Tamara Phelps




Tamara Phelps

Tamara Phelps became the second plural wife of Orson William Black, Jr. when she was 17 and he was 27. She stayed in the plural marriage until 1995, when she ran away in the middle of the night because her husband was abusive. William would not allow her to take her three children with her when she fled. In an unrelated incident, Orson William Black, Jr. was charged on Feb. 27, 2003 with five class 6 felony counts of unlawful sex with two minors who became his underage "spiritual wives." The five felony counts included two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Beth and Roberta Stubbs were reportedly "married" to Black when the girls were pre-teens and each girl became pregnant by him by the age of 15. One night in the fall of 2003, after an Arizona grand jury indicted William Black on these 5 sex charges, law enforcement officers surrounded him in his home, to arrest him. His attorney protested the arrest and the officers were ordered to leave the house until sheriff's officials could speak with the attorney. The Washington County Attorney, Eric Ludlow, and Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith decided to pull all the officers away from the house, saying that Black had agreed to turn himself in at St. George the next morning. After the police left, Black reportedly fled to Mexico during the night. To date, a warrant for his arrest has not been served because Black hasn't been found. He is believed to be married to at least four other wives, two of whom he allegedly married when they were between the ages of 15 and 18, according to court documents. Tammy's three children remained with Black until these felony charges were filed against him in Arizona. On March 20, 2003 Tammy and Pennie Peterson accompanied officers from the Washington County Sheriff's Office to serve William Black protective orders from both Iron and Mohave counties to give over the children. The Arizona Attorney General's Office had issued warrants for "acts of sexual conduct with the minor children," according to the police report. Although Tammy Phelps sought and received custody of her children in March 2003, Black's legal wife, Amy, and the children soon filed suit to make Amy Black the children's legal guardian. In May, 2003 District Judge Phillip Eves granted temporary custody of the three biological children, a boy, 13, and two girls, ages 15 and 11, to Tammy. Judge Eves also granted her a protective order against William Black, who is believed to be in Mexico to avoid the five Arizona felony charges of sexual abuse involving the other two underage wives. In September 2003, the attorney she was assigned, Steve Jullian, told her if she didn't sign papers allowing the children to go with Amy Black, he would resign from the case. Tammy, terrified, did as he said. Sadly, Tammy agreed in court on Nov. 10, 2003 to return the children to her "sister wife" Amy Black, who has 10 children of her own. Although Amy Black is not related to Tammy's children, she had to turn the children over to Amy on Nov. 13. Though the court ordered Amy not to let the children have any contact with their father, Orson William Black, Tammy still worried that they would be taken to Mexico to live with him. Below are articles describing this terrible miscarriage of justice. These news articles are listed in chronological order.


Polygamist facing charges of sex with underage girls
By Beth DeFalco The Associated Press Originally published March 13, 2003
Phoenix -- A Colorado City polygamist was charged with five criminal counts alleging he had unlawful sex with teenage girls who became his wives, according to prosecutors and court records. A complaint filed Feb. 27 in Mohave County Superior Court alleges Orson William Black Jr. had sexual relations with Roberta LeAnn Stubbs when she was 15 to 17 years old. Black faces similar charges involving Roberta's sister, Beth M. Stubbs. Both women, now adults, became pregnant with Black's children when they were teenagers, prosecutors say. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said the complaint against Black is part of an ongoing investigation "into a wide variety of subjects" and that child abuse is one of "the top concerns." "I, along with previous administrations, want to make it clear that violations of child abuse will not be tolerated anywhere," Goddard said yesterday. "When we can prove it in court, we will go after abusers aggressively." Read more


Colorado City man faces five felony charges
By Jim Seckler Kingman Daily Miner Originally published Thursday, March 13, 2003
A Colorado City man faces five felony counts of unlawful sex with two minors who became his wives. The complaints were filed Feb. 27 in Mohave County Superior Court against Orson William Black Jr. Black, a polygamist, is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of sexual conduct with a minor. He is charged with having sexual intercourse with two women who became his wives. The first count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor charges Black with sexual contact between May 1998 and August 1999 with a female who was at least 15 years old. The second count charges him with having sexual contact with the same woman on August 7, 1999. The three counts of sexual conduct with a minor charges him with having sexual contact with another female who was at least 15 between November 1998 and July 2001, between June 1, 1999, and July 31, 1999, and on or about July 2001. Black is not in custody. Read more


