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| Cowboy Justice | |
 Warren Jeffs kissing one of his 12-year-old "child brides" on July 27, 2006 |
"Judge?" Check. "Lawyers?" Check. "Rope?" Check. "OK, let's go get us some justice." -- Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann |
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Photos seized during the April 2008 raid on the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas were released at a child-custody hearing in San Angelo on May 23, 2008. These photos offer proof that Warren Jeffs not only ordered underage girls to marry, but took underage brides himself. One of Warren's child brides was the 12-year-old daughter of Merril and Barbara Jessop. This photograph of the couple shows Warren kissing the girl in a manner that CPS lawyers described as "how a husband kisses a wife." And the Bishop's Records indicate that Warren "married" her on July 27, 2006 at the YFZ Ranch. These photos were taken only a month before Warren's arrest, while he was still a fugitive listed on the FBI's 10 most wanted list.
A search warrant affidavit, seeking Warren's DNA, was filed on May 29, 2008 and DNA samples were subsequently collected from him at the Mohave County Jail in Kingman, Arizona were he was incarcerated on charges of being an accomplice to incest and sexual conduct with a minor. The samples were taken as part of an investigation into whether Warren sexually assaulted four girls at the YFZ Ranch in January 2004 and July 2006. Investigators have wedding photos and church marriage records indicating Warren "spiritually married" four girls ranging in age from 12 to 14. At least one girl conceived a child at 15, the affidavit says. These DNA samples will be used to to help determine whether Warren fathered any children born to underage mothers. The marriage records (also referred to as the Bishop's Record) and photographs seized during the April 2008 raid implicate Warren for marrying another underage 14-year-old girl on or about January 18, 2004 in Utah. Investigators said the records and photos also provided evidence that this girl gave birth to a child believed to have been fathered by Warren (who was almost 50 years old) and that this girl "was approximately 15 years-of-age" at the time of conception. The search warrant affidavit states that in a photograph "the two are depicted at the birth of their child" and the girl "is seen with Jeffs holding a new born child wrapped in a blanket." The search warrant affidavit goes on to say that "Warren Jeffs 'married' two other children at the YFZ Ranch in addition to his purported marriage to" the 2 girls mentioned above. One he married on July 22, 2004 who was "14 years-of-age at the time of the 'marriage' ". And then there was a marriage on April 16, 2005 to another girl who was "12 years-of-age at the time of the 'marriage' ". On Tuesday, July 22, 2008 a Schleicher County, Texas grand jury indicted 6 men from the YFZ ranch. Four of those men were indicted on charges of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 17 and one man received an additional charge of bigamy. Those charges are all first-degree felonies that carry a potential of 99 years in prison or even a life sentence. One of these six men, Warren Jeffs, was charged with sexually assaulting a young girl under age 17 some time around January 2005. The indictment said he "was prohibited from marrying or purporting to marry" or "living under the appearance of being married," with this child bride. Warren is alleged to have "married" at least one little girl who was only 12 years old at the time. He was 52 years old when he did this. Warren was charged the next day while sitting in his jail cell in Kingman, Arizona, where he was incarcerated awaiting trial there for performing 2 underage child bride "marriages" to girls he "married" off, against their will, to their 1st cousins. Below are articles about how Warren Jeffs was very busy marrying little girls while he was on the run from the FBI. These articles are listed in chronological order. | |
| Polygamist Sect Custody Hearings on Hold as Parents Await Court Decision | |
| State Has Photos of Leader Warren Jeffs Kissing a Girl Alleged to Be 12 | |
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ABC News Originally published May 28, 2008 | |
| Texas officials say they have additional evidence of abuse among the hundreds of children who were taken into state custody last month from a polygamist sect's West Texas ranch. Some of that evidence, including testimony from an alleged child bride shown in photographs kissing sect leader Warren Jeffs, was to be presented Tuesday at a custody hearing for the child of one of the sect mothers. But before any of the evidence, which state officials would not describe, was entered into evidence, the state and sect lawyers resolved the case, agreeing that Child Protective Services will maintain custody of Louisa Bradshaw's baby, who was born in state custody. Bradshaw was initially taken into custody because officials thought she was a minor, although they have since said that she is older than 18. She will be allowed to stay with her baby in a shelter. Photographs showing Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs kissing a girl, who Texas state officials have said was 12 at the time she entered into a spiritual marriage with Jeffs, were introduced as evidence in Bradshaw's case last week. The photographs, dated 2006, say "one year anniversary." Child Protective Services has said Bradshaw and her husband lived in the same building as the girl, on the Yearning for Zion Ranch. Patrick Crimmons, a CPS spokesman, said the girl in photo the is in Child Protective Services custody. Rod Parker, an attorney and spokesman for the church, said the photos were "just a publicity stunt by CPS because they feel their case caving in around them." Read more | |
| Grand jury leaves sect case in limbo | |
| No indictments issued, but panel meets anew in July | |
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By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, June 26, 2008 | |
| ELDORADO - Hearing testimony from 10 or more witnesses, a Schleicher County grand jury opened its investigation into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with a marathon day of evidence that produced no indictments as yet. Opening sometime after 9 a.m. and adjourning close to 6 p.m. Wednesday, the seven-man, five-woman panel interviewed an undetermined number of law enforcement personnel, at least six sect girls and young women, and at least one attorney. "The investigation is still ongoing," said Schleicher County District Clerk Peggy Williams after the grand jury had adjourned. "There are no indictments today." The panel meets again July 22, said Alan Futrell, attorney for the 16-year-old daughter of sect leader Warren Jeffs. Williams declined to confirm that date, directing questions to the state Attorney General's Office, which is leading the investigation and conducted the proceedings. A spokesman there did not return a phone message seeking comment Wednesday evening. Grand jury investigations typically are slow, secretive processes, with state law providing penalties for those who divulge the nature of the questions involved. Considering the especially complex nature of this case, Futrell said, the current proceedings were - and will be - no different. Read more | |
| AG May Seek DNA From Converse Girl In Polygamist Case | |
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Reported by: Demond Fernandez WOAI News 4 - San Antonio, Texas Originally broadcast July 11, 2008 | |
| A new twist in the investigation of a West Texas polygamist sect is now focused in the city of Converse. News 4 has learned the state may be trying to get DNA samples from a 12-year-old girl living there. According to News 4's sister-station in Austin, KXAN, a spokesman from the polygamist sect said the attorney general's office has a search warrant to get the child's DNA. KXAN-TV's staff alerted News 4 about the child after they got a call from the polygamist group's spokesman Willie Jessup. They said Jessup warned them investigators were going to the house in Converse with a search warrant. When News 4's Demond Fernandez knocked on the front door of the home Friday, no one answered. But an investigator's business card was on the door with an urgent message to call the attorney general's office. Members of the polygamist group have been the target of a major investigation since April, when the state raided the group's West Texas compound. More than 400 children were removed from the compound due to reports of sexual and physical abuse. News 4 called the attorney general's office Friday. A spokesman would only say they are "working with local and state investigators into possible criminal activity at the polygamist compound." The spokesman would not comment on specifics of the case. Read more | |
| Jeffs faces indictment over child bride swap | |
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally published July 21, 2008 | |
