evidence of underage girls forced into marriages and sex with older men.
Generally, teens younger than 17 cannot consent to sex with an adult under Texas law. Bigamy is also illegal. While the FLDS plural marriages are not legal marriages, Texas law forbids even purporting to marry.
Nother pic of Merril with wives:
Friday, November 21, 2008
FLDS mom drops action against Texas CPS
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705264178,00.html
Excerpt
Naomi Johnson sought financial damages against Texas Child Protective Services, claiming the agency failed to show it had evidence of abuse involving her daughter, Rebecca, and made sweeping abuse allegations against the entire FLDS community.
A hearing on sanctions was scheduled in San Angelo, Texas, Wednesday. But the hearing was canceled after the toddler was "nonsuited" on Oct. 28.
"We basically swapped nonsuits," Johnson's attorney, Robert Gibson Jr., told the Deseret News on Monday. "They dismissed, we dismissed."
-----------------------------------------
To date, only 37 children remain a part of the ongoing child custody case. The rest have been "nonsuited," or dropped from court oversight after CPS said its investigators either found no evidence of abuse or their parents had taken appropriate steps to protect the children.
-----------------------------------------
Hearings are also scheduled in Texas Wednesday to review the status of six children that CPS sought to place back in foster care. Their parents struck deals with the agency to keep them in their homes.
Excerpt
Naomi Johnson sought financial damages against Texas Child Protective Services, claiming the agency failed to show it had evidence of abuse involving her daughter, Rebecca, and made sweeping abuse allegations against the entire FLDS community.
A hearing on sanctions was scheduled in San Angelo, Texas, Wednesday. But the hearing was canceled after the toddler was "nonsuited" on Oct. 28.
"We basically swapped nonsuits," Johnson's attorney, Robert Gibson Jr., told the Deseret News on Monday. "They dismissed, we dismissed."
-----------------------------------------
To date, only 37 children remain a part of the ongoing child custody case. The rest have been "nonsuited," or dropped from court oversight after CPS said its investigators either found no evidence of abuse or their parents had taken appropriate steps to protect the children.
-----------------------------------------
Hearings are also scheduled in Texas Wednesday to review the status of six children that CPS sought to place back in foster care. Their parents struck deals with the agency to keep them in their homes.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Diversity Foundation
http://www.smilesfordiversity.org/index.php
I know its taken me forever to post something like this, but I am finally getting around to it! This is a place that takes in people who wish to leave the FLDS. There is a link to donate to them on their homepage:
------------------------------------
The Diversity Foundation is currently assisting the young men (aka “Lost Boys”) and women who are former members of the polygamist community in southern Utah known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (“FLDS”)
Beginning in 2002 the FLDS church began exiling young men between the ages of 14 and 23 for infractions that were in violation of church tenets. These infractions could be talking to a girl, wearing a short sleeved t-shirt, listening to music or watching television. Young women who have exited the FLDS community are doing so because they seek to live in a monogamous society. Both men and women lack an education that is chronologically correct. While living in the FLDS community they might receive an education until the eighth grade at which time they begin to work for wages that are given as tithe to the FLDS church.
The Foundation is helping these young men and women with obtaining a quality education: high school, GED and an undergraduate college degree. Assistance is also available for medical and dental expenses, psychological counseling and general living expenses.
We support social networks through activities: football in the park, bi-monthly discussion groups, mentoring program, life-skills training, advisory counsel, as well as other various interests.
Many of these young people have excelled scholastically. They continue to receive high marks of achievement in high school and college. They are enthusiastic about their education and have pursued college degrees in areas of engineering, medical, accounting, business, law, psychology, et al. With your support and the Foundation's assistance these children have the opportunity to be self-determined and contributing adults.
I know its taken me forever to post something like this, but I am finally getting around to it! This is a place that takes in people who wish to leave the FLDS. There is a link to donate to them on their homepage:
------------------------------------
The Diversity Foundation is currently assisting the young men (aka “Lost Boys”) and women who are former members of the polygamist community in southern Utah known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (“FLDS”)
Beginning in 2002 the FLDS church began exiling young men between the ages of 14 and 23 for infractions that were in violation of church tenets. These infractions could be talking to a girl, wearing a short sleeved t-shirt, listening to music or watching television. Young women who have exited the FLDS community are doing so because they seek to live in a monogamous society. Both men and women lack an education that is chronologically correct. While living in the FLDS community they might receive an education until the eighth grade at which time they begin to work for wages that are given as tithe to the FLDS church.
