Posted on 05/06/2008 12:44:26 PM PDT by Pebcak
State District Judge Barbara Walther has approved a motion appointing the Attorney General of Texas as a special prosecutor to assist with any criminal cases that may arise from the state's raid of the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado.
The request - described as routine in large, complex cases such as this one - was filed and granted Monday. Local prosecutors, meanwhile, said they anticipate filing charges in the case.
"It's early in the game," said First Assistant 51st District Attorney Allison Palmer, "but I expect that ultimately there will be some criminal prosecution coming out of this."
The Attorney General's Office offered help in working through the massive case, Palmer said - an offer that was gratefully accepted.
"There's the possibility there for us to have quite a bit to do," said Allison Palmer, first assistant 51st District attorney. "That's sort of what they do to help out."
Walther late last month approved the state's request to take custody of 464 children living on the ranch operated by a polygamist sect. The children are being cared for at foster care facilities throughout Texas.
No arrests have been made in the case, although the one issued arrest warrant - for 50-year-old Dale Barlow - remains active, she said, rejecting previous reports that it had been dropped.
"I don't think that's the correct term," she said. "We want to complete this investigation and evidence review" before making a decision on the warrant, which many believe was the result of a hoax phone call that sparked the April 3 raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound.
During the weeklong raid that began April 3, two men were arrested on suspicion of interring with law enforcement officials, but they were released on bond and not been formally charged.
A special master appointed by Walther last month to review evidence seized from the compound and determine whether any should be excepted for attorney-client and other privileges finished reviewing the evidence Monday, Palmer said.
A small percentage of the available evidence was withheld, she said, with the rest now available for criminal and Child Protective Services investigators to sift through.
I think not that soon, but I don’t really know.
Did you see the number of minors rose today from 463 to 438? Some investigation is ongoing.
You mean 438 to 463?
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