From Deseret News archives:
FLDS women, children transferred
"Right now we are focusing on the actions by the Department of Child and Family Services who are seeking protection of the children," said Judge Barbara Walther of the Texas 51st District Court at the Tom Green Courthouse.
The judge wanted attorneys to help determine the most expedient and judicious way to handle the massive number of cases scheduled to be heard in her courtroom on Thursday.
"We want your input on how to handle the hearing," she said. "I want to ensure that any adults that need an attorney — and they have an absolute right to have an attorney — have one or they can apply for one."
Texas Rangers, law enforcement officers from two counties and other authorities raided the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado in Schleicher County 10 days ago. Two deputies providing security at Monday's hearing said they participated in the raid, which netted 416 children. Another 139 women elected to accompany the children when they were bused from the ranch.
A spokesman for the FLDS Church, Rod Parker, said members of the church feel that the judicial system is biased against them.
"They are out of their element and are frightened," said Parker, a Salt Lake attorney who has represented the FLDS church for more than a decade. "There is a big concern about not being able to have their voices heard."
Among the dozens of attorneys who showed up for the hearing, which is required within 14 days of the state's decision to place the children into temporary custody, were lawyers who said they represented the children and their mothers and fathers. Attorneys for the FLDS Church also attended the three-hour hearing.
An attorney for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said the state wants to hold one hearing for all 416 children rounded up at the YFZ Ranch. Determining which child belongs to which mother has been a logistical nightmare for child welfare workers and others trying to determine the parentage of each child, the attorney said.
Following Monday's hearing, Texas authorities loaded children and mothers onto buses for transfer from the cramped conditions they have endured at Fort Concho to the San Angelo Coliseum.
The Deseret News reported Sunday that the women and children being housed in the historic fort were complaining that illness was sweeping through the group and that there was no privacy. Following that report, authorities carried out a court order to confiscate the women's cell phones and other electronic communication devices found among those housed at the two shelters.