The Foundation is helping these young men and women with obtaining a quality education: high school, GED and an undergraduate college degree. Assistance is also available for medical and dental expenses, psychological counseling and general living expenses.
We support social networks through activities: football in the park, bi-monthly discussion groups, mentoring program, life-skills training, advisory counsel, as well as other various interests.
Many of these young people have excelled scholastically. They continue to receive high marks of achievement in high school and college. They are enthusiastic about their education and have pursued college degrees in areas of engineering, medical, accounting, business, law, psychology, et al. With your support and the Foundation's assistance these children have the opportunity to be self-determined and contributing adults.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Judge Halts Land Sale Proceedings
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10984091
Excerpts
Third District Judge Denise Lindberg postponed a hearing Friday to allow attorneys to work out a "global resolution" of litigation involving the United Effort Plan Trust and a plan for its future management.
The surprise move halted the proposed sale of the 711-acre Berry Knoll Farm - which FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop called "a huge victory."
An estimated 2,500 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints showed up at the 5th District courthouse to show their disapproval of court-appointed fiduciary Bruce R. Wisan and his plan to sell the property.
----------------------------------------
The judge took the action at the request of the Utah Attorney General's Office, which had pursued the state's initial takeover of the trust in 2005, alleging mismanagement.
----------------------------------------
The UEP Trust holds virtually all property in the twin communities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz. Most residents are FLDS members.
The trust was set up 66 years ago to foster a communal way of life organized around religious principles. Lindberg rewrote the trust in 2006 to remove its religious underpinnings.
Sect members argued in a federal lawsuit that the overhaul, coupled with the trust's subsequent management, violated constitutionally protected religious rights.
Attorneys said any settlement will have to resolve that and other lawsuits targeting the trust, arrange payment of $2 million in trust expenses, create new trust management and devise ways to accommodate property claims of all beneficiaries, including people who have left the church.
The sect will require that any deal includes Wisan's removal, Jessop said.
Jeff Shields, one of the attorneys representing Wisan, called the sect's willingness to work out a compromise "a major" development.
"We are delighted that people are going to come and talk to us," Shields said. "When people talk, resolutions can happen."
Wisan's goal, Shields said, would still be to have the community subdivided and give deeds to residents to "do what they want with them."
Excerpts
Third District Judge Denise Lindberg postponed a hearing Friday to allow attorneys to work out a "global resolution" of litigation involving the United Effort Plan Trust and a plan for its future management.The surprise move halted the proposed sale of the 711-acre Berry Knoll Farm - which FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop called "a huge victory."
An estimated 2,500 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints showed up at the 5th District courthouse to show their disapproval of court-appointed fiduciary Bruce R. Wisan and his plan to sell the property.
----------------------------------------
The judge took the action at the request of the Utah Attorney General's Office, which had pursued the state's initial takeover of the trust in 2005, alleging mismanagement.
----------------------------------------
The UEP Trust holds virtually all property in the twin communities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz. Most residents are FLDS members.
The trust was set up 66 years ago to foster a communal way of life organized around religious principles. Lindberg rewrote the trust in 2006 to remove its religious underpinnings.
Sect members argued in a federal lawsuit that the overhaul, coupled with the trust's subsequent management, violated constitutionally protected religious rights.
Attorneys said any settlement will have to resolve that and other lawsuits targeting the trust, arrange payment of $2 million in trust expenses, create new trust management and devise ways to accommodate property claims of all beneficiaries, including people who have left the church.
The sect will require that any deal includes Wisan's removal, Jessop said.
Jeff Shields, one of the attorneys representing Wisan, called the sect's willingness to work out a compromise "a major" development.
"We are delighted that people are going to come and talk to us," Shields said. "When people talk, resolutions can happen."
