YFZ Ranch

The FLDS temple in the YFZ Ranch

The Yearning for Zion Ranch, or the YFZ Ranch,[1] was a 1,700-acre (690-hectare) Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community of as many as 700 people, located near Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, United States. In April 2014, the State of Texas took physical and legal possession of the property.[2][3] As of 2019, the property was in the process of being sold to the Dallas-based firm ETG Properties LLC, who were already leasing it for use as a military and law enforcement training facility.[4]

Background

The YFZ Ranch was situated 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of San Angelo and four miles (six kilometers) northeast of Eldorado. The Ranch was settled by members of the FLDS Church who left Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona under increasing scrutiny from the media, anti-polygamy activists and law enforcement officials.[5]

Creation of property

Speaking in Sunday church services on August 10, 2003, Warren Jeffs declared that the blessings of the priesthood had been removed from the community of Short Creek (Colorado City and Hildale). Following the sermon, Jeffs suspended all further religious meetings but continued to allow his followers to pay their tithes and offerings to him.[6] He then turned his focus to what he called "lands of refuge": secret communities that he had started to build up.[7] Jeffs referred to Yearning for Zion Ranch, one of the lands of refuge, by the code name R17.[8]

Aerial view of the FLDS ranch

The YFZ Land LLC, through its president, David S. Allred, purchased the ranch in 2003 for $700,000[9] and quickly began development on the property.[10] When he purchased the property, he declared that the buildings would be a corporate hunting retreat. Allred stuck with that story even after William Benjamin Johnson, a Hildale man, was alleged to be shooting all the white-tail deer on the ranch and, after an investigation, was fined for hunting without a license.[11] Later, ranch officials disclosed that the hunting retreat description was inaccurate; the buildings were part of the FLDS Church's residential area.[11][12]

The ranch was home to approximately 500 people who relocated from Arizona and Utah communities. It housed a temple, a waste treatment facility, a 29,000 sq ft (2,700 m2) house for FLDS Church president Warren Jeffs, a meeting house, and several large log and concrete homes.[13] There were generators, gardens, a grain silo, and a large stone quarry that was cut for the temple. According to preliminary tax assessments, about $3 million worth of buildings had been built. The sect was fined over $34,000 for environmental violations in connection with buildings on the ranch, mainly due to its failure to obtain the required permits for its concrete-mixing operations.[14]

The temple foundation was dedicated January 1, 2005, by Jeffs.[15]

April 2008 raid

Mormonism and polygamy
Portrait of five caucasian Latter-day Saints, married to each other in nineteenth-century Latter-day Saint polygamy, against the backdrop of what may be a hedge. All seem to be posing; none face the camera. Leftmost is a woman, seated, her hair done in a high, braided bun, wearing a dress with buttons down the middle; in her hands are an open book. Center-left, standing furthest to the back (though still very much with the portraited group) is a woman, her hair done up but resting low, in a polka-dotted top and a scarf or ascot around her neck and a skirt. She carries a hat, held to her waist. Center is a woman, sort of kneeling or seated (perhaps there is an unseen stool she's sitting on?). She wears a white dress, her hair is done up in a high and large bun and she wears a headband. In her right arm she holds a hat, over her knees; her left arm rests on the lap of the man sitting center right. She may be leaning against his legs. Center-right is a man, wearing a suit jacket of some kind and a high-collared shirt. He is balded and bearded. His left hand is placed over the left arm of the center woman. Rightmost is a woman, her hair done up but resting low, sitting in a visibly wooden (likely handcrafted) chair. She wears a dress with buttons going down the middle. She holds a hat, which looks very like center's hat, over her knees.
A Mormon "Saint" and Wives by Charles Weitfle (c. 1878–1885)
Early Mormonism
Joseph Smith • Wives of Joseph Smith • Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy • Spiritual wifery
Latter-day Saints
Brigham Young • Wives of Brigham Young • Late-19th century Mormon polygamy • Mormon colonies in Mexico • 1890 Manifesto • Reed Smoot hearings • 1904 Manifesto
Mormon fundamentalism
AUB • Centennial Park group • Council of Friends • Current state of polygamy • FLDS Church • Kingston Group • List of leaders • Lost boys • Short Creek raid • YFZ Ranch
Antipolygamy laws
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act • Poland Act • Edmunds Act • Edmunds–Tucker Act
Case law
Reynolds v. US • Cannon v. US • Clawson v. US • Davis v. Beason • Late Corp. of the LDS Church v. US • Cleveland v. US • Brown v. Buhman • List of polygamy court cases
Related articles
Celestial marriage • Freedom of religion in the US • Legal status of polygamy • List of practitioners  • Polygamy czar • Polygamy in Christianity • Polygamy in North America • Timeline of civil marriage in the United States
Latter Day Saints portal

