Reader comments
Head of agency that seized FLDS children to retire

Anonymous | 5:28 a.m. June 28, 2008

There sure is an awful lot of denying something that nobody asked them about.

Did a reporter ask them if he was getting booted out?

The figure of 14 million was tallied as of May 19, 2008 and was admitted to be incomplete at that time by the State.

The figure up until June 6, 2008 now stands at 20 million, and is also not complete.

The final tally will be closer to 35 million, and that doesn't include one dime of the amount that Texas is about to be sued for in Federal Court's by
the "Enforcers" of the Ranch.

Bill Medvecky

stop | 6:11 a.m. June 28, 2008

Stop reporting this stuff and maybe the world will stop thinking flds is lds. Every day you post another article it just continues to blue the line. Way to go mormon desnews.

David the Ex-mo | 7:02 a.m. June 28, 2008

61 and retiring? SURE it has nothing to do with the FLDS fiasco.

Comments continue below

Yah, just retire | 8:32 a.m. June 28, 2008

That's an easy way out of this mess.

put him on trial | 8:37 a.m. June 28, 2008

He should be thrown in prison for what he has done. His retirement home should be the state prison. His organization introduced the advent of Nazi Germany here in America.

As it should be | 8:54 a.m. June 28, 2008

This is as it should be. He cost the state $14 Million to date? For a battle that should have never happened? This is a nightmare. He really ought to be fired, but I guess we can't get too demanding or else the sheriff in the armored tank might come for us.

His legacy | 9:01 a.m. June 28, 2008

I guess he can go down in infamy now.

Puboy | 10:02 a.m. June 28, 2008

Since the Texas gov has stated he accepts full responsibility for the 20 million price tag, so far, of this bondoggle, can we expect his resignation shortly? Or do we have to wait until the next gov election to find out who the new gov will be?

I hope | 10:47 a.m. June 28, 2008

that this rat will get prison time over this hate crime.

The Governor | 10:51 a.m. June 28, 2008

He should be jailed along with all the rest of these
Texans who were complicit in this crime. I hope the poligamists sue them for every dime in the state of Texas treasury.

zxcvbnm | 11:00 a.m. June 28, 2008

Read this mans biography........religious affiliation.......look at his last job and the quasi law enforcement nature of position.
A short term appointment to a position that was instrumental in the enforcement of the laws written in 2005 to target FLDS.
Someone needs to start a grand jury investigation of the agency heads responsible for the largest case of false imprisonment in this coutrys history.

COSMO | 11:12 a.m. June 28, 2008

Could be the first of several "Government Hot Shots"
to be drummed out of public office. Unfortunately this people rarely suffer for their abuse of office.

COSMO | 11:16 a.m. June 28, 2008

Typo: should be "these" people, not "this". Oops!

So Tired | 11:45 a.m. June 28, 2008

I am so tired of the hatred that comes through on each and every article that comes out. You people twist everything completely around. Did you ever think that at the age of 61 the man just wants to be a grandfather? Any allegation of abuse/neglect must be investigated whether it is valid or not. You do not know all the details of the investigation, so stop making assumptions that you do know because you were not there.

zxcvbnm | 12:33 p.m. June 28, 2008

RE So Tired: Yep, every abuse allegation needs to be investigated.
"Sarah" doesn't exist.....Sarah was in the mind of a crazy woman several states away. Now with that investigation over when will we start on the investigation of the individuals responsible for the illegal siezure and detention of 400+ innocent women and children?

zxcvbnm | 1:22 p.m. June 28, 2008

Have you not read the news the investigation is not over...and the entire case is not over. The parents still have tasks that they need to do and are still under court orders and must follow those orders just as the workers must follow the orders as well.

Oh Right! | 1:29 p.m. June 28, 2008

I'm going to be a grandfather so I have to quit my job forever!

What a lame attempt to cover the fact that he was embarrassed into quitting before he got fired.

I also think his anti-Constitutional, anti-Americanism ought to be severely punished.

More lameness - lets not publish news that LDS don't like. Non-LDS are just too stupid to recognize the difference even when it is spelled out. Let's all support "the Church" by repressing information. Hmmmmmmmm............

Bravo to DesNews for covering the news and not hiding behind their mother's skirts.

Sue Him | 1:36 p.m. June 28, 2008

He harmed far more children than he helped. Pure reactionary hysterics. One down, one "I accept responsbility" Govenor and one bad judge to go.

