From Deseret News archives:

Teen boys are taken to facility in Amarillo

Published: Thursday, April 17, 2008 12:53 a.m. MDT
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SAN ANGELO, Texas — More than two dozen FLDS teenage boys removed from the YFZ Ranch nearly two weeks ago are trying to maintain their way of life nearly 400 miles from the judge that will soon decide their fate.

"Every indication is that the boys are doing fine," said Dan Adams, owner of the Cal Farley's Boys Ranch, located about 400 miles from San Angelo.

"They are separated from the other boys and their activities. We're just providing basic supervision."

Adams said the FLDS teens were meeting Wednesday with court-appointed attorneys who traveled to the boys ranch from locations throughout Texas.

Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins said the ranch is a licensed contract provider that the agency routinely uses. The ranch provides a number of settings for a variety of children from varying age groups.

Fundamentalist LDS Church spokesman Rod Parker said that while the parents of the boys know where they are, there is no communication between them.

"The parents have no idea what's going on (with their boys)," Parker said. "We don't know why they moved the boys so far away."

When officials moved the FLDS children from cramped quarters at Fort Concho to the San Angelo Coliseum, the teen boys were instead transported to the boys ranch near Amarillo.

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"These boys came in under an emergency situation," said Adams. "We don't really know how long they're going to stay here."

Boys at the ranch are housed in 25 homes and are supervised by a married couple serving as house parents.

"We are just trying to provide for the basic needs of these kids and for their security," Adams added.

The FLDS boys are praying and singing religious songs together, something that they regularly did at their homes at the YFZ Ranch. They have also asked for special foods, such as raw milk and a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. Processed food is not something that the FLDS people usually eat.

"What the boys really want is information about their parents," Adams said. "They're private and want their space. But they're also teenage boys and need to be active, so they've been playing outside to try and burn off energy."

Parker said he didn't know if any of the boys would be allowed to attend today's court hearing, adding many of their mothers will be there.

"I don't think anyone can keep those mothers away," he said.


E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com

Recent comments

Be just and send these boys home.

Thomas | May 6, 2008 at 11:04 a.m.

Just because you put the label "religion" on it dosen't mean it's...

Liz | April 29, 2008 at 11:24 p.m.

Having delt with the cps in texas and having been a long time...

jim | April 20, 2008 at 10:13 a.m.

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