On March 29, 2008,[16] a local domestic violence shelter hotline took a call from a woman, identifying herself as "Sarah", and claiming to be a 16-year-old victim of physical and sexual abuse at the church's YFZ Ranch.[17][18] Investigators eventually established by tracing the calls that they were placed by a much older woman, Rozita Swinton, who had been arrested for previous hoax calls posing as abused and victimized girls.[19][20] The call triggered a large-scale operation at YFZ Ranch by Texas law enforcement and child welfare officials, beginning with cordoning off of the ranch on April 3.[16] SWAT teams, tactical vehicles, and police helicopters were deployed to the ranch in anticipation of armed resistance from the church members, but there was none.[21] Authorities believed the children "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse", a state spokesman said.[22] Troopers and child welfare officials searched the ranch,[23] including the temple's safes, vaults, locked desk drawers, and beds.[24] They found evidence leading them to believe that the beds were "in a part of the temple where 'males over the age of 17 engage in sexual activity' with underage girls".[24] A religious scholar later testified in court that he did not think sexual activity occurs in the temples of FLDS sects, and that temple service "lasts a couple of hours, so all the temples will have a place where someone can lie down".[25] Child Protective Services (CPS) officials conceded that there was no evidence that the youngest children were abused (about 130 of the children were under 5), and evidence later presented in a custody hearing suggested that teenage boys were not physically or sexually abused.[26]

CPS spokesman Darrell Azar stated, "There was a systematic process going on to groom these young girls to become brides", and that the children could not be protected from possible future abuse on the ranch. Interviews with the children "revealed that several underage girls were forced into 'spiritual marriage' with much older men as soon as they reached puberty and were then made pregnant".[27] After Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st District Court issued an order authorizing officials to remove all children, including boys, 17 years old and under, from the ranch,[28] eventually a total of 462 children[23][24][29] went into the temporary custody of the State of Texas.[17] The children were held by the Child Protective Services at Fort Concho and the Wells Fargo Pavilion in San Angelo.[30][31] Over a hundred adult women chose to leave the ranch to accompany the children.[27][32] Children under the age of four were allowed to stay with their mothers until DNA testing to identify family relations was finished; once DNA testing was completed, only children under 18 months were allowed to stay with their mothers indefinitely.[33]

A former member of the FLDS Church, Carolyn Jessop, arrived on-site April 6 in hopes of reuniting two of her daughters with their half siblings.[34] She stated that the actions in Texas were unlike the 1953 Short Creek raid in Arizona.[34] Jessop had been in Texas the prior month at a speaking engagement, where she said, "[i]n Eldorado, the crimes went to a whole new level. They thought they could get away with more" but "Texas is not going to be a state that's as tolerant of these crimes as Arizona and Utah have been."[35] By April 8, authorities had removed as many as 533 women and children from the ranch.[17][36] On April 10, law enforcement completed their search of the ranch, returning control of the property to the FLDS Church.[37]

Mandamus of Judge Walther

Represented by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, mothers of the removed children sought a writ of mandamus against Judge Walther for her rulings because parents in Texas cannot simply appeal an emergency removal.[38] Mandamus is available only when it is abundantly clear a state official abused his or her power.

On May 22, 2008, an appeals court issued a writ of mandamus to Judge Walther and found that there was not enough evidence at the original hearing that the children were in immediate danger to justify keeping them in state custody. The court added that Judge Walther had abused her discretion by keeping the children in state care. The court ruled, "The department did not present any evidence of danger to the physical health and safety of any male children or any female children who had not reached puberty."[39] The children were to be returned to their families in 10 days. CPS announced they would seek to overturn the decision.[40] On May 29, the Texas Supreme Court declined to issue a mandamus to the Appeals Court, with a result that CPS was required to return all of the children. The court stated, "On the record before us, removal of the children was not warranted."[41] The court also noted that although the children must be returned, "it need not do so without granting other appropriate relief to protect the children".[42]