Yup | 1:36 p.m. June 28, 2008

So why was they picking on the women and children
This is another 40 year incumbunt with an R on his name too
Texas is another Utah with right to work for nothing wages
These people have sworn to up hold the U.S. Constitution and have ignored it
Utah Ignors it today
Innocent people are being charged and in Jail
This is a fact in Utah
No such thing as a fair trial
You just kow they have a lot of criminals to lock up
Trouble is these are not the one being locked up

David | 1:37 p.m. June 28, 2008

So Tired,

I am glad that you agree that all of these allegations of abuse must be investigated. I hope that you likewise are in agreement that he should be immediately incarcirated against his will, and away from his grandkids for 2 months until some court hopefully rules in his favor that there wasn't enough evidence to take him in the first place.

Tell the Truth | 1:59 p.m. June 28, 2008

Get off the perpetual PR.The LDS still practice polygamy. It's just that only one wife can be alive at a time.

One hero | 3:15 p.m. June 28, 2008

One man finally had the courage to do what is right - rotect these children from the insanity of polygamy. Too bad you idiots out there don't agree. I hope Utah does the same.

Re :One hero.? Yeah Right. | 3:37 p.m. June 28, 2008

If this great man had any other convections other then bigotry it would be great thing, like go after the 133 strip-clubs and prostitution, and 24 private -clubs where singles swap partners with wild sex. thatï¿½s Ok ,,, Hmmmm Let go after the religious folks that MARRY mutable husbands and bring them down. Sound like Bigotry to me

Ronald A. Young | 4:00 p.m. June 28, 2008

I hope he has a happy and long Retirement. He Did The Right Thing. Our thanks to Him, his workers and the Police and the Hero Judge. Someone at last stood up to these Dirty Old Men who Marry and Rape Underage Girls. A Picture of a 6'4" grown man Tongue Kissing his 12 year old so called Bride is enough to Gross anyone out. Good Job Sir! Thank you again so much.

Former TX CPS Supervisor | 4:08 p.m. June 28, 2008

Good riddance! At the time of the raid, I was a CPS Supervisor. After the raid, I resigned. TX CPS is more outa control than you can imagine. The FLDS are just a very visible example.

zxcvbnm | 4:22 p.m. June 28, 2008

Great Ronald...........now Jeffs was tongue kissing. I guess the investigatous wasted a few hundred thousand dollars getting a kissing "expert" to verify tongue debth based on face muscle tension calculations extrapolated from shadows cast on the photo.
Or, is it just your guess that Jeffs had a little tongue action going on.
Look real close there hotshot and you can imagine all kinds of things........or are you relying on the CPS version of "tongue debth".

Team Hero | 5:00 p.m. June 28, 2008

No need to measure his tongue, they got his finger prints. Jeffs is in jail where he belongs. Shameful that it cost tax payers so much (20mil.) to get these so called "Godly" people to obey the laws of the land.
Equally shamefull for the people on this board.. so called "Godly" people to defend this behavior. One hero... Ronald... you must have the Holy Spirit living in you... you can see the truth.
The FLDS perverted men need to be incarcirated. As stated, the investigation is not over. FLDS pack up and relocate... keep running... One last question, why do so called Godly people have to hide there practices?

Hum? | 5:03 p.m. June 28, 2008

A few months ago I posted saying that Texas officials will start fleeing like rats from a sinking ship. Now it begins.

Wait and see, others left holding the bag will soon follow and claim the timing is a coincidence. I would not want to be associated with this mess either.

I hope Texas officials are held responsible for civil right violations. Letï¿½s legally investigate crimes (on both sides).

zxcvbnm | 5:19 p.m. June 28, 2008

Yes Jeffs is in jail.......four or the six "brides" are alleged to be his. One "bride" denies being a bride....cps claimed she had a child. Now CPS says Teresa does not have a child.
SO....400 persons arrested to save four "brides " from their alleged husband. The alleged husband is in jail.
Teresa has already stated that she was not a bride, has never been pregnant, and is still a virgin.
Broken bones that weren't broken....girls that were women. pregnant teens that either weren't pregnant or weren't teens. Identification that was bad enough to keep pregnant girls locked up until they had their children....then mysteriously good enough to prove adulthood and take their kids away.
Start an investigation of CPS.

Wild Bill | 5:21 p.m. June 28, 2008

Well a good man retires from a profession in which he was resposible for thousands of children being ripped away from there parents. I am sure many were
better off. But how many were just bad ideas?

The FLDS people are the victims this time.

The CPS should now being saying sorry for the problems we caused without justification.

Re: Former TX CPS Supervisor | 5:57 p.m. June 28, 2008

If you want to help the next innocent children to be traumatized, you need to PLEASE let the media or write a book on what you know... We need a HEALTHY CPS, not an out of control one. You might be saving children (good!) but many more are being destroyed in the attempt to do so... PLEASE, it IS in the "best interests" of the child to do so. Someone needs to blow the whistle....