Wisan's goal, Shields said, would still be to have the community subdivided and give deeds to residents to "do what they want with them."
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Four more FLDS members indicted in Texas
http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_10966236
Excerpt
A Texas grand jury indicted four members of a polygamous sect on Wednesday, including the group's leader Warren S. Jeffs.
Jeffs was the only person identified by the Texas Attorney General's Office in a press release outlining the new felony charges. It said one person was indicted for conducting an unlawful marriage, while two others face multiple bigamy charges. One of the bigamy defendants also faces a charge of tampering with physical evidence.
Jeffs was indicted on a first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual assault. He has been named in two previous indictments.
Names of the other defendants will not be released until they surrender to authorities or are arrested.
The Schleicher County Grand Jury, which met Wednesday in Eldorado, has so far indicted 12 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on charges related to underage marriages. Of those, 11 men faces charges that include sexual assault and bigamy; one man was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of failure to report child abuse.
Excerpt
A Texas grand jury indicted four members of a polygamous sect on Wednesday, including the group's leader Warren S. Jeffs.
Jeffs was the only person identified by the Texas Attorney General's Office in a press release outlining the new felony charges. It said one person was indicted for conducting an unlawful marriage, while two others face multiple bigamy charges. One of the bigamy defendants also faces a charge of tampering with physical evidence.
Jeffs was indicted on a first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual assault. He has been named in two previous indictments.
Names of the other defendants will not be released until they surrender to authorities or are arrested.
The Schleicher County Grand Jury, which met Wednesday in Eldorado, has so far indicted 12 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on charges related to underage marriages. Of those, 11 men faces charges that include sexual assault and bigamy; one man was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of failure to report child abuse.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Polygamist Group Seeks Safe Haven In Colorado
http://cbs4denver.com/local/FLDS.polygamy.colorado.2.861281.html
Excerpt
SEE THE VIDEO
WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (CBS4) ― They have been in the news for bigamy, accusations of forced marriages, mistreatment of women and young boys. Now the polygamist group the FLDS or Church of Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints has quietly purchased at least eight properties in Colorado.
Two of the properties are near Mancos in Montezuma County in southwest Colorado, another near Crawford in Delta County and five near Westcliffe in Custer and Fremont counties.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger has become the first TV reporter allowed inside one of their compounds to see how they live and what they are doing. He reports going through their gate is like leaving one world and passing into another.
It is a place where some of man's laws are at odds with what they see as God's laws; a collision of values that has led to raids, arrests and seizure of children in other locations.
Beneath the soaring peaks of the Sangre de Cristos and the Wet Mountain Range -- they have come here in search of a safe haven.
"I think we just came here for a place of safety while this goes on, we're not going to settle here," FLDS Member Margaret Jessop told CBS4.
These FLDS members moved to Colorado after law enforcement actions involving their church in Utah and Arizona, what they refer to as Short Creek.
Lee Steed is the man who bought the properties in this Colorado area. He agreed to speak on camera if we would not show his face.
"Why did you buy up all this property?" Sallinger asked.
"It's been my privilege to help these people and to find places to live for people to remove from the persecution at Short Creek," Steed, an FLDS member, replied.
The location, he insists, is only intended for church widows and grandmothers who came to Colorado 2 to 3 years ago from their traditional base.
"We enjoyed it there until persecution ... they just moved in," Jessop sighed.
That persecution, they say, continued this year when the FLDS compound in El Dorado, Texas, was raided. More than 400 children were removed then later returned to their mothers. That included Jessop's grandchildren.
"They were taken away from their parents and kept two nights without a mother," she said.
On the walls above her here in Colorado are pictures of Warren Steed Jeffs, the man they call their prophet. But he now is behind bars convicted as an accomplice in the rape of a teenage girl.
Excerpt
SEE THE VIDEO
WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (CBS4) ― They have been in the news for bigamy, accusations of forced marriages, mistreatment of women and young boys. Now the polygamist group the FLDS or Church of Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints has quietly purchased at least eight properties in Colorado.Two of the properties are near Mancos in Montezuma County in southwest Colorado, another near Crawford in Delta County and five near Westcliffe in Custer and Fremont counties.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger has become the first TV reporter allowed inside one of their compounds to see how they live and what they are doing. He reports going through their gate is like leaving one world and passing into another.
