Posted on 05/01/2008 4:44:54 PM PDT by Politicalmom
SAN ANTONIO — A judge ordered that the baby boy born to a girl taken from a polygamist sect's ranch in West Texas be placed in state custody, according to documents released Thursday.
Texas District Judge Barbara Walther signed the order Wednesday giving the state custody of the 1-day-old infant born to a teen believed to be 15 or 16 years old.
The girl has claimed to be 18, according to an affidavit signed by Ruby Gutierrez, a Child Protective Services caseworker, but officials believe she is younger and placed her in foster care with other children taken from the ranch.
The newborn is the teen's second child; the first is a 20-month-old boy. The father of both children was identified as Jackson Jessop, 22, but state officials say they don't know his whereabouts.
Child welfare officials now have 464 children in their custody, swept from the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado because authorities believe underage girls were forced into marriages and sex with older men. Authorities are also now investigating possible sexual abuse of boys.
Church members have vehemently denied there was any abuse, and civil liberties groups have raised concerns at the sweeping nature of the removals.
Individual custody hearings are set to be completed by June 5.
CPS and law enforcement raided the ranch on April 3 after a girl who was purportedly 16 called a domestic abuse hotline to complain of abuse at the hands her much older husband. Authorities are investigating whether the calls were a hoax.
Regardless, child welfare authorities say 31 of the 53 girls aged 14-17 have children or are pregnant.
Under Texas law, children under the age of 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult. A girl can get married with parental permission at 16, but the girls who belong to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are not believed to have legal marriages.
FLDS is a breakaway sect of the mainline Mormon church, which disavowed polygamy a century ago.
Maybe that's what's in the graveyard. Untreated hemophiliac males are not likely to survive long.
I posted the location and types of the ones I had personal knowledge of (except mine I guess, it was a wrist). Post a link to yours.
It’s rather ironic, isn’t it, that a group who wants to be ignored by the law persists in ignoring the law?
I’m just talking about work experience.
Too bad Babyland isn’t in Texas. Utah and Arizona seem to have been sitting on their hands too long.
The only case I know of where the baby was taken was when there was incest in the home and the 13 year old son was alleged to be the father of the mother’s baby.
They put that baby into foster care right out of the hospital and was put up for adoption some time later.
Made me and everyone else familiar with the situation pretty convinced that it was more than a rumor.
Geeesh, show a little flds respect...
;) PaMom
"Trust, but verify"
Or even a list of the bones broken and type of break along with the age of the child.
Liars is maybe a bit strong, but they might be twisting the facts and presenting them in an over sensationalized manner. Or they might not. But they need to give out more information. Or if they have, those arguing that the state has been completely honest and above board, need to at least post links to that information.
the808bass: “Could that change for me? Yes. If evidence presented in this case becomes contradictory to the government’s claims, the former cultist’s claims, and the statements of their own teachings. Could your opinion change for you? I have my doubts.”
Why would you post a reasonable response like that then turn it into a personal attack? If it’s as bad as you claim, a position not yet proven, they need to throw the child molesters in prison. That, however, doesn’t justify a fishing expedition in order to build a case. Is that how it’s legally done these days? Have a suspicion? Round ‘em up and put them in custody until they prove they are innocent. Keep interrogating the children till the story is straight, right?
Parental consent? Hardly applicable here. Remember, the children all belong (are given over) to the profit (intentional misspelling).
The difference being simply this...
The vast majority of the girls having children while underage are doing so:
a - as a result of voluntary intercourse, and
b - as a result of intercourse with someone at or near their own age.
Do you not see a problem with a group of people engaging in the systematic sexual abuse of young women within their families and community and calling it religion?
You're the one engaging in (mathematical & just plain common sense) distortion. You're "under 10%" just doesn't work.
According to an MSNBC report: “We do not have X-rays or complete medical information on many children so it is too early to draw any conclusions based on this information, but it is cause for concern and something we’ll continue to examine,” the CPS report said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24388249/
The person said "many" and not "most"--so the inference is less than half...who knows? Maybe 30-40% they don't have -- probably almost 200 of the kids.
Then when you figure that over 70% of the ones they are holding are 9 & younger...you begin to wonder. I mean over 100 of the "kids" are actually infants or the youngest of toddlers (0-2). Since they said some of these were "very young" how many 2 yo do you see with broken arms?
200 of the kids are 5 & under. That leaves over 250 6 & up--of whom perhaps 40% or so have not undergone exams (guestimate of about 100 of that age group).
Now you're down to 150 kids who are 6 & up who've probably undergone exams -- and the bulk of them constitute the "41 kids." So just with this "guestimate" you're up to 25% of the kids.
THEY ARE TURNED OUT AT 13, 14, 15. NOT AS ADULTS. Google “flds lost boys” and see what you find.
Colofornian: “And how many of those breaks occurred when you were “very young”—which is what the Texas agency is reporting?”
All before I was eight. First was broken at about 5 when I slipped on some ice and broke my fall (literally) with my shoulder.
With all due respect, TX doesn't have to give the media a minute by minute or bone by bone account. The information will be given to the defense counsel of the those charged during the trial proceedings.
Witch hunt? Interrogators?
Do you have a problem with them investigating clearly illegal activity?
If they don’t investigate and collect evidence, there will be no charges and the rapists will go free. If they do, they’re witch hunters and interrogators.
So which way do you want it? Do they investigate or let them go free?
If you presuppose that they're "interrogating the children until the story is straight," then what do you expect your conclusion will find? I am well aware of instances where the interrogators have abused their position and become more suggestive than interrogatory. I think there are some minimal safeguards against that possibility here.
I have no idea why you are sure that the state is out to get this bizarre cult of polygamous child molesters. (See how fun stating one's personal conclusion of fact is?)
A flyover isn’t exactly a visit. I get flyovers from the USAF every day, I don’t consider them visitors. And the reason some households are one mom/one dad is because dad hasn’t been ‘good enough’ to get awarded more wives. They’ve got to have at least 3 to get anywhere good in the afterlife. Of course, the downside to that is if you displease the leaders, you get your wife/wives and family taken away and reassigned to a more deserving man.
So much for ‘family values’.
According to the records of "the bishop" which were presented at the hearings, only 1/3 of the families are not currently polygamous. That includes some young men who are probably not old enough to have garnered the respect necessary to get another wife.
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