| ELDORADO, Texas (ABC 4 News) - Evidence of a swap of child brides could land polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs in even more legal trouble. The grand jury looking into the criminal allegations against the FLDS meets Tuesday, July 22 in the courthouse in Eldorado. Sources close to the Texas investigation predict "several" indictments will be handed up by the grand jury against some of the leading men of the FLDS polygamist group - including Jeffs. Jeffs is likely to be charged in connection with the swap that investigators say took place July 27, 2006 in a house on the Eldorado FLDS ranch belonging to Jeffs. At the time, Jeffs was a fugitive on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted List." The swap was made between Jeffs and one of his Lieutenants, Merril Jessop. Jessop is an FLDS "bishop" who runs the ranch. Jeffs reportedly got an underage bride from Jessop, and Jessop got a bride for one of his sons. In a dictation submitted Friday in 51st District Court, San Angelo, Texas, Jeffs is quoted as saying, "I looked at Merril Jessop, and he looked at me, and he said, 'I am willing,' and smiled. I said, 'I am willing.' I explained that the Lord wanted this young lady to be sealed to me to carry on in her training..." Pictures previously made public in court proceedings show wedding pictures of Jeffs posing and kissing the 11-year old daughter of Jessop. Read more | |
| Jeffs case may hinge on diaries, dictations | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, July 22, 2008 | |
| Diaries and dictations may be used to build underage marriage cases against Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs as a grand jury meets today in Eldorado, Texas. Court documents obtained by the Deseret News focus on three marriages allegedly performed by Jeffs on July 27, 2006, including one in which Jeffs himself is purported to have been "sealed" to a then-12-year-old girl. "I seek unto the Lord for his Spirit to be with me and guide this record-keeping," Jeffs began a dictation recorded that night. The document said it was recorded "at the place of refuge R17," which Texas authorities say is another name for the Yearning for Zion Ranch. In the dictation, Jeffs said he had a vision. "The Lord showed me a quorum of three ladies to assist. I thank the Lord for those gifts and blessings. I was shown that I should perform three marriage sealings tonight, Brother Wendell's daughter (name redacted,) my daughter Teresa, and also Merril Jessop's daughter (name redacted)," he said. The documents were exhibits in a report prepared by court-appointed child advocates in connection with the case of 16-year-old Teresa Jeffs. The girl is seeking to replace her court-appointed ad litem, Natalie Malonis, whom she accuses of not obeying her wishes in custody proceedings. Teresa Jeffs wants to meet with Judge Barbara Walther in an attempt to oust Malonis from her case. Read more | |
| Schleicher County grand jurors hand down seven indictments | |
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The Eldorado Success Originally published July 22, 2008 | |
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Schleicher County grand jurors handed down seven indictments consisting of nine counts against six individuals following a day-long session presided over by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. Only one indictment was made public so far, that of Warren Steed Jeffs for 1st degree felony sexual assault of a child. READ HERE The remaining indictments will be made public as the warrants are served. It was further announced that all the suspects are men and at least one of the charges is a bigamy charge.
Texas A.G. Greg Abbott announced seven indictments containing nine counts against six individuals. He made one of the indictments public, a 1st Degree Felony charge of Sexual Assualt of a Child against Warren Steed Jeffs. There is also a charge of bigamy against an unnamed suspect as well as charges of failure to report abuse. Abbott's statement followed a day-long session with Schleicher County grand jurors as they reviewed evidence and testimony in the YFZ Ranch criminal probe. | |
| Texas grand jury indicts polygamist sect members | |
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By MICHELLE ROBERTS The Associated Press Charlotte Observer Originally published Tuesday, July 22, 2008 | |
| ELDORADO, Texas -- A Texas grand jury indicted polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs and four of his followers Tuesday on charges of felony sexual assault of a child. Another was indicted for failing to report child abuse. Attorney General Greg Abbott said the five men are charged with one count of sexually assaulting girls under age 17. One of them, but not the 52-year-old Jeffs, faces an additional charge of bigamy. Abbott said a sixth member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is charged with three counts of failure to report child abuse. Jeffs, already convicted of being accomplice to rape in Utah and awaiting trial in Arizona on other charges related to underage marriages, is accused of assaulting a girl in Texas in January 2005, according to the indictment issued Tuesday. "Our investigation in this matter is not concluded," said Abbott, whose office is acting as the special prosecutor in the case. The grand jury in this tiny western Texas ranching community will continue consideration of other possible criminal charges on Aug. 21, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because proceedings of the panel are secret by law. The identities of the Jeffs' followers who were indicted in addition to him were not released Tuesday because the indictments remain sealed until authorities can arrest the men. "There will be an aggressive effort to apprehend them," Abbott said when asked whether he was concerned the men might have fled Texas. Read more | |
| Jeffs, FLDS members indicted in Texas | |
| Jeffs, 5 others indicted | |
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By Pat Reavy and Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, July 23, 2008 | |
| ELDORADO, Texas — Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs could be served with a grand jury indictment today in his Arizona jail cell, charging him here with sexual assault, a first-degree felony. A Schleicher County grand jury indicted Jeffs late Tuesday, alongside five other FLDS members. Their indictments remain sealed because they have not been taken into custody. "I believe they're not in the area," Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran told the Deseret News Tuesday night. Four of those men were indicted on charges of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 17 and one man received an additional charge of bigamy. Those charges are all first-degree felonies that carry a potential of 99 years in prison or even a life sentence. The last man was indicted on three misdemeanor counts of failing to report child abuse, which could garner six months in jail. "We are certainly shocked," FLDS member Willie Jessop said Tuesday night. "We'll face those allegations as soon as we know who they're looking for. We think it's ridiculous." The indictment accuses Jeffs of committing the offense around Jan. 14, 2005, in Schleicher County. Jeffs sexually assaulted a girl under age 17 whom under Texas law he "was prohibited from marrying or purporting to marry" or "living under the appearance of being married," the indictment said. Around the same time in 2005, Jeffs was reportedly at the YFZ Ranch dedicating the foundation of the group's temple. Jeffs was arrested in August 2006 in a traffic stop outside Las Vegas, then a fugitive on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. The YFZ ranch was raided in April, and hundreds of boxes of evidence were seized as Texas child welfare workers and law enforcement investigated allegations of abuse. "I just believe the state of Texas is going to continue to move forward on this and continue investigation and identify crimes that have been committed," Doran said. Read more | |
| Turning Up the Heat on Polygamists | |
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By HILARY HYLTON / AUSTIN TIME Magazine Originally published Thursday, Jul. 24, 2008 | |
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The Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) had basked in victory after the Texas Supreme Court ordered the return of the children taken from its ranch in Eldorado in April. But the state's attorney general Greg Abbott pledged to prosecute FLDS members to the full extent of the law. And this week, after going through evidence taken from the Yearning for Zion Ranch, Abbott indicted Warren Jeffs — the "Prophet" of the polygamists — along with four of his followers on charges of first-degree felony sexual assault of a minor. (The four men were not named, and law-enforcement officials are still seeking their arrest.) Evidence gathered during the raid included two photographs of young girls — one age 12, the other 13 — sitting in Jeffs' lap and embracing him, and kissing him in one photo. One was marked "first anniversary," the other as a marriage photo.