On May 12–15, 2009, a hearing was held in Tom Green County, Texas regarding the constitutionality and legality of search warrants executed in April 2008 on the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, Texas. On October 2, 2009, Judge Barbara Walther issued a ruling denying a defense motion to suppress the evidence seized from the YFZ Ranch, stating:

The court finds that Defendants' offer of proof of deliberate falsehoods contained within the probable cause affidavits to support the two warrants is unsupported by credible evidence.[43]

On November 10, 2009, Raymond Jessop was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $8,000[44] for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl on or about November 19, 2004.[45] On December 18, 2009, Allan Keate was sentenced to 33 years in prison. He fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl.[46]

On January 22, 2010, Michael George Emack pleaded no contest to sexual assault charges and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He married a 16-year-old girl at YFZ Ranch on August 5, 2004. She gave birth to a son less than a year later. On April 14, 2010, Emack also pleaded no contest on a bigamy charge and received a seven-year sentence that will run concurrently with the sentence he received for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.[47]

On February 5, 2010, Arizona Judge Steven F. Conn approved a stipulation from the previous day between Mohave County prosecutor Matt Smith and Warren Jeffs' defense attorney, Michael Piccarreta, that evidence seized from the YFZ Ranch in Texas would not be used in any manner in Warren Jeffs' two criminal trials in Arizona.[48][49] Based on the agreement of the attorneys, Judge Conn issued an order adopting the stipulation.[50] A Utah court found Jeffs guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice in September 2007.[51] He was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years to life but while serving this sentence at the Utah State Prison, Jeffs' conviction was reversed by Utah's Supreme Court on July 27, 2010 because of a flaw in the jury instructions.[52] Jeffs was extradited to Texas, to face trial on charges facing him there. The Texas jury found him guilty of sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault of children.[53] He was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty years, to be served consecutively, and a $10,000 fine, for sexual assault of both 12 and 15-year-old girls.[54]

On March 19, 2010, Merril Leroy Jessop was sentenced to 75 years in prison for one count of sexual assault of a child. Jessop was convicted of illegally marrying and then fathering a child with a 15-year-old female.[55]

On April 15, 2010, Lehi Barlow Jeffs pleaded no contest to bigamy and sexual assault of a child, avoiding a trial that had been set for April 26. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.[47]

On June 22, 2010, Abram Harker Jeffs was found guilty of sexual assault of a child.[56]

On August 9, 2011, leader Warren Steed Jeffs was found guilty of one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years to be served consecutively.[57]

Controversy

Rozita Swinton

Rozita Swinton of Colorado Springs had previously made calls pretending to be a young girl. She was under investigation for posing as the caller "Sarah" who complained of abuse, but she could not be found. FLDS women did not know of any such girl and assumed that it was a prank call. Sarah was considered a real person by CPS until May when her court case was dropped, effectively acknowledging that she does not actually exist.[58] Swinton has previously been responsible for hoax calls to authorities in multiple jurisdictions, setting off large emergency responses that sometimes involved dozens of police officers.[59] Flora Jessop recorded nearly 40 hours of Swinton's phone calls, both before and after the raid on the YFZ ranch.[60] Swinton posed alternately as "Sarah Barlow" and her sister Laura. She claimed that her 50-year-old husband beat and raped her and that his other wives tried to poison her.[61] Swinton herself was 33 at the time, unmarried, and childless.[62]

The Associated Press reported that Texas Ranger Brooks Long called Colorado officials about two phone numbers, one of which "was possibly related to the reporting party for the YFZ Ranch incident". However, the CPS acted on additional evidence gathered while investigating this complaint, and Flora Jessop and some commentators have expressed gratitude to Swinton that her tip, even if false, allowed exposure of alleged child abuses.[63]

Age dispute and Child Protective Services

CPS has acknowledged that some ranch residents who were removed because they appeared to be minors may be older than first assumed. On May 13, Louisa Bradshaw Jessop gave birth to a son.[64][65] Louisa Jessop had been classified as 17 by CPS, although her husband had previously provided a birth certificate and driver's license to demonstrate that she was 22.[66] A CPS lawyer explained, "We can't just look at people and say, 'You're of age, you can go.'" A spokesman for FLDS believed that CPS "just wanted to keep the mother in custody until they could get the baby". Jessop was one of 27 "disputed minors", or ranch residents about whom the CPS has inaccurate or conflicting information regarding age. Child Protective Services lawyers on May 13 told Judge Walther that Louisa and the mother of a boy born April 29 were no longer considered to be minors.[67] On May 22, CPS declared half of the alleged teen mothers to be adults, some as old as 27. One who had been listed as an underage mother had never been pregnant.[68]

