Blogging on Polygamist Hearing
 Judge to decide on Temporary custody of 400 kids, removed from polygamist ranch
 
By Michael Board
WOAI NewsRadio 1200 - San Antonio, Texas
Warren Jeffs

10:00 Hundreds of lawyers, dozens of mothers in peasant clothes and a hoard of media flock to the courthouse in Tom Green Country

11:00 First witness takes stand, and attorneys started jumping up and down objecting. The judge doesn't seem impressed. She seems determined to get this started.

11:15 we're breaking. Judge trying to get this train back on the tracks. First witnesses is Mark Connelly. He's the deputy general council for the department of state health services. He's admitting some medical records. We don't know what the records are, but we belive that they could show either abuse or child pregnancy. They're the records of three girls. Details are apparently sealed.

11:45 Second witness. Sgt. Danny Crawford, DPS. He did the raid on the compound. He's bringing records found in a safe in the FLD's big limestone building. Holy cow, this is prompting a huge lawyer response. They all say it was not siezed correctly, and it's bishop's records, which are not admissable. Court overulled all objections.

12:10 Gerrry Goldstein steps up. Gerry Goldstein steps down. Judge says he's part of a crimianal trial.... and has no basis in the this hearing. This is the first, brief, sighting of the San Antonio attorney, hired to reprsents the FLDS chuch.

12:14 prosecutor "What you will hear is that the identiy of the kids has been secreted. Their identity changes from day to day." Just what we've been told all along.

12:18 documents seized from "church" show that this household kept good records. It shows that head of household and then wives and children and gives ages. It apparently clearly show pattern of many children and many wives, including a fair nunber of underage wives. D'Oh! Bad news.

12:19 Judge is upset! Defense attorneys are objecting to evidence before it's admitted. She's scolding defense attorneys.

12:35 The objection "Freedom of religon" has been shot down.

12:41: They're listing the names of polygamists, their wives and their "spiraual" wives. Often is's men in their 40's with 16 year old brides. One had a 17 year old child with an 8 month old child. A 54 year old with a 17 year old wife.

1:55 We've been spinning our wheels for a while. Different attorneys, representing either kids or parents, asking about names and ages of kids that were found on the bishop's list, seized from the compound. At this pace, nothing will get done today. I'm getting a sinking feeling in my stomach that nothing will get done.

2:02 lunch rececss until 2:45. Where can a boy get a good burrito in this town?

3:00 next witness, Angie Voss, supervisor for investigation with cps. She says they received a report on March 29th, about physical and sexual assault from the infamous "Sara." She admits they grossly underestimated the number of the people on the ranch. They thought there were only about 100 or 150 people living there. Men at the ranch told her there was nobody named sara living there, they asked to come in anyway, and were taken to the schoolhouse.

Merrill Jessop opened the doors so they could talk to kids. The men went to go get the kids. They were brought all kids ages 17 and under. They learned that there were several saras living on the ranch.

3:47 Voss said she was afraid during the investigation. There were men all over. She said she felt surrounded. Men were walking in with the girls.

Girls were asked if they knew a 5'4" blond air blue eyes sara with a baby.

4:24 There's a big debate. cps investigators talked with kids on the compound. The kids told about multiple mothers, and possible pregnant teens. But is that hear-say? The cps worker is telling the judge what the kids told her. The judge is letting it good, but keeping a tight leash.

She saw a pattern. 16 lovers who had small children. Mothers were also married They were part of a household and called each other "sister wives." They started out looking for one teenage mother, but found many. Was it acceptable? Yes, if the heavenly father said it was okay. If the prophent said it was okay to lie, then they would do that.

4:31 what did they read/hear that made them remove kids? kids names were withheld and referred to by numbers

girl 1: sara exists and does have a baby
girl 2: saw sara in the garden on sunday
girl 3 sara is preg and has a child as well
girl 3 knows sara elizabeth johnson
girl 3 danny's wife (Sara) came home sure has a cute baby
girl 6 said there's no age limit for girls to get married and have kids
girl 8 it's okay to lie to authorities because propher gets all his info from god.
girl 9 hadn't seen her mom in 2 years. told that's not her bsuiness
girl 9 said uncle Merrill (Jessop) will diecide who and when she will marry.

5:08 Initially, about 30 or so moms resisted cps moving kids to the colliseum in Eldorado. The sheriff called up Merrill Jessop, put him on speakerphone, and had him tell the mothers to let the kids go. From the second he spoke, the women fell in line. Absolutly goes to show the complete control the leaders had over the women.
 
radio.woai.com
Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008
 
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