The 12-year-old shown kissing Jeffs is a stepdaughter of Carolyn Jessop, whose book Escape details her flight from the FLDS. Married at 18 to 50-year-old Merrill Jessop — now the 72-year-old leader at the YFZ Ranch — she said one of her daughters had a recent conversation about the photograph with her half brother who still lives at the ranch. "What's wrong with it?" the boy asked. "There is a lot of denial," Carolyn Jessop says, and Jeffs still commands loyalty despite his imprisonment. Jeffs moved the FLDS "aristocracy" to Texas, Jessop says, and little girls were given great status as they were married off to older men: "spiritual marriages" (polygamy) pave the way to the highest ring of heaven, and this enhances the girls' social position. Read more | |
| Five members of polygamous sect surrender | |
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CNN Originally published Monday, July 28, 2008 | |
| (CNN) -- Five members of a polygamous sect who were indicted alongside leader Warren Jeffs last week turned themselves in Monday to face sexual assault charges, Texas authorities said. Four of Jeffs' followers were charged with one count of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 17, and each faces five to 99 years in prison, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said. One of those four also faces a bigamy charge. A fifth follower is charged with three counts of failure to report child abuse, he said. Bail for the defendants facing felony charges -- Raymond Merrill Jessop, 36, Allan Eugene Keate, 56, Michael George Emack, 57, and Merrill Leroy Jessop, 33 -- was set at $100,000 each. Lloyd Hammon Barlow, 38, charged with the misdemeanor failure to report child abuse, faces a sentence of up to six months in prison and a fine of $2,000 per count. A Texas grand jury indicted Jeffs last week on sexual assault charges, Abbott said. Jeffs was charged Tuesday with sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony. A conviction on the charge could mean a maximum penalty of five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of $10,000, said Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the attorney general. Read more | |
| Removal is sought of 8 FLDS kids again | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 | |
| Texas child welfare authorities have filed court papers asking a judge to put eight children from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch back into foster care. Child Protective Services claims it is because the mothers have refused to limit the children's contact with men involved in underage marriages, suggesting the families are being uncooperative. "We are concerned about the welfare of these eight children," said Marleigh Meisner, a CPS spokeswoman. "We have found in these particular cases, these children do not have a protective parent who is willing to ensure their safety." The six girls and two boys, ages 5 to 17, will not be removed from their homes immediately. A judge in San Angelo has set a Sept. 25 court hearing to consider the request. In affidavits filed with the motions, child welfare workers don't explicitly state that any of the children have been sexually abused. One of the children, a 14-year-old girl, was married at age 12 to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. The girl said in an interview that "it isn't what CPS is making it to be." "She said that the marriages are pure," CPS caseworker Ruby Gutierrez wrote in an affidavit. "Further, (the girl) stated that this can't be a crime because Heavenly Father is the one that tells Warren when a girl is ready to get married and that he is only following the word of Heavenly Father." Texas child welfare authorities have claimed that children on the Yearning for Zion Ranch are at risk of abuse, with girls becoming child brides and boys growing up to become sexual perpetrators. As part of the massive custody battle, CPS asked parents to sign service plans to protect their children — including a requirement that the children be kept away from men who may have been involved in underage marriages. In these cases, the parents refused to sign. Read more | |
| Data bolstering case against Jeffs | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 | |
| Marriage records, dictations and even love letters to Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs are being used to bolster Texas child welfare authorities' claims of underage marriages within the Utah-based polygamous sect. Documents filed in a San Angelo court on Tuesday allege more marriages — including a pair of 12-year-old girls married to Jeffs. "I am praying to become a Heavenly comfort Wife for you. I love you so much I pray I may be worthy to advance. I fill (sic) you so close. Love always," one of the girls wrote in a 2005 letter included in the court filings. In dictations made by Jeffs, other FLDS leaders are implicated in the marriage ceremonies — including YFZ Ranch leader Merril Jessop. "Then I looked at Merril Jessop and he looked at me and he said, 'I am willing,' and smiled. I said, 'I am willing.' I explained that the Lord wanted this young lady to be sealed to me to carry on in her training, even to witness great things in the Lord," Jeffs said in a July 27, 2006, dictation in which he said Jessop married a 12-year-old daughter to Jeffs. Affidavits filed by child welfare workers claim evidence of at least 10 underage marriages. The girls range in age from 12 to 16, CPS said. In the July 2006 dictation, Jeffs also sealed a 15-year-old girl to Merril Leroy Jessop, 33, who was indicted last month by a Schleicher County grand jury on a sexual assault charge, as well as bigamy. Another indicted man, Raymond Merril Jessop, 36, is also alleged to have married a 15-year-old girl. Read more | |
| Texas seeks custody of teen Jeffs allegedly wed | |
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By MICHELLE ROBERTS The Associated Press Houston Chronicle Originally published August 18, 2008 | |
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — The mother of a girl allegedly given in marriage at age 12 to jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs refused to answer questions Monday from attorneys for the state child welfare agency that wants to regain custody of the girl and her younger brother. The state wants to remove the girl, now 14, and an 11-year-old brother from the mother's care, saying 55-year-old Barbara Jessop isn't a suitable caregiver because her daughter and several other children were involved in underage marriages. Jessop has 10 children, and Ruby Gutierrez, an investigator for Child Protective Services, testified Monday that two adult sons took underage brides and three daughters were given in marriage when they were underage. The children's father, Fredrick "Merril" Jessop, allegedly blessed the girls' marriages. Two of the girls are now over 18. The Jessop hearing ended after CPS attorneys finished presenting their evidence Monday evening and was scheduled to resume Tuesday morning with witnesses for Barbara Jessop. During the proceedings Monday, Texas Ranger Nick Hannah introduced into the record dozens of documents seized from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado showing marriages recorded in certificates, photos and church census documents. He said the 30 documents introduced at the hearing were among "hundreds of thousands" of documents taken from the ranch in April. Barbara Jessop refused to answer roughly 50 questions asked by attorneys for the child welfare agency, including what constituted abuse, the names of her children and her relationship with their father. "I stand on the Fifth (Amendment)," she said repeatedly in a flat tone. Her attorney, Gonzalo Rios, said Jessop was exercising her right against self-incrimination because of the continuing criminal investigation. Two of Merril Jessop's sons have been indicted on charges of sexual assault of a child, as has Jeffs. Read more | |