Other criticism

Many FLDS members and supporters see the raid and the seizure of the children from their family as religious persecution[69] and have likened it to a witch-hunt.[70]

In May 2008, FLDS spokesperson Willie Jessop wrote a letter to President George W. Bush,[71] asking him to intervene, and outlining the harsh conditions that Jessop believed that the children and mothers were subjected to.[72] In the letter Jessop claimed that, contrary to statements from authorities that the children were being placed in a safe and secure environment, the mothers and children were actually crowded by the hundreds into Fort Concho, a military facility without adequate toilets, bathing facilities, or privacy.

Mental health workers who worked at the shelter testified similarly to state officials, also citing lack of privacy, only military cots for sleeping and poor-quality food, with no communications and threatened arrest if mothers waved to friends. "The CPS workers were openly rude to the mothers and children, yelled at them for trying to wave to friends ... threatened them with arrest if they did not stop waving"[73] Workers took notes on everything the "guests" said. In many of the testimonies it was compared to a prison or concentration camp.

The Christian legal group Liberty Legal Institute took the position that the state of Texas should be required to prove that the children taken from the ranch were actually abused or were in imminent danger. Liberty Legal warned of possible damage to religious liberties and the rights of all Texas parents. Home-schooling families were also fearful that opponents could file similarly false complaints against families to force attendance in government-run schools.[74]

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff disagreed with the removal:

Let's say you're a 6-month-old girl, no evidence whatsoever of any abuse. They're simply saying, "You, in this culture, may grow up to be a child bride when you're 14. Therefore we're going to remove you now when you're 6 months old" ... Or, "You're a 6-month-old boy; 25, 30 years, 40 years from now you're going to be a predator, so we're going to take you away now."[75]

Texas requires public education for children not in private or home schooling.[76] Although the children had not been schooled while in state custody, a Texas Education Agency spokesman has stated that "there's a point at which their educational input is secondary" to their emotional well-being.[77] CPS anticipates that the children will continue their education on the campus of their foster placement. There were no plans for the children to attend classes on any public school campus.[78]

The ACLU maintains that the raid was prompted by a single, unsubstantiated allegation of abuse, and they allege that all children at the ranch were believed at risk solely because of exposure to FLDS beliefs regarding underage marriage. But, the ACLU contends, "exposure to a religion's beliefs, however unorthodox, is not itself abuse and may not constitutionally be labeled abuse". The ACLU pointed out that parents were separated from their children without individual hearings and without particularized evidence of abuse, and that DNA testing was ordered without evidence that parentage was in dispute. Such actions, the ACLU asserts, "should not be indiscriminately targeted against a group as a whole – particularly when the group is perceived as being different or unusual".[79]

Commentary

At the beginning of May, National Review columnist John Derbyshire called the raid the "atrocity of the [previous] month", but said he had seen only one editorial critical of the removals.[80] The Los Angeles Times editorially endorsed the appeals court decision, saying CPS "was overzealous in its efforts".[81]

Several commentators compared the raid with the Short Creek raid of 1953, which was also a government raid on an FLDS community, and which led to a popular backlash against the raid.[82][83][84][85]

Post-raid events

On April 14, 2008, the women and children were moved out of Fort Concho to San Angelo Coliseum, where the CPS reported that the children were playing and smiling.[citation needed] Mothers had complained about the living conditions inside Fort Concho, sending a letter to the Texas Governor asking him to investigate the conditions. In the letter, obtained by the Associated Press, the mothers claim that their children became sick and required hospitalization. They wrote "Our innocent children are continually being questioned on things they know nothing about. The physical examinations were horrifying to the children. The exposure to these conditions is traumatizing." FLDS and mental health workers complained about subjecting children to interrogation sessions, invasive physical examinations, pregnancy tests and complete body X-rays. Women staying at Fort Concho shelter told the press that the temporary housing was "cramped, with cots, cribs, and playpens lined up side by side, and that the children were frightened".[86]

