FLDS mother seeks to change attorneys
 
By Matt Phinney
San Angelo Standard-Times
 
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.

The hearing was set for 9 a.m. Thursday, but that was delayed first for a motion to switch counsel and later for a motion to disqualify, both centered around Dallas attorney Laura Shockley.

Shockley wanted to represent Annette Jeffs in place of local attorney Tim Edwards, who has been removed from her case. Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st Judicial District heard testimony for the request to switch counsel until a 12:30 lunch break, after which the request was abruptly withdrawn.

Annette Jeffs now has to find new counsel.

Edwards could not comment on the request.

Shockley also would not comment.

Shockley filed a motion to be joint counsel for Barbara Jessop with local attorney Gonzalo Rios.

Much of the afternoon was spent in testimony on the state's request to disqualify Shockley from being co-counsel.

CPS attorney Jeff Schmidt argued that Shockley had developed a client-attorney relationship with Annette Jeffs and Barbara Jessop. Jeffs is the mother of Warren Jeffs' 17-year-old daughter, while Jessop's daughter is allegedly married to Warren Jeffs.

That means, Schmidt said, that Shockley would represent the mother of an alleged victim and relative of an alleged perpetrator in the same alleged crime, which is a conflict.

He also argued that Shockley previously served as an attorney for a boy who lived in the same dwelling as Jeffs and is the biological son of Warren Jeffs.

During the testimony, Jessop answered with "I choose to remain silent" to more than 20 questions.

Walther ruled that Shockley should be disqualified from representing Jessop.

The case is among those pending after the raid on the sect's YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, which resulted in the initial removal of more than 400 children on suspicion that the children were in danger of abuse.
 
gosanangelo.com
Originally published September 25, 2008
 
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