From Deseret News archives:

FLDS to quit underage marriages

Published: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 12:12 a.m. MDT
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Texas CPS has claimed that there is a culture of sex abuse on the YFZ Ranch, with girls groomed to become child brides, and boys growing up to be sexual perpetrators. Meisner said they continue to have concerns about the safety of the children and defended CPS's role in the investigation.

"I certainly hope they'll be cooperative. Certainly we have concerns about these children," she said Monday. "That's why our investigation continues."

Not all children

The order reunites all of the children in state protective custody with their parents — with one exception.

A court-appointed lawyer representing a girl in state protective custody filed an emergency motion to delay any reunification for her client, whom she said is a sex abuse victim.

Attorney Natalie Malonis said the child is also a mother in state custody, and in her motion, she said the court's order would cause "immediate and irreparable harm to the physical safety and welfare of the child." The judge granted her order.

Malonis tried to bring up the request before Walther on Friday, but was told to wait because it didn't apply to the other children. She waited, but then the judge left the bench without addressing her concerns.

"I'm working with her mother's attorney and we are going to enter our own orders that are just a little more tailored to my client," she told the Deseret News on Monday.

Story continues below
The YFZ Ranch was raided April 3 when Texas child welfare workers and law enforcement went to the FLDS property on a report of a 16-year-old girl who was pregnant and in an abusive, polygamous marriage to an older man. The girl was never found, an arrest warrant for the alleged husband was dropped and Texas authorities are still investigating whether the original call was a hoax.

Once on the ranch, authorities said they found other signs of abuse, prompting Walther to order the removal of all of the FLDS children.

Texas child welfare authorities had claimed to have as many as 31 pregnant or underage mothers in custody. They were young women the FLDS insisted were adults. Shockley told the Deseret News that CPS has declared all but "four or five" to be adults.

"They all had birthdays last Friday," attorney Andrea Sloan quipped.

CPS could not immediately confirm the status of the "disputed minors."

Jessop said "nothing is off the table" when asked about the possibility of a civil lawsuit against Texas, adding that it depends on what the state does going forward.

Reading from a prepared statement, Jessop said the FLDS policies have been misrepresented and misunderstood.

Recent comments

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