Jury selection ongoing in 1st polygamist trial

ELDORADO, Texas — More than 150 potential jurors, including 10 women in prairie dresses and braids, crammed into a makeshift courtroom Monday as jury selection began in the first criminal trial stemming from the raid of a polygamist sect's ranch last year.

Raymond Jessop, 38, is charged with sexual assault of a child, stemming from his alleged marriage to an underage girl. The girl, according to church documents seized by authorities, gave birth at age 16 at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado. If convicted, Jessop faces 20 years in prison.

He is also charged with bigamy, but that charge is to be tried separately. Prosecutors allege Jessop has nine wives, including three who were married to a brother before the brother was excommunicated by Warren Jeffs, the jailed leader of the Fundamentalist LDS Church.

In all, 12 sect members have been charged with crimes ranging from failure to report child abuse to sexual assault and bigamy.

Potential jurors spent Monday on plastic folding chairs in a building next to the courthouse. A few were dismissed with early exemption claims, but 17 FLDS members, conspicuous because of their distinct dress, remained in the pool, as did a relative of the local sheriff.

After answering group questions about their biases and whether they had personal connections to those involved in the case, potential jurors began undergoing individual questioning by attorneys late Monday. The voir dire was scheduled to continue today, and Texas District Judge Barbara Walther said she hoped to complete jury selection by then.

The county sent summonses to 300 potential jurors, the largest jury pool in its history, in hopes of seating 12 jurors and two alternates.

Authorities took 439 FLDS children into state custody and conducted a weeklong raid at the ranch last April, confiscating hundreds of boxes of documents and family photos.

Images of the women and children dressed in prairie clothing dominated cable news networks for weeks after the raid and after subsequent court rulings sending the children back to their parents.

If lawyers can't come up with a jury in Schleicher County, the trial could be moved to an adjoining county.

Jessop's trial is expected to last two weeks, said assistant attorney general Eric Nichols, who is prosecuting the case. The prosecution's witness list includes 59 people, including law enforcement and child welfare officials, two of Jessop's alleged underage wives and former FLDS members.