Colorado City man faces sex charges
Complaint: Black had sex with underage 'spiritual wives'
By Jane Zhang The Spectrum Originally published Thursday, March 13, 2003
ST. GEOERGE -- A Colorado City polygamist who has left the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is facing five criminal counts for allegedly having sex with underage "spiritual wives." According to a Feb. 27 complaint filed in Mohave County Superior Court, Orson William Black Jr. had unlawful sex with Beth M. Stubbs between 1998 and 2001 and Roberta LeAnn Stubbs between 1998 and 1999, when she was 15 to 17 years old. The complaint was released by the Office of Arizona Attorney General to the Arizona Republic, one of The Spectrum's sister newspapers in the Gannett chain. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said that Black's arrest is part of an ongoing investigation "into a wide variety of subjects" and child abuse is one of "the top concerns." "I, along with previous administrations, want to make it clear that violations of child abuse will not be tolerated anywhere," Goddard said Wednesday. "When we can prove it in court, we will go after abusers aggressively." Read more


Protective Order Granted Against Polygamist Husband
The Associated Press Originally published May 6, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY -- A Cedar City woman has been granted a protective order against her polygamist husband and was given temporary custody of their three children. The order, issued in 5th District Court in Parowan Monday, was reported by The Salt Lake Tribune. Tamara Phelps, 32, requested the order against Orson William Black Jr. in March. Black was charged Feb. 27 with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor and three felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor in Superior Court of Arizona for Mohave County. Black's address was listed in court documents as Hildale, Utah, adjoining Colorado City, Ariz., where the crimes allegedly occurred between 1998 and 2001. Black was not in court Monday and is believed to be in Mexico. Phelps said she became a second wife to Black when she was 17 and stayed in the plural marriage until 1995. Her three children remained with Black until the charges were filed in Arizona. They have been living with her since March. In a written statement filed with the documents in 5th District Court, Phelps described how Black, 42, allegedly abused their children, aged 14, 12 and 11. Read more


Abuse alleged in polygamist marriage
By Mike Watkiss NewsChannel 3 - Phoenix Originally published August 14, 2003
Orson William Black is reportedly a polygamist on the run. An Arizona grand jury indicted Black on charges of sex crimes against children. He's the first man to be charged in Arizona in nearly 50 years for crimes related to polygamy. Black allegedly took pre-teens, Beth and Robert Stubbs, as wives and impregnated them by the time they were 15 years old. Tamara Phelps married Black when she was 17 years old. Black, at the time, was 27. "This guy, he's so scary. He needs to be tried," Phelps said. During the marriage, Phelps claims that Black, who may have as many as five wives, brainwashed her, beat her and raped her. The marriage, Phelps said, was arranged by the now deceased religious leader, Rulon Jeffs, who was also a practicing polygamist in Colorado City. Read more


Valley woman aids in polygamy indictments
By Mike Watkiss and azfamily.com staff NewsChannel 3 - Phoenix Originally published August 14, 2003
Pennie Petersen is one of 30 children born to a polygamist father with five wives. When she turned 14, she was told she would marry a 48-year-old man. It was an arranged marriage, something she says is considered "normal" in the small, northern Arizona town of Colorado City. "I was 14 years old. They come and told me I was going to marry a man, 48 years old," Petersen said. "I was going to be his fifth wife. I ran as hard and as fast as I could go." The 33-year-old Valley resident said she escaped the abusive and cult-like atmosphere of the quiet town that doesn't welcome outsiders. "As you grow up, you serve your father. When you get 14, 15, they marry off and then you serve another man," Petersen said. "That's your duty your whole life. You're slaves. You're slaves to a man." During the past year, Petersen has been trying to break the cycle of what she calls slavery, at least for a few Colorado City women who also happen to be her sisters. Beth and Roberta Stubbs were reportedly taken by Black when the girls were pre-teens. He allegedly had both girls pregnant by the time they were 15 years old. Read more


