From Deseret News archives:
FLDS couple to battle Texas conditions of custody agreement
Joseph and Lori Jessop will be back in court Monday to ask a judge to give them "full possessory rights" to their three children. They're fighting to separate themselves from the massive Texas Child Protective Services case involving nearly 450 children from the Fundamentalist LDS Church.
"This couple, and two other families they are on a little different legal footing" than the others, said Teresa Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Jessops' attorney.
The Jessops won a temporary restraining order from a San Antonio court on May 13, preventing Texas CPS from separating their infant son from his mother when he turned 1 year old. CPS had only allowed mothers of children younger than 1 to remain with their children in foster facilities.
The court later granted the parents temporary custody of their three children until a June 9 hearing. Since then, the Texas Supreme Court ruled last week that CPS had improperly removed the children from their homes on the YFZ Ranch and all children have since been returned.
"That means that no one from CPS has the right to come in on a daily basis and disrupt the family, or take the children to an unnamed place where unnamed personnel, for an unnamed period of time, can perform psychological or psychiatric evaluations, nor can law enforcement personnel take these children to an unnamed place for an unnamed period of time to question them without their parents being present," Haas said.
When all the children were returned to their parents earlier this week, Judge Barbara Walther in San Angelo imposed conditions on the release. One of those conditions requires parents to allow CPS access to their homes for unannounced visits between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Child welfare officials may conduct medical, psychological or psychiatric examinations either inside the home or at "any other reasonable location," the order states.
Kelly argues there's no evidence against the Jessops of any abuse. Joseph Jessop has no other wife and the couple is monogamous. Some conditions were placed on the Jessops when their children were returned May 23, but Kelly says the new conditions will result in more trauma and are not reasonable for them.
Recent comments
Ms. Haas seems to be the only attorney that is getting individual...
Ray | June 8, 2008 at 6:51 a.m.
Their real objective is to challenge the conditions that Judge...
Interloper | June 8, 2008 at 2:31 a.m.
I am so ashamed of Texas why do they continue to punish these...
Anonymous | June 7, 2008 at 12:41 p.m.
- Tiger opens with a 66 in Australia 1:18 a.m.
- Crash kills Utah County man 1:12 a.m.
- UCAT cheaper education option 1:12 a.m.
- Post office to be named for Rex Lee 1:11 a.m.
- Police probe synagogue vandalism 1:09 a.m.
- New charges added in fraud case 1:09 a.m.
- Mom takes plea deal in girl's beating 1:08 a.m.
- Drug trafficking operation busted 1:07 a.m.
- News yule writing contest starting up 12:59 a.m.
- Alpine District school honored 12:59 a.m.
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
- 'Love story' of crash victim ends
- Utah Jazz have a problem at point
- BYU football recruit turning heads
- Alta's Ohai is Ms. Soccer 2009
- Prep football: Felt's Facts Week
- 12 Utes return to Texas
- Cougars' defensive hoops clinic
- Long days for BYU interns
- Wyoming writer amazed by BYU
- House passes health care bill
287 - SLC council OKs gay rights policies
246 - TCU showdown has big implications
193 - Senators want food tax restored
157 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
155 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
119 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
109 - Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
101 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
92
This week, I'm compiling my annual list of restaurants serving...
Beck, Hannity, and Limbaugh get the audience they deserve and vice versa. ...
I find the rule,very discriminitory. I am not gay, I don't understand what...
I understand we were outmanned last night. However, this effort was awful....
My advice to Jonathan is shoot it when they pass it to you as soon as you...
Maybe they should try drafting a shooting guard who can shoot from outside ....
The sad thing about it is that there are actually people out there that are...
Thank you TCU and BYU. Your wanting to beat Utah so bad has to drive you...
Play fes and koufos. Look to the future. It looks like we will have two...
Oh come on. Obama's a horrible president, but I couldn't care less which...
"We had the best soccer of any place in the state. There's no disputing...