| 'I stand on Fifth,' FLDS mom tells court in custody battle | |
| CPS wants judge to put 7 children in foster care | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 | |
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — To nearly every question she was asked, Barbara Jessop gave the same answer: "I stand on the Fifth." "Can you name the children you have given birth to?" Texas Child Protective Services attorney Jeff Schmidt asked her during a contentious custody hearing here on Monday. "I stand on the Fifth," she replied stoically. "What dates did you live at the YFZ Ranch?" "I stand on the Fifth." "Is it wrong for a girl under 17 to marry a man more than 21 years older than she is?" "I stand on the Fifth." Child Protective Services is seeking to remove seven FLDS children from their homes and place them in foster care. They are among the hundreds taken in the April raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch who were subsequently ordered returned a couple of months later. Two cases involving three children are being negotiated in hopes of a possible settlement. "We're hopeful that there will be an agreement and that the judge will hear it," said CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner. At the hearing Monday, Jessop's attorney said she didn't want to answer the questions because they could incriminate her in a criminal investigation that is under way. Jessop refused to identify her daughter in photos presented to her that showed her then-12-year-old daughter kissing Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs on their purported wedding day. Read more | |
| Judge orders FLDS leader's bride into state custody | |
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By Lisa Sandberg San Antonio Express-News Originally published August 19, 2008 | |
| SAN ANGELO -- A judge here ordered the child bride of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs to be placed in state custody Tuesday, saying she feared the girl's mother was unable to protect her. "Allowing the child to remain (in her mother's custody) would be contrary to the interests of the girl," said state District Judge Barbara Walther. Walther, however, denied a request by Child Protective Services for custody of the girl's 11-year-old brother and ordered that he remain with his mother. The judge ordered that neither child be allowed contact with their father, Frederick "Merril" Jessop, also a sect leader. Testimony at the two-day custody hearing indicated Frederick Jessop was not currently living with the mother, Barbara Jessop. "It's a very difficult decision for a judge to make," said Marleigh Meisner, an attorney for CPS. "We certainly respect her decision." Barbara Jessop had no comment as she exited the courtroom. Three other cases involving custody of children in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are pending in Walther's courtroom. Earlier Tuesday, CPS attorneys argued that Barbara Jessop had displayed an unwillingness to protect her children from abuse and therefore should lose temporary custody of them. The daughter was "spiritually married" to the group's prophet, Warren Jeffs when she was 12 and he was 50. He was convicted in Utah of helping arrange marriages between adult men and underage girls and is awaiting trial on similar charges in Arizona. Attorneys for Barbara Jessop called no witnesses. Attorney Gonzalo Rios argued that the state singled out his client unfairly and failed to provide her the opportunity to show progress. Read more | |
| Judge orders child bride of Warren Jeffs into foster care | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008 | |
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — A judge has ordered a 14-year-old girl believed to be married to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs to be placed into foster care. But her 11-year-old brother will remain with his mother. "The court is concerned that the mother is unable to provide assurances she'd be able to protect the child in the future," Judge Barbara Walther said of the girl, while making her ruling here on Tuesday. Barbara Jessop left the courthouse showing little emotion. Fundamentalist LDS Church member and spokesman Willie Jessop called the judge's actions "barbaric." "Who can tear families apart like that when there's clearly no evidence? They haven't had any evidence for years that there's been any marriages at all," he said as he left court. "Let alone anything to justify what she's done. It's barbaric." Barbara Jessop's attorney, Gonzalo Rios, told a Deseret News reporter afterward that they would appeal. Read more | |
| FLDS mother seeks to change attorneys | |
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By Matt Phinney San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published September 25, 2008 | |
| The start of a hearing involving a 14-year-old girl who the state says was married two years ago to the FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs was delayed about seven hours Thursday while the court decided who all would represent her mother. In the end, the girl remains in the home of a New Braunfels foster family, and a new hearing has been set for Jan. 8 to determine her placement. Barbara Jessop lost custody of the girl last month after pleading the Fifth Amendment more than 50 times during a hearing. Jessop, one of dozens of parents who became embroiled in the state's largest child-custody action in April, is allowed to have one supervised phone call with the girl each week, as well as weekly face-to-face visits. According to testimony, the girl called Barbara Jessop as many as 21 times in one week, and notes secretly passed between her and the girl during visits. Cathie Irons, a CPS caseworker, said the relationship between mother and daughter still needs to be monitored. Otherwise, the girl appears to be doing fine, although some of her academic placement scores are low, Irons said. Jessop said she wants her daughter to come home. "I don't understand yet why she was taken away from me," Jessop said. Read more | |
| FLDS Leader Faces New Felony Charges | |
| "Prophet" Jeffs indicted by Schleicher County Grand Jury | |
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By Jim Forsyth 1200 WOAI News Radio - San Antonio, Texas Originally broadcast Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | |
| Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 'prophet' Warren Jeffs was indicted on felony charges for a second time today in connection with the April raid on the FLDS compound in Schleicher County, 1200 WOAI news reports. Jeffs was indicted on a second first degree felony county of aggravated sexual assault. Jeffs was indicted in July on charges of sexual assault of a child. Both are first degree felonies which carry punishment of up to 99 years in prison. Jeffs, 53, is already in prison in Utah where is is serving a ten year sentence on charges of arranging an underaged marriage at an FLDS compound there. He is awaiting trial on similar charges in Arizona. Three other FLDS members were also indicted on Wednesday. One if facing a felony charge of conducting an unlawful marriage ceremony involving a minor. A second was charged with thre counts of third degree bigamy. The third was charged with three bigamy counts and one count of tampering with physical evidence. Some 460 children were seized when state officials raided the Yearning for Zion Ranch in April. The vast majority of those children are now living with their parents. | |
| Warren Jeffs, three others, indicted in West Texas case | |
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By Corrie MacLaggan Austin American-Statesman - Austin, Texas Originally published Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | |
| A grand jury in Schleicher County today issued felony indictments against four people associated with the Yearning For Zion ranch in West Texas, including sect leader Warren Jeffs, according to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. With this latest action, a dozen people associated with the ranch owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have been indicted in what is still an ongoing investigation led by the Texas Rangers. Jeffs was indicted on first-degree felony charges of aggravated sexual assault, Abbott said. That is in addition to Jeffs' July indictment on charges of sexually assaulting a child, the attorney general said. Abbott didn't name the other three defendants. One was indicted on charges of conducting an unlawful marriage ceremony involving a minor. Another was indicted on three counts of bigamy. The final defendant was indicted on three charges of bigamy and one charge of tampering with physical evidence, Abbott said. The charges "reflect a cooperative effort" between the Attorney General’s Office, Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety, 51st Judicial District Attorney Steve Lupton and United States District Attorney Richard Roper, Abbott said in a statement. "For months, dedicated men and women from our Cyber Crimes, Fugitive and Special Investigations Units have literally been living in San Angelo, commuting home to their families on weekends," Abbott's statement said. Texas officials in April removed more than 400 children from the ranch after they said an investigation determined that young girls were being forced into marriages with older men. State officials returned the children after a Texas Supreme Court ruling said that the state failed to show that more than a few were at risk. | |
| Polygamist leader faces new sex assault charge | |
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CNN Originally published Wed November 12, 2008 | |
| (CNN) -- A grand jury has indicted polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs on a second sexual assault charge in connection with a probe of his Texas compound, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Schleicher County, Texas, grand jury charged Jeffs, who already could be sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of a different charge in Utah, with a first-degree felony count of aggravated sexual assault. The indictment is Jeffs' second in Schleicher County. In July, he was charged with sexually assaulting a child under 17. Grand jurors have also indicted three more members of Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, prosecutors said Wednesday. One member faces a count of conducting the unlawful marriage of a minor, another faces three counts of bigamy and a third faces three counts of bigamy and one count of tampering with evidence. The Texas charges stem from a state and federal investigation into the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch outside Eldorado, about 190 miles northwest of San Antonio. In April, child welfare workers removed more than 400 children from the compound, citing allegations of physical and sexual abuse. After a court battle, the Texas Supreme Court ordered the children returned in June, saying the state had no right to remove them and there was no evidence to show the children faced imminent danger of abuse on the ranch. To date, 12 people associated with the compound have been indicted as part of the investigation, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said. Read more | |
| State still seeks custody of sect's 14-year-old bride | |
| Welfare officials want assurance girl in FLDS won't be married again | |
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By TERRI LANGFORD Houston Chronicle Originally published January 6, 2009 | |
| 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. Read more | |
| FLDS mother wants jury to decide custody | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009 | |
| Texas child welfare authorities are seeking permanent conservatorship of a 14-year-old girl allegedly married to Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs. The girl's mother wants a jury to ultimately decide who gets custody of all of her children. Barbara Jessop's attorney, Valerie J. Malara, filed a demand notice in an Eldorado, Texas, court, seeking a jury trial to decide custody over her three children. The demand was filed in advance of a permanency hearing scheduled Thursday in San Angelo, Texas, where child welfare authorities were to update a judge on the girl's status in foster care. The girl, believed to have been married at age 12 to Jeffs, was ordered back into foster care in August after a judge ruled Jessop failed to protect her from abuse. In a Child Protective Services status report filed in the case and obtained by the Deseret News on Monday, child welfare workers sought "permanent managing conservatorship" over the girl. In the immediate future, CPS is asking to keep the girl in foster care. "We are still hopeful for reunification in this case, if it can be achieved," agency spokesman Patrick Crimmins said Monday. Malara did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Permanent managing conservatorship would give CPS widespread authority over the girl under Texas law, including the right to decide care, education, medical care, legal rights, the right to consent to a marriage and even direct the "moral and religious training of the child." The CPS report said Jessop "has not demonstrated herself as a safe and responsible caregiver." Read more | |
| Custody Hearing for FLDS Girl | |
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Reported by: Laura Kellerman/RNS KRBC - KTAB TV Abilene Originally broadcast Wednesday, Jan 7, 2009 | |
| A hearing is scheduled in Texas Thursday to discuss a young teenage girl who is in foster care following a raid at the FLDS ranch last April. The girl is believed to have been married to the polygamist sect's leader Warren Jeffs. Child Protective Services asked the judge to place the girl back into temporary foster care last August after her mother refused to sign safety plans to protect her from sexual abuse and limit contact with men involved in underage marriages. The state could now seek permanent custody of the girl. State officials removed nearly 440 children from the west Texas Yearning for Zion Ranch in April 2008. CPS officials have continued their investigation after the children were returned to their families in June following a Texas Supreme Court ruling. Twelve men have been charged in connection with the Texas Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound, including Jeffs. He was indicted in Texas for sexually assaulting a child and is currently serving time behind bars on other charges. | |
| State aims to keep Jeffs' alleged wife | |
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By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, January 8, 2009 | |
| Texas now is seeking permanent custody of the alleged child bride of polygamous-sect leader Warren Jeffs, a shift from previous stated goals that it wanted to reunify the now-14-year-old girl with her family. In a progress report filed in advance of today's custody hearing, the state's Child Protective Services agency argues that Barbara Jessop appears incapable of providing a safe home for her daughter. Barbara Jessop's husband, Frederick Merril Jessop, was the leader of the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County that served as home to hundreds of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. "Barbara Jessop has not demonstrated herself as a safe and responsible caregiver," the CPS report, written by caseworker Ashley Kennedy, states. A message The Associated Press left for Barbara Jessop's attorney was not returned, but FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop said the accusations that Barbara Jessop is an unfit mother are "absolutely ludicrous." According to the progress report, Jessop has been uncooperative with investigators and caseworkers. The report alleges she has failed to allow unannounced visits to her home and refused to provide any assurances that she would prevent the girl - 12 at the time of her alleged marriage to Jeffs - from being wed to an adult man before she is an adult. Attorneys will appear today at Tom Green county Courthouse in a regularly scheduled hearing to discuss the report. Read more | |
