Posted on 04/15/2008 10:27:22 AM PDT by Snickering Hound
ELDORADO — Mothers separated from their children as part of a wide-ranging abuse investigation within a polygamist retreat accuse state officials of misleading them before taking their offspring into custody.
Authorities raided the sect's ranch more than a week ago in response to allegations that underage girls were forced to marry older men. Women and children from the secretive community were taken to a West Texas fort-turned-museum and a rodeo pavilion, but on Monday officials began separating women and some of their offspring without warning, members of the sect said.
While some women and children were taken from the shelters to the nearby San Angelo Coliseum, other women were allowed to return to the ranch — but only those who were childless or had children under the age of 5.
About three dozen of the women who returned to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ranch spoke out Monday, after 11 days in temporary shelters. They said in interviews that police surrounded them Monday and gave them a choice between returning home, or relocating to a women's shelter.
"It just feels like someone is trying to hurt us," said Paula, 38, who like other members of the sect declined to give her full name. "I do not understand how they can do this when they don't have a for sure knowledge that anyone has abused these children."
Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for the Department of Family and Protective Services, said the move was a typical procedure taken by the agency.
"It is not the normal practice to allow parents to accompany the child when an abuse allegation is made," Gonzales said.
Brenda, a 37-year-old mother of two teenage boys, said the women were threatened with arrest if they resisted the court order. Previously, the women had been told they would stay with the children at least until Thursday, when a custody hearing is scheduled, she said.
A call to CPS for comment late Monday on the women's claims was not immediately returned.
CPS's closing of the shelters came a day after three mothers from the ranch petitioned Gov. Rick Perry to inspect the shelters to see firsthand how families were being treated. The women said the living conditions were cramped and that some of the children had become sick.
About 20 children were recovering from a mild case of chicken pox, said Dr. Sandra Guerra-Cantu with the state Health Department.
Perry spokesman Robert Black said the governor did not believe the children were being housed in poor conditions at the West Texas fort.
"Let's be honest here, this is not the Ritz," Black said. But he called the accommodations "clean and neat."
CPS said officials have been planning the move for a week but that the coliseum was unavailable earlier. About two dozen teenage boys were moved to a facility outside San Angelo with the judge's permission, CPS said. The location was not released.
The state is accusing the sect of physically and sexually abusing the youngsters and wants to strip their parents of custody and place the children in foster care or put them up for adoption. The sheer size of the case was an obstacle.
"Quite frankly, I'm not sure what we're going to do," state District Judge Barbara Walther said after a conference that included three to four dozen attorneys either representing or hoping to represent youngsters.
Brenda and others were critical of CPS, saying the agency misled them as to what was to happen Monday, weren't told why the children were removed from the compound and given inaccurate messages about opportunities to meet attorneys.
"We got to where we said, 'We cannot believe a word you say. We cannot trust you,'" she said.
Officials said the investigation began with a call from a young girl who has yet to be located by CPS. The women in the sect said they suspect she may be a bitter ex-member of the church.
The FLDS practice polygamy in arranged marriages, sometimes between underage girls and older men. The group has thousands of followers in two side-by-side towns in Arizona and Utah.
The church has repeatedly fought because of its lifestyle before. Men, women and children have been swept up in raids that took place in 1935, 1944 and 1953.
"It's been all through history, " said Brenda, the mother of two. "We were just here trying to live a peaceful, happy, sweet life. We don't understand why we can't do this freely."
Excellent point. I actually read on one of these threads (can't remember now which one) where there was a link posted that one young man within the FLDS sect was actually castrated before being sent out of the sect. Too much of a threat to the 'leader' and his choice of women I suppose. Eeerily reminiscient of middle eastern harems and 'eunuchs',
It amazes me there are so many perv apologists on FR
Ahh,
OK,
now I understand
You’re of the “state is lying, nothing negative about this group is true” mindset.
Ok,
Well, I happen to believe that I know otherwise.
So I guess we’re at an impasse.
Excuse me, but I’m not the one following false prophets, that would be you dear. As to commandments to monogamy there are those pesky NT passages prohibiting leaders from having more than one wife, so nice try. Interesting that in all of these polygamous sects its always the LEADERS practicing this.............
I read that!! I was mortified. How can anyone defend these types of actions?
But Utah won’t do mass raids, tearing up families like Texas is doing.......Good old Utah.
What Utah has done is prosecute the leader of the FLDS as an accomplice to rape, for sanctioning and performing a plural marriage of an underage girl to a 19 year old boy. ......After 55 years.
In addition, the state of Utah has placed a lot of their real property in a trusteeship, taking ownership away from the FLDS church. ......After 55 years.
You just say whatever Mormon garbage you think will fly.
Me too, until I realized that the 'perv apologists' are mainstream LDS. So when you see this, don't be fooled that it isn't practiced by the Mormons lie, and remember WHO it is defending this child abuse.
The NT clearly doesn’t agree with polygamy. Church leaders are told they must be the husband of ONE wife. David did some pretty bad things, do you think then, that we are encouraged to do those same things? I think not. People in the Bible were human, even the prophets and even a man after God’s own heart. It doesn’t mean that we are all supposed to do everything they did. Can you cite me scripture that says having more than one wife is preferred?
susie
You are living in la la land, LL. FLDS has been in Utah for many many years. One raid in the fifies. Nothing else until 2003!
Men aren’t jealous? LOL!!!
susie
same wavelength! I posted after you.
Big Love has an awfully lot of pure mormon culture stuff in it.
Correct. This is about child abuse. Not polygamy. No bigamy charges have been filed.
No, if I had meant that I would have said that. However, the children were not nec there under their own free will, were they? Are you saying that sex with children is ok?
susie
the LDS defend the FLDS but then say the FLDS are not LDS. and all the while try to divert our attention from the rape of children and draw us into the polygamy issue.
As to answer for the 16 year old girl and her whereabouts....Could she be DEAD???
I've honestly wondered about that myself....there is that cemetery filled with children they reported. The plot thickens....
Possibly the six women that chose ‘safe haven’ can shed some light on it.
I pray that she is alive, well and soon to be free.
What I said happens to be true. There have been other, individual prosecutions, as well, since the Short Creek raid.
Tom Green was sent to prison for underage sex and welfare fraud.
When there are individual crimes and evidence, they are prosecuted. When there are consenting adults living together in polygamous relationships, they are not prosecuted.
As someone on another thread said, you could go into any housing project in the US and find 12 and 13 year olds having sex and having babies, with the “baby daddies” wandering around impregnating at will and taking no responsibility. Does that mean the state can raid the place at will and take all the children?
So some of the little girls just stay with the same adults that are abusing them because their abuser wasn't brought up on charges...that time? And you keep omitting the fact that some of these children don't even know who their mother's are!! Seems to me that the FLDS is the one tearing families apart!
What Utah has done is prosecute the leader of the FLDS as an accomplice to rape, for sanctioning and performing a plural marriage of an underage girl to a 19 year old boy.
And what happens to the kids? So what if the leader is behind bars. The rest of the men will carry on, abusing the little girls.
In addition, the state of Utah has placed a lot of their real property in a trusteeship, taking ownership away from the FLDS church.
And so they ended up in another state, one that actually took steps to help the children...immdiately. Utah has clearly not done enough, which is just fine with you it seems.
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