Innocent By-Stander | 5:59 p.m. June 28, 2008

I don't have a dog in this fight b/c i'm not a Mormon, I'm not a member of FLDS and I live in the East. However, I saw enormous harm being done to hundreds of children over FALSE allegations. Doesn't it bother you all that the government of Texas used its great power against these children? I dispise child abusers and would like them all to get the death penalty, in spite of the Supereme Court's recent ruling. But in this case, Texas acted like Russia and virtually arrested everyone on the block when a robber lived in one apartment. If Texas had real evidence of child abuse, I say go after the abuser with everything you have. But in this case all they had was an unfounded allegation and a whole lot of prejudice. To me, that's unacceptable in America.

deb | 6:47 p.m. June 28, 2008

Maybe they will rip his grandchild out from his arms-- wonder how he'd like that?After all by being the head he was responsible for the trauma and abuse of 400 innocent children, he might hurt his own grandchild in the future- we'd all better protect that child from him. And I'm sure he has passed down whatever his religious belief is to his child, they may be dangerous to the baby too!!Better have CPS protect it!!!

zxcvbnm | 9:52 p.m. June 28, 2008

RE Innocent bystander: You may think you have no dog in this fight but you do.
Every American has to fear a government that can invade a home, church, or family on the whim of a government agency acting on an annonymous tip.
In this case several state agencies were waiting for any excuse to raid the place and any excuse to hold those mothers and children.
Keep complaining.......keep questioning......and vote for honest people....thats all we have other than prayer. We aren't safe in our homes when government can act in the manner that Texas did.
My doors have been kicked in by Texas law enforcement......no warrant........and I had not violated the law. Welcome to Texas justice people..........

Plato | 8:29 a.m. June 29, 2008

Texas justice Hilderbrand style. One crank call, one fraudulant warrant, one prejudice judge, one bored sheriff, a baptist swat team, CPS home wreckers and one blind governor. Mix in one agenda driven Utah Attorney General and you end up with Texas justice . . .

Please.... | 7:49 a.m. June 30, 2008

You can all sit back and second guess the actions of people who HAD to make decisions. I'd like to see you carry a caseload. When the next "religion" abuses children in the name of that religion, no one who do anything to protect. At least Texas had the guts to try and protect these children.

I believe the ex-supervisor is a poser.....

zxcvbnm | 9:21 a.m. June 30, 2008

I also believe "supervisor" is a poser. There may be many other posers on this blogg.
We as citizens have the right and many say responsibility to point out the mistakes of elected officials and public servants.
The mistakes made by public servants affect us all to one degree or another...the mistakes made by a church affect the congregation.
When a State takes it upon itself to make judgements that were made based on rumor and gossip that have proven to be either false or exagerations there is a need to reform the "system" to prevent other individuals from beinging subject to the same harm.
There is too much "evidence" of mistakes and errors to ignore the motives and means used by the Government to deal with a "problem" that had other remedies.
We need an investigation of the State to prevent the obvious errors. There is a problem. Many people have commented on the problem. The Tx Supreme Court pointed out one of the problems.
MHMR employees pointed out problems.
The State has a duty to be correct in its' accusations and does not get a free pass when it is wrong.

David | 10:08 a.m. June 30, 2008

To "Please...."

I believe that the ex-supervisor may be a poser. But WE HAVE TO INVESTIGATE. I say we all storm CPS offices, hold them captive, then tell them they can go, but if they do they cannot return, tear through all of their records.

Really, if all allegations of abuse must be investigated, shouldn't we do the same for CPS? They've been accused by someone as credible as Rozita Swinton, why not act, why is this different?

Sick of CPS | 12:33 p.m. June 30, 2008

Good Riddance! And when he leaves he should take Marleigh Meisner with him--she is no more innocent than he is. And it isn't just Texas CPS that should be investigated. Utah DCFS is also out of control Just ask anyone who has had their child taken away for merely SUSPICION of abuse. They have to prove their innocence before they ever get their kids back and have to "jump through the hoops" just as the FLDS are having to do now. Some innocent families never get their kids back. And some of the corrupt judges in Utah back everything DCFS says, just as Judge Walther did. The FLDS are lucky it was such a high-profile case, or their kids might still be gone.

re - sick of CPS | 3:54 p.m. June 30, 2008

and well the kids should be gone, instead of being returned to an abusive, restrictive, and isolationist authoritarian regime. The kids don't stand a chance now.

I guess they can be models for the FLDS clothing line, although that won't make them any money - it would just be another case of FLDS abusing child labor laws amongst everything else....

David | 5:02 p.m. June 30, 2008

Re - re,

Should be gone? Without due process, without their day in court?

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