Court officials are scrambling to prepare for a marathon court hearing set to begin Thursday morning. Presided over by Schleicher County 51st District Judge Barbara Walther, the hearing is expected to determine whether the children will remain in the custody of the state or be returned to their families.

The hearing is expected to be an "all-day affair," said Tom Green County court clerk Trish Gray. "It's crazy. There are a lot of things we don't know. Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen."

Even though the raid occurred in Schleicher County, court officials said the hearing and handling of the court documents was transferred to Tom Green County because it is better equipped to handle a case of this magnitude in San Angelo.

Walther has jurisdiction in both counties as well as other outlying areas. She is the same judge who authorized the two search warrants and also ordered that all children be removed from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's ranch in Eldorado.

Court officials say they are doing all they can to streamline the process, in which it is anticipated attorneys hired by the FLDS Church will be given the chance to speak.

"They're supposed to be afforded the opportunity," Gray said.

Tuesday, state officials said they believe they have a strong case to keep all 416 of the children in state custody, but did hint that it's possible the judge could order supervised visitations with parents at some point.

Crimmins said the state's child welfare system does have a provision for next-of-kin placement, an action that would necessitate several requirements outlined by the court.

Perry was chief of psychiatry for Texas Children's Hospital and vice chairman for research within the Department of Psychiatry. Most recently, his work at the ChildTrauma Academy has been in public/private partnership with institutions that work with high risk children, such as child protective services, mental health, public education and juvenile justice.

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Contributing: Nancy Perkins

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E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com