It is a place where some of man's laws are at odds with what they see as God's laws; a collision of values that has led to raids, arrests and seizure of children in other locations.
Beneath the soaring peaks of the Sangre de Cristos and the Wet Mountain Range -- they have come here in search of a safe haven.
"I think we just came here for a place of safety while this goes on, we're not going to settle here," FLDS Member Margaret Jessop told CBS4.
These FLDS members moved to Colorado after law enforcement actions involving their church in Utah and Arizona, what they refer to as Short Creek.
Lee Steed is the man who bought the properties in this Colorado area. He agreed to speak on camera if we would not show his face.
"Why did you buy up all this property?" Sallinger asked.
"It's been my privilege to help these people and to find places to live for people to remove from the persecution at Short Creek," Steed, an FLDS member, replied.
The location, he insists, is only intended for church widows and grandmothers who came to Colorado 2 to 3 years ago from their traditional base.
"We enjoyed it there until persecution ... they just moved in," Jessop sighed.
That persecution, they say, continued this year when the FLDS compound in El Dorado, Texas, was raided. More than 400 children were removed then later returned to their mothers. That included Jessop's grandchildren.
"They were taken away from their parents and kept two nights without a mother," she said.
On the walls above her here in Colorado are pictures of Warren Steed Jeffs, the man they call their prophet. But he now is behind bars convicted as an accomplice in the rape of a teenage girl.
Friday, November 7, 2008
FLDS Lost Boy Home in Trouble
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10916634
New Frontiers for Families will resign Friday as the overseer of a home in St. George that housed teenagers who've left the FLDS community.
Bonnie Peters, executive director of the Family Support Center in Midvale, said her agency is negotiating with the state to step in as interim manager of the program, known as the House Just Off Bluff. Peters announced the change Thursday at a Safety Net Committee meeting in Salt Lake City.
Peters said the nine or so boys living in the home have been moved to other living quarters and she is awaiting word on whether the owner of the home will allow it to continue to be used for the program.
"If he closes the house down we'll have to see about finding another house," Peters said.
Tracy Johnson, director of New Frontiers, said the program is needed, but "it didn't really fit our mission. That was our main reason."
"I hope they work it out because it's certainly a worthy cause," she said.
Last month, the Five County Association of Governments gave New Frontiers 10 days to get a business license for the home, which opened last year and had operated with proper city approvals. Five County also told New Frontiers the home needed to operate as a drop-in center, as specified in its state grant, and hire properly trained staff to work with the teens. As part of the shake-up, New Frontiers fired its clinical director.
New Frontiers, a Garfield County-based nonprofit, opened the home last summer after receiving a $95,000 grant to create a drop-in center for youth from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As approved by the department, the non-profit was to help youth connect with services, such as counseling, schooling and medical care.
Instead, youth were allowed to live at the home, which had no licensed clinical staff nor the proper permits.
Peters said the program's current grant of $106,000 runs through June.
"We're hoping there would be an entity that would come forward and make that program functions as it should," said Peters, adding that her center would maintain oversight.
The Family Support Center also oversees the state's Safety Net Committee, which provides services to polygamous communities and facilitates communication with government agencies.
Beth Cottam of Five County said there is a need for homeless youth services in southern Utah beyond teenagers from the polygamous community.
New Frontiers' annual report said it provided services to 114 teenagers and young adults. More than half were older than 18 years of age, according to the report.
The youth say they left or were asked to leave their families because of delinquent behavior or disagreement with the sect's stringent religious standards.
Peters said Thursday her goal is to ensure the program is properly set up to protect the teenagers and provide the services they need. And helping them stay connected with their families is "vital."
"I have found so many of the parents are worried about them and a lot of it's teenage stuff," she said.
New Frontiers for Families will resign Friday as the overseer of a home in St. George that housed teenagers who've left the FLDS community.
Bonnie Peters, executive director of the Family Support Center in Midvale, said her agency is negotiating with the state to step in as interim manager of the program, known as the House Just Off Bluff. Peters announced the change Thursday at a Safety Net Committee meeting in Salt Lake City.
