BREAKING NEWS: State seeks psych evaluation for FLDS teen mom
 
By Paul A. Anthony
San Angelo Standard-Times
 
The state's Child Protective Services agency has asked a Tom Green County judge to order one of the two children from the YFZ Ranch whose cases remain open to undergo psychological evaluation, according to a motion filed last week and released by the court this afternoon.

The motion, filed in the case of a 17-year-old girl who repeatedly refused to answer questions in court about the location of her infant child, describes multiple attempts by CPS to arrange meetings between caseworkers, the girl and the girl's 8-month-old child.

"The department is concerned for the emotional welfare of (the girl)," the motion states. "Specifically, it appears that (the girl) has been separated from her child."

The motion also asks 51st District Judge Barbara Walther to cancel a planned March 17 hearing because the agency is not seeking permanent custody of the teen.

The girl's child was born in June, shortly after state appellate courts ordered the return of all 439 children taken in April from the YFZ Ranch, the Texas home of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. CPS has argued it found a "pervasive pattern and practice" of forced underage marriage and sexual abuse there.

CPS alleges the girl was married at age 14.

She repeatedly refused in a November hearing to divulge the whereabouts of her infant, which she had been ordered to produce for genetic testing - sparking a lengthy series of negotiations between attorneys and the court before a sealed agreement was reached.

CPS then arranged a meeting during which the girl produced a baby that genetic testing showed was not hers, according to the motion, filed Thursday. Subsequent efforts to visit her home and observe her interaction with the child were rebuffed by her attorneys, the motion states.

Since then, CPS has tried to arrange a psychological examination for the girl, according to the motion, but with no success.
 
gosanangelo.com
Originally published March 2, 2009
 
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