The FLDS described the separation of mothers from their children as "inhumane". When the children under 5 realized their mothers would be taken away, the children started crying and screaming, requiring CPS workers to pry many from their mothers.[87]

The children were placed in 16 group shelters and foster homes. Minors with children were sent to the Seton Home in San Antonio, older boys to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch in Amarillo. Some parents stated on the Today Show that they were unable to visit their boys due to a shortage of CPS staff. Newspapers released names of facilities caring for the FLDS children that have requested donations of specific items, help or cash.[77]

On April 16, 2008, several of the mothers appeared on Larry King Live to ask for their children and tell their story from their own viewpoint.[88] The program included a guided tour of the ranch by one of the mothers, showing where the children and families sleep and eat and stressing the loss felt with the children all now gone. The mothers declined to discuss the pending allegations of child abuse.[89] On the 17th, a custody hearing began in the Tom Green County Courthouse to determine whether the children would remain in state custody. Judge Barbara Walther heard testimony from State officials, experts called in by the State and witnesses for ranch members over a period of 2 days while hundreds of lawyers representing the children looked on and offered objections. State officials alleged a pattern of abuse by adults, including marriages between young girls and older men, while ranch residents insisted that no abuse had taken place.[90]

On April 18, 2008, after 21 hours of testimony, Judge Walther ordered that all 416 children seized be held in protective custody and that the DNA of the children and adults be tested to establish family relationships. Children younger than 4 were to be separated from their mothers over 18 after DNA samples were taken; older children had already been separated. Children were to be given individual hearings to determine whether they must be moved to permanent foster care or returned to their parents.[33][91] DNA testing of children and adults began on the 21st.[92]

On April 24, 2008, authorities stated that they believed 25 mothers from the YFZ Ranch were under 18.[93] On the 28th, authorities announced that of the 53 girls aged 14–17, 31 have children or were pregnant.[94]

After the women regained custody of the children, one half of the families left the Yearning for Zion ranch and moved to another FLDS location.

Carey Cockerell, representing Texas CPS investigators, said on April 30 that they have identified 41 children with past diagnoses of fractured bones. FLDS spokesman Rod Parker attributes the fractures to hereditary bone disease and believes that the fracture rate was low, considering the children's physically active lifestyle. Additionally, two children broke bones while they were removed from the ranch, and one girl broke a bone while in custody.[95] CPS investigators also made new allegations of possible sexual abuse of boys, citing their diary notes.

On May 13, 2008, a San Antonio judge allowed a couple from the ranch to have daily visits with their children, and granted them a hearing in 10 days to decide their children's custody. Other challenges to the blanket order by Judge Walther were filed in courts in San Antonio, Austin, and San Angelo.[96][97]

In November 2008, 12 FLDS men were charged with offenses related to underage marriages.[98]

On December 22, 2008, The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services issued a 21-page final report on the raid entitled "El Dorado Investigation". The report found that "12 girls were 'spiritually' married at ages ranging from 12 to 15, and seven of these girls have had one or more children. The 12 confirmed victims of sexual abuse were among 43 girls removed from the ranch from the ages of 12 to 17, which means that more than one out of every four pubescent girls on the ranch was in an underage marriage."[99]

Resolution

A year after the raid, two thirds of the families were back at the ranch and sect leaders had promised to end underaged marriages. Twelve men, not all apparently from the ranch, had been indicted on a variety of sex charges, including assault and bigamy.[100] One child, a 14-year-old girl who was married to jailed leader Warren Jeffs when she was 12, remained in foster care. The following summer, 2009, she was sent to live with a relative[101] and ordered not to have contact with Jeffs.[102]

Seizure

In November 2012, the Texas Attorney General's Office began legal proceeding in an attempt to seize the ranch.[103][104][105] In a 91-page affidavit filed with the 51st District Court of Texas, the Attorney General argues that Warren Jeffs authorized the purchase of the ranch property as "... a rural location where the systemic sexual assault of children would be tolerated without interference from law enforcement authorities",[104] therefore, the property was contraband and subject to seizure.[105][106] Under Texas law, property that was used to commit or facilitate certain criminal conduct can be seized by law enforcement authorities.[107] In 2012 the property was appraised to have a value of $19.96 million, according to county tax rolls.[105]

On January 6, 2014, Judge Walther ruled that the state could seize the property, and