This is a very confounding set of events.
1) You have the multiple marriage and underage sex thing, both against the law; and rightfully so IMO. Laws on the books, clear path to prosecute all offenders.
2) You have a bunch of men (FLDS) who have designed a way of acting out, documenting and communicating about said behaviors in such a way that makes it nearly impossible to prosecute.
3) Prosecutors become frustrated and overreach; take custody of the children with scant if any *real* evidence of a crime. This is sad but true if you truly believe in innocent until proven guilty.
4) As a result of overreaching, the victims become the ones being punished and held against their will. The would be offenders in this case are left at home to settle with satisfying their sexual proclivities with the women of age.
5) Public cries out about the treatment of the children by authorities and right back to the love nest they go.
The prosecutors need warrants for the arrest of the true offenders here, but how to prove the crimes? I don’t blame the governor one bit for asking them to get the hell out of Texas. It’s a cruel hoax being played out at the expense of innocents - boys and girls.
Best of luck on judgment day to anyone defending this as a religious practice.
The county sheriff had an informant inside the ranch for four years. A male.
If there were evidence of crimes one would think that someone on the inside like that would have witnessed it.
So we have to believe one of two things.
The informant saw nothing illegal there in the last four years.
Or,
The informant reported illegal activity and the sheriff chose not to get arrest warrants based on those reports.
My immediate reaction to that comment by Perry was, "And the hell with the kids, too!" If not one of these involved states can find a way to begin prosecuting these lawbreakers, then shame on them.
Texas, e.g., has a law against polygamy which includes those who present themselves as married to more than one spouse. The FLDS men fall into that category since it's no secret that they indulge in "celestial wives" and procreate with them. That charge, alone, shouldn't be impossible to prove.