Peters said the nine or so boys living in the home have been moved to other living quarters and she is awaiting word on whether the owner of the home will allow it to continue to be used for the program.
"If he closes the house down we'll have to see about finding another house," Peters said.
Tracy Johnson, director of New Frontiers, said the program is needed, but "it didn't really fit our mission. That was our main reason."
"I hope they work it out because it's certainly a worthy cause," she said.
Last month, the Five County Association of Governments gave New Frontiers 10 days to get a business license for the home, which opened last year and had operated with proper city approvals. Five County also told New Frontiers the home needed to operate as a drop-in center, as specified in its state grant, and hire properly trained staff to work with the teens. As part of the shake-up, New Frontiers fired its clinical director.
New Frontiers, a Garfield County-based nonprofit, opened the home last summer after receiving a $95,000 grant to create a drop-in center for youth from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As approved by the department, the non-profit was to help youth connect with services, such as counseling, schooling and medical care.
Instead, youth were allowed to live at the home, which had no licensed clinical staff nor the proper permits.
Peters said the program's current grant of $106,000 runs through June.
"We're hoping there would be an entity that would come forward and make that program functions as it should," said Peters, adding that her center would maintain oversight.
The Family Support Center also oversees the state's Safety Net Committee, which provides services to polygamous communities and facilitates communication with government agencies.
Beth Cottam of Five County said there is a need for homeless youth services in southern Utah beyond teenagers from the polygamous community.
New Frontiers' annual report said it provided services to 114 teenagers and young adults. More than half were older than 18 years of age, according to the report.
The youth say they left or were asked to leave their families because of delinquent behavior or disagreement with the sect's stringent religious standards.
Peters said Thursday her goal is to ensure the program is properly set up to protect the teenagers and provide the services they need. And helping them stay connected with their families is "vital."
"I have found so many of the parents are worried about them and a lot of it's teenage stuff," she said.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
37 kids left in FLDS custody case
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705259021,00.html
Excerpt
"We're delighted. It's about time," said Mark Ticer, a court-appointed attorney for four children ranging in age from 5 to 10. "And the department lived up to the representations that they made about doing it."
CPS has said the reasons for nonsuiting a child vary from no evidence of abuse being found to parents taking adequate steps to protect their children from abuse. Nonsuiting does not necessarily end CPS's role in the families' lives. Many parents agreed to attend classes or get therapy for their children.
Ticer said one of his child clients still has a class to attend. As the Deseret News first reported earlier this month, CPS has required 63 girls from the polygamous sect to attend seminars on sexual abuse, underage marriage and Texas law.
-------------------------------------------------
CPS investigators appear to have narrowed their focus to at least 10 cases of alleged underage marriages.
Only one child, a 14-year-old girl allegedly married at age 12 to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, has been returned to foster care. A judge ruled her mother was unable to protect her from abuse. Six other children also remain under CPS authority after their parents signed deals with the agency.
A criminal probe also continues. Nine FLDS men, including Jeffs, have been indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges that include sexual assault of a child, bigamy and failure to report child abuse.
The grand jury meets again in November and December.
Excerpt
"We're delighted. It's about time," said Mark Ticer, a court-appointed attorney for four children ranging in age from 5 to 10. "And the department lived up to the representations that they made about doing it."
CPS has said the reasons for nonsuiting a child vary from no evidence of abuse being found to parents taking adequate steps to protect their children from abuse. Nonsuiting does not necessarily end CPS's role in the families' lives. Many parents agreed to attend classes or get therapy for their children.
Ticer said one of his child clients still has a class to attend. As the Deseret News first reported earlier this month, CPS has required 63 girls from the polygamous sect to attend seminars on sexual abuse, underage marriage and Texas law.
-------------------------------------------------
CPS investigators appear to have narrowed their focus to at least 10 cases of alleged underage marriages.
Only one child, a 14-year-old girl allegedly married at age 12 to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, has been returned to foster care. A judge ruled her mother was unable to protect her from abuse. Six other children also remain under CPS authority after their parents signed deals with the agency.