| BREAKING NEWS: Attorneys agree to trial in sect custody case | |
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By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published January 8, 2009 | |
| Attorneys today agreed on a September trial date to determine the custody of a 14-year-old girl who is alleged to be a child bride of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs. According to an order signed this afternoon by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther, the state will investigate another possible placement for the girl, who sect documents record as being married to Jeffs when she was 12 years old. Attorneys for the girl, her mother, Barbara Jessop, and the state's Child Protective Services agency declined to comment. The order otherwise leaves previous requirements intact for the girl and her mother, whom CPS has accused of being uncooperative since the girl's removal from her care last year. The state in a progress report filed last month said it is now seeking permanent custody of the girl - the only child of 439 removed in April from the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County who is in temporary state custody. The jury trial will take place Sept. 28 in Tom Green County, as the attorneys in a separate order agreed to waive the constitutional requirement that such a trial be held in Schleicher County, whose courthouse has no air conditioning. "Before you want a trial in Schleicher County in July or August," Walther told the attorneys to laughter in the courtroom, "I suggest you check out the courthouse." | |
| Polygamy leader's alleged bride subject of custody trial | |
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CNN Originally published January 9, 2009 | |
| (CNN) -- Court proceedings will be held in September to determine whether a 14-year-old girl believed to have married polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs should permanently remain in state custody. The September 28 proceedings were scheduled at a hearing Thursday in San Angelo, Texas, according to CNN affiliate KLST. The 14-year-old girl was one of 400 children removed in April from the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Yearning for Zion (YFZ) ranch near Eldorado, Texas. A judge later ordered the children returned after the Texas Supreme Court ruled there was no evidence the children were in imminent danger on the ranch. The girl was among those ordered released, but was taken back into foster care in August after child protection officials alleged her parents did not take measures to limit her contact with men involved in underage marriage. According to court documents filed in December, the girl's mother, Barbara Jessop, "has not demonstrated herself as a safe and responsible caregiver" and "has not demonstrated that she can provide a safe and stable home" for the girl. In counseling sessions, Jessop has denied that her daughter was abused, the documents said. The girl is believed to have married Jeffs as a 12-year-old in July 2006 with the consent of her parents. At the time, Jeffs was 50. Jeffs is also accused of marrying several other underage girls, authorities have said. Jeffs was indicted last year by a Texas grand jury, along with five FLDS members, on sexual assault charges. He is already facing a sentence of up to life in prison in Utah and is awaiting trial in Arizona. As part of the case, Texas authorities took DNA samples from Jeffs in May, saying at the time they were investigating allegations he "spiritually" married four girls ranging in age from 12 to 15. Read more | |
| Report: FLDS child told to manipulate caseworkers | |
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By TERRI LANGFORD Houston Chronicle Originally published February 3, 2009 | |
| A 14-year-old thought to be the youngest bride of jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was advised through text messages to "please stay angry" and to "keep crying, pout, sleep in" in an attempt to manipulate Texas caseworkers, according to a report filed with a San Angelo court. The girl is the only one of 439 children taken in last year's raid of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ranch in Eldorado who remains in foster care. In a report to state District Judge Barbara Walther, filed Jan. 27 in San Angelo, the girl's guardian ad-litem reported that a prepaid cell phone was given to the girl by her biological mother, Barbara Jessop. The foster family notified Texas Department of Child Protective Services that she had the phone and it was confiscated by the agency after several text messages were discovered on it, seemingly coming from the girl's mother and others. "Please stay angry," read one incoming message. "We need you to keep crying, pout, sleep in," read another. "CPS needs to see that you are miserable there." Records seized from the FLDS ranch in Eldorado, including excerpts from Jeffs' journals, indicate the girl was married to Jeffs when she was 12. Jeffs is the jailed leader of the FLDS, a breakaway Mormon sect that practices polygamy. Court officials in San Angelo confirmed this week that a report on the cell phone incident and its messages was filed last week by the Children's Advocacy Center, the girl's guardian ad-litem. Walther has ordered the district clerk's office not to release the report. Read more | |
| Lawyer asks to quit FLDS custody case | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009 | |
| A lawyer appointed to represent a 14-year-old girl believed to have been married at age 12 to Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs is seeking to drop out of the child custody case. Court clerks in San Angelo, Texas, confirmed to the Deseret News on Tuesday that Carmen Dusek filed a motion to withdraw as the girl's attorney. The reasons why were not immediately clear as the filing had not been made public. "She does not comment on pending cases," said a woman who answered the phone at Dusek's law firm. A judge will consider the motion on Friday, the same day she plans to take up the case of 17-year-old Teresa Jeffs, the daughter of the FLDS leader. Meanwhile, a report on the 14-year-old girl accused her mother of text messaging her, urging her to "stay angry" and to "keep crying" because "CPS needs to see that you are miserable there." The Court Appointed Special Advocates, an independent body acting on behalf of a child's best interests, filed a report on the girl earlier this week. Court officials declined to release it saying that a judge had agreed to hear a motion to seal it Friday. The San Angelo Standard-Times obtained a copy and reports it recommended the judge halt visitation between the girl and her mother, Barbara Jessop. "CASA is shocked that Mrs. Jessop would place her daughter again in a situation where she would be forced to sneak around to communicate," the newspaper quoted the report as saying. "The text messages telling (the girl) how to behave are disturbing." Read more | |
| Report: Texts coached girl | |
| Agency: She was told to 'cry, pout' | |
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By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published February 4, 2009 | |