Woman loses custody to 'sister wife'
Anti-polygamy activists fear kids will go to father
By Jane Zhang The Spectrum Originally published Thursday, November 20, 2003
ST. GEORGE -- Tamara Phelps, a woman who fled her polygamous marriage 10 years ago, leaving her children behind, would not answer the phone or the door at her Cedar City home Wednesday afternoon. After eight months of having her children back with her, she lost the custody battle last week -- this time to her spiritual husband's first and legal wife, Amy Black, according to 5th District Justice Court documents obtained by The Spectrum from an anti-polygamy group, Help the Child Brides of St. George. Judge Hans Q. Chamberlain in Cedar City also ruled that Phelps must undergo counseling. The children -- ages 11, 13 and 15 -- are required to enroll in public schools, the documents said. But they are not allowed to be taught polygamy or have any contact with their father, Orson William Black, who was served warrants in March on charges of sexual conduct with the children. Phelps' three children were taken last Friday to Hildale to Amy Black, who has 10 children of her own, said Pennie Peterson, an anti-polygamy activist who has helped Phelps in court. Despite the court orders, Peterson, whose two sisters also were Amy's "sister wives," speculated that the children probably would be sent to Orson William Black soon. In all, she said, Black has "married" six women. It was like: "I'm sleeping with your husband; I want your kids," Peterson said in a telephone interview from Phoenix. "It blows me away that they even consider that." Read more


Ex-polygamous wife gives kids to former 'sister wife'
But an advocate says woman was bullied into act
By Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, November 20, 2003
CEDAR CITY — A former polygamist wife who fled her husband's Hildale, Washington County, home after what she said were years of abuse has given guardianship of the couple's three children to a former "sister wife." Tamara Phelps, 33, who married Orson William Black Jr. when she was 17 and he was 27, left him in the middle of the night last year without her children. Phelps sought and received custody of her children in March but Black's legal wife, Amy, and the children soon filed suit to make Amy Black the children's legal guardian. "This is just incredible. This poor woman has been abused and her children have been given to someone they're not even related to," said Bob Curran of the St. George-based anti-polygamy group, "Help the Child Brides." Phelps, a woman Curran describes as timid and fearful, only signed over guardianship of her children to Amy Black because she felt bullied and intimidated, he added. "The children lived with Amy for eight years, so of course they were brainwashed just like all the other children living out there. It's the old Stockholm syndrome," Curran said on Wednesday after a visit to Phelps, who declined to be interviewed for this story. Read more


'Most Wanted' to air info about polygamist
Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, May 20, 2006
COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — A polygamist wanted by Utah and Arizona authorities will be featured on the popular crime-fighting TV show "America's Most Wanted" tonight. Orson William Black Jr. is facing charges of sexual misconduct with a minor in Mohave County, Ariz. He is accused of having sex with teenage girls who later became his wives. Black is a former member of the Fundamentalist LDS Church based in Hildale and Colorado City. Authorities say he broke away from the religion and founded his own group. He is believed to have fled to the Chihuahua state in Mexico, where his wives and followers live.


"Prophet" Leaves A Trail Of Broken Lives
America's Most Wanted Originally published December 30, 2006
If you ask his followers, Orson William Black is the one true prophet and the leader of a large polygamist community that is similar to those made infamous by Warren Jeffs. But according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, Orson Black is just a common criminal. Authorities say that Black began proselytizing soon after self-made claims that he had a revelation to practice polygamy. Furthermore, he considers himself an archangel that communicates directly with God. Soon after this "epiphany," Black split from the Colorado City FLDS community and took his new followers with him. Cops say Black would wed time and time again. He was married to his second wife, Tammy, at the age of 17 by Warren Jeffs' father, Rulon. According to authorities, Black not only abused Tammy but tried to marry Tammy's younger siblings who were just 12 years old. Read more

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