A criminal probe also continues. Nine FLDS men, including Jeffs, have been indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges that include sexual assault of a child, bigamy and failure to report child abuse.
The grand jury meets again in November and December.
Monday, October 27, 2008
2 lawyers in FLDS custody case quit
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705257758,00.html
Two of the government lawyers handling the massive child custody case involving the Fundamentalist LDS Church have quit.
"It is with great regret that I hereby tender my resignation as staff attorney for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, effective Nov. 1, 2008, or at whatever earlier date may be most convenient and least disruptive to the operations of the agency," Charles Childress wrote in a resignation letter obtained by the Deseret News.
Childress, a highly regarded family law attorney who wrote many of the agency's courtroom policies when he worked there from 1997-2001, was brought back specifically to handle the FLDS case in July. Contacted by the Deseret News on Friday, Childress would not say why he was leaving.
"I really can't talk about it at all," Childress said.
Texas Child Protective Services officials also are not commenting on why Childress is leaving, but said they are in the process of reorganizing their legal team based in San Angelo, Texas, right now.
Childress is not the only lawyer who worked the FLDS child custody case to resign recently. Gary Banks, who was the lead counsel when the 439 children were taken into state custody immediately following the raid, resigned Oct. 3 to take a position with a Texas law firm.
"I have concluded this decision is best for me and my family, and I hope you will understand my decision," he wrote in an e-mail to his superiors.
Preparing for his departure, Childress said he expects most of the FLDS custody case will be wrapped up by the end of the month.
"I anticipate that we will have resolved all but a handful of pending cases through cooperative agreements with the parents, resulting in dismissal of the department's suits by early November," he wrote.
The remaining cases may end up going to trial next year. Three cases involving children either placed back in foster care or returned to their parents under family service plans will be up for dismissal in February 2009.
"The dismissal date for all other cases is April 13, 2009, although there is an argument that could be made against applying this deadline," Childress wrote.
To date, 415 people have been "nonsuited" by a judge in San Angelo in the ongoing custody battle. That leaves approximately 50 children still involved in pending legal cases. The Deseret News tally includes 26 "disputed minors," FLDS women that CPS initially believed were minors but later conceded were adults.
Two of the government lawyers handling the massive child custody case involving the Fundamentalist LDS Church have quit.
"It is with great regret that I hereby tender my resignation as staff attorney for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, effective Nov. 1, 2008, or at whatever earlier date may be most convenient and least disruptive to the operations of the agency," Charles Childress wrote in a resignation letter obtained by the Deseret News.
Childress, a highly regarded family law attorney who wrote many of the agency's courtroom policies when he worked there from 1997-2001, was brought back specifically to handle the FLDS case in July. Contacted by the Deseret News on Friday, Childress would not say why he was leaving.
"I really can't talk about it at all," Childress said.
Texas Child Protective Services officials also are not commenting on why Childress is leaving, but said they are in the process of reorganizing their legal team based in San Angelo, Texas, right now.
Childress is not the only lawyer who worked the FLDS child custody case to resign recently. Gary Banks, who was the lead counsel when the 439 children were taken into state custody immediately following the raid, resigned Oct. 3 to take a position with a Texas law firm.
"I have concluded this decision is best for me and my family, and I hope you will understand my decision," he wrote in an e-mail to his superiors.
Preparing for his departure, Childress said he expects most of the FLDS custody case will be wrapped up by the end of the month.
"I anticipate that we will have resolved all but a handful of pending cases through cooperative agreements with the parents, resulting in dismissal of the department's suits by early November," he wrote.
The remaining cases may end up going to trial next year. Three cases involving children either placed back in foster care or returned to their parents under family service plans will be up for dismissal in February 2009.
"The dismissal date for all other cases is April 13, 2009, although there is an argument that could be made against applying this deadline," Childress wrote.
To date, 415 people have been "nonsuited" by a judge in San Angelo in the ongoing custody battle. That leaves approximately 50 children still involved in pending legal cases. The Deseret News tally includes 26 "disputed minors," FLDS women that CPS initially believed were minors but later conceded were adults.
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