| A 14-year-old girl alleged to be a wife of Warren Jeffs received text messages while in foster care telling her to "please stay angry" and to "keep crying, pout, sleep in," according to a court-appointed guardians' report obtained by the Standard-Times. The report, filed last week in the 51st District Court by San Angelo-based Court-Appointed Special Advocates, describes a series of text messages sent to the girl between Jan. 15 and Jan. 21 from a contact labeled as "POP." The girl's attorney, Valerie Trevino, recommends in the report that 51st District Judge Barbara Walther halt visitation between the girl and her mother, Barbara Jessop, except when monitored by a therapist. It also recommends barring all phone communication between the two. "CASA is shocked that Mrs. Jessop would place her daughter again in a situation where she would be forced to sneak around to communicate," the report states. "The text messages telling (the girl) how to behave are disturbing." Brett H. Pritchard, the Killeen-based attorney for Jessop, declined to comment on the report. A hearing on whether to seal the report is scheduled for Friday, and a court administrator said it remains under temporary seal until the hearing. "Come to the hearing on Friday, and you'll hear all my problems with it," Pritchard said. The girl's court-appointed attorney, Carmen Symes Dusek, of San Angelo, declined to comment. Child Protective Services investigators allege the girl was married at age 12 to Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in a 2006 ceremony at the sect's YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County. Read more | |
| Sect mother denies telling daughter to manipulate caseworkers | |
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By TERRI LANGFORD Houston Chronicle Originally published February 4, 2009 | |
| The mother of the 14-year-old bride of jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs did not coach the girl to manipulate Texas caseworkers through cell phone texts, attorneys for the woman said Wednesday. The girl, the only one of the 439 children removed by last year by Texas Department of Child Protective Services from a polygamist sect's ranch in Eldorado who remains in foster care, was found with a cell phone on Jan. 20. Incoming texts on the cell phone, according to a court report filed last week, instructed the girl to "please stay angry," "crying will get you what you want and "CPS needs to se that you are miserable there." The girl eventually admitted that her mother, Barbara Jessop, gave her the phone, outraging the girl's guardian, who works for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in San Angelo. "CASA is shocked that Mrs. Jessop would place her daughter again in a situation where she would be forced to sneak around to communicate," wrote Valerie Trevino, a CASA case manager and the girl's guardian ad litem. "The text messages telling (the girl) how to behave are disturbing." But attorneys for Jessop say the text messages in the report are not accurate. "Jessop's attorneys do not believe the statements contained in the CASA report accurately reflect the actual text messages and were taken out of context," said attorneys Valerie J. Malara and Brett Pritchard in a statement issued Wednesday. "It is believed that CASA's report was submitted to the court several days prior to CASA actually receiving the telephone texts from (CPS)." Read more | |
| FLDS mother criticizes child welfare report | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 | |
| The mother of a 14-year-old girl at the center of a custody fight with Texas child welfare authorities is criticizing a report about the girl. In a statement Wednesday, lawyers for Barbara Jessop denied that she or anyone acting on her behalf leaked a copy of the Court Appointed Special Advocates report to several Texas newspapers. The Deseret News also obtained a copy of the report, which described 36 text messages sent to the girl that included telling her to "please stay angry," "crying will get you what you want," and "CPS needs to see that you are miserable there." The report says the cell phone was smuggled to her by her mother. Jessop's attorneys, Valerie Malara and Brett Pritchard, said they are joining Texas Child Protective Services in seeking to have the report sealed in a hearing scheduled Friday, saying that publication of its contents are "inappropriate." They also take issue with what it says. "Jessop's attorneys do not believe the statements contained in the CASA report accurately reflect the actual text messages and were taken out of context," Malara and Pritchard wrote. CASA acknowledges it hadn't seen the text messages themselves by the time the report was filed with the judge, nor did CPS give any input on what it should do. CASA recommends that the girl's phone contact with her mother be cut off and that their in-person visits be restricted to twice a month and supervised by a therapist. Jessop's lawyers said the recommendations are "inappropriate, factually incorrect and heavy handed." Read more | |
| Text claims disputed by sect mom's attorneys | |
| Sect mom's attorneys say bits out of context | |
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By Paul A. Anthony San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published Thursday, February 5, 2009 | |
| Attorneys for YFZ Ranch matriarch Barbara Jessop sharply dispute a report intimating that the woman's daughter was coached on how to behave while in foster care. Valerie Malara and Brett H. Pritchard broke from their practice of declining comment on issues related to the state's investigation of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to criticize both the publication and the content of a report filed last week by the court-appointed guardian for Jessop's 14-year-old daughter. The attorneys' remarks provide a rare public prelude to what is expected to be a lengthy, possibly contentious hearing Friday in the Tom Green County courthouse. The guardian's report, obtained and published Tuesday by the Standard-Times, describes text messages telling the girl - an alleged wife of sect leader Warren Jeffs - to "please stay angry" and "to keep crying, pout, sleep in." "Jessop's attorneys have reviewed the CASA report and compared it to complete transcriptions of the text messages prepared by the Department," Malara and Pritchard said in a joint statement released Wednesday. "Jessop's attorneys do not believe the statements contained in the CASA report accurately reflect the actual text messages and were taken out of context." The statement chastises the release of the report, calling its publication "inappropriate," and asks media organizations to refrain from publishing any further reports "made in connection with the case so as to maintain the right of privacy of the individuals involved, as well as ensure a fair trial for all parties." Read more | |
| Texas Seeks Custody of Girl Allegedly Married to Polygamist Warren Jeffs | |
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The Associated Press FOX News Originally published Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | |
| AUSTIN, Texas — A 14-year-old girl allegedly married to polygamist group leader Warren Jeffs when she was 12 may be placed permanently in Texas state custody. Family and Protective Services Commissioner Anne Heilingenstein said during a legislative hearing on Tuesday that Child Protective Services would seek permanent custody of the girl because efforts to reunite her with her parents have failed. The girl is the only one of the 439 children taken from the Yearning For Zion Ranch last year still under court oversight. She has been in temporary foster care since last August. Jeffs leads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was convicted in Utah as an accomplice to rape and awaits trial on charges in Arizona and Texas related to underage marriages. | |
| Alleged underage bride to leave foster care | |
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The Associated Press Deseret News Originally published Thursday, May 7, 2009 | |
