many men could face child sexual abuse charges

By Jim Forsyth
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Six men have been indicted in connection with their activities on the Yearning for Zion ranch in Schleicher County, but DPS says many more may be yearning for freedom before their investigation is over, 1200 WOAI news reports.

"We have a number of cases we're looking at this point," DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange said.

Texas Ranger say about 20 potential cases of child sexual abuse, and as many as fifty cases of bigamy are being investigated.

Five of the six men indicted by a Schleicher County grand jury last month, including Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 'prophet' Warren Jeffs, are charged with child sex assault offenses which could bring them life in prison. The sixth man is charged with failing to report child abuse. All except Jeffs are free on bond, Jeffs is serving a prison term of ten years to life in Utah on charges of facilitating underage marriages.

"We confiscated a number of items, including paperwork, photographs, and a number of other things from the ranch, and we are continuing to use those in our investigation," Mange said.

Among the items seized from a safe in the temple on the ranch during the April 3 raid is the so called 'Bishop's List,' which includes a roll of men and their multiple wives and the ages of those wives. It's believed this list is being used to prepare criminal charges against the men involved.

It is a crime in Texas to marry or have sexual relations with a girl under the age of 16. The 'Bishops List' indicates some of the girls who entered into 'spiritual marriages' with much older men at the ranch were as young a 12. Some men were listed as having as many as eight wives and dozens of children.

More than 460 children were seized from the ranch and placed into foster care following the raid. The Texas Supreme Court in June ordered all the children returned to their parents, but Child Protective Services has since filed motions to have eight children returned to foster care, because their mothers have ignored a requirement that they not allow the children to have contact with men who are involved in 'underage marriages.'

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Emphasis added by H4K Editor