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — An alleged child bride of jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs will be allowed to leave foster care and live with a distant relative, a judge ruled Thursday. Texas District Judge Barbara Walther agreed to allow the 14-year-old girl — the only child from the Yearning For Zion Ranch remaining in foster care — to move in with the relative next week. Although some of the records in the case are sealed, the relative does not live at the ranch or in nearby San Angelo, said Child Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins. "CPS is comfortable with the placement, and the judge obviously was comfortable with it because she approved it," he said. The agency will continue to oversee her case and monitor visits with her mother until a Sept. 9 hearing, where the girl could be permanently placed with the relative. The girl, allegedly married to Jeffs shortly after her 12th birthday, was placed back in foster care last August. She had been among the 439 children returned to their parents in June after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state's decision to sweep all the Fundamentalist LDS children into foster care was overly broad. Walther, however, ordered the girl back into foster care after her mother, Barbara Jessop, refused to guarantee the girl's safety during a tense court hearing. Jessop, invoking her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, refused to answer about 50 questions, including what constituted abuse, the names of her children, her relationship with their father and whether a parent had an obligation to protect her children. At the time, Walther said there was "uncontroverted evidence" of the girl's underage marriage. Read more | |
| FLDS custody case officially ends in Texas; alleged 'bride' dropped from court oversight | |
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By Ben Winslow KSL NewsRadio Originally published July 23, 2009 | |
| SALT LAKE CITY -- The nation's largest child custody case has ended quietly with a judge's order. The battle for children from the Utah-based Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' ranch in Eldorado, Texas, was over Thursday when a judge signed an order effectively ended court oversight of a 15-year-old girl. She was the last of the 439 children taken into state protective custody when Texas child welfare authorities raided the ranch last year. "The court has stated that they will no longer continue to review the placement, progress and welfare of the child," said Valerie Malara, a lawyer representing the girl's mother, Barbara Jessop. "The attorney ad litem is dismissed out of the case, CASA's dismissed out of the case, and the state is out of the case as well." The order, signed Thursday by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther, places the girl in the custody of her aunt. Her parents, YFZ Ranch leader Merril Jessop and Barbara Jessop, will have visitation. The aunt, Naomi Carlisle, can determine how much that will be. A copy of the order, obtained by KSL Newsradio on Thursday, prohibited the girl from having any contact with FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. The girl is alleged to have been married at age 12 to Jeffs. She was ordered back into foster care last year after Walther ruled Barbara Jessop failed to protect her from abuse. At one point, Texas Child Protective Services sought to have "permanent managing conservatorship" over the girl. Read more | |
| Warren Jeffs 15 yr old wife returns to family | |
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By Bryan Oliver KVII 7 - Amarillo, Texas Originally published Friday, July 24, 2009 | |
| TEXAS -- There's been a big decision in one of the largest custody cases in the U.S. history and it happened in Texas. A Texas district judge signed an order giving a relative permanent custody of a young girl, 15, who was allegedly married to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeff when she was 12. She was the only child who remained in state custody after a massive April 2008 raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch near the West Texas town of Eldorado. The case at one point had 429 children in state custody. | |
| In mid September, attorney Greg Hoole wrote an editorial regarding the efforts of Teresa Jeffs' mother to replace Natalie Malonis, the Texas court-appointed guardian ad litem who had been assigned to protect Teresa's interests. Greg submitted this opinion piece to The Salt Lake Tribune for publication. Read it here. | |
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| Read the Tom Green County, Texas Court's Affidavit of Nick Hanna sent to Natalie Malonis providing Records of Warren Jeffs discussing child bride marriages and other FLDS crimes, faxed February 15, 2010 | |
| Read the Tom Green County, Texas Court's Subpoena of Nick Hanna by Natalie Malonis to provide Records of Warren Jeffs discussing child bride marriages and other FLDS crimes, dated February 13, 2010 | |
| Read the Request for Evidentiary Hearing filed in Kingman, Arizona on November 19, 2009 | |
| Read the Texas Court's Decision on the Motions to Suppress Evidence from the raid on the YFZ filed in Schleicher County, Texas October 2, 2009 | |
| Read the Texas Agreed Final Order in Suit Affecting The Parent-Child Relationship regarding Merrianne Jessop, filed July 23, 2009 | |
| Read the May 19, 2009 Affidavit of Sam Brower in response to the Subpoena and Notice of Deposition brought by Barbara Jessop (RE Merrianne Jessop's CPS case) scheduled for June 22, 2009 in San Angelo, Texas | |
| Video Courtesy of KSL.com Watch the KSL Video Last FLDS youth in custody could soon return to family broadcast on March 13, 2009 | |
| Read the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Eldorado Investigation Report released December 22, 2008 | |
| Read the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Petitioner's Designation of Expert Witnesses regarding the "best interest recommendation" for Warren and Annette Jeffs' children, dated December 18, 2008 | |
| Read the Texas indictment against Fredrick Merril Jessop for marrying off his 12-year-old daughter to Warren Jeffs filed November 12, 2008 | |
| Read the Sampson Merril Jessop, Merrianne Jessop and Benjamin Merril Jessop - Texas Case 2833 Motion for Conservatorship and Further Orders filed August 5, 2008. This court document contains many of the "Marriage Records" related to the charges of child sexual assault against the men from the YFZ. | |
| Read the Amy Elnora Johnson - Texas Case 2928 Motion for Conservatorship and Further Orders filed August 5, 2008. This court document contains many of the "Marriage Records" related to the charges of child sexual assault against the men from the YFZ. | |
| Read the Texas grand jury sexual assault indictments for the 6 men from the YFZ ranch released July 29, 2008 | |
| Read the Texas Department of Public Safety's Press Release and mug shots of 5 of the 6 YFZ men wanted for sexual assault of little girls (Warren Jeffs was already incarcerated in Arizona) - dated July 28, 2008 | |
| Read the Texas Grand Jury Indictment charging Warren Steed Jeffs with Sexual Assault of a little girl under the age of 17 (a First Degree Felony) - filed July 22, 2008 | |
| Read the July 27, 2006 dictation by Warren Jeffs regarding performing 3 underage marriages of his daughter, Wendell Nielsen's daughter and Merril Jessop's daughter - filed in Texas court July 18, 2008 | |
| Read the Search Warrant for Warren Jeffs in the Texas Child Bride cases dated May 29, 2008 | |
| Read the Affidavit for Search Warrant for Warren Jeffs in the Texas Child Bride cases dated May 29, 2008 | |
| Read the Bishop's Record of Families at the YFZ Ranch released May 1, 2008 | |
| See the Marriage Record of Raymond Merril Jessop and Teresa Jeffs performed July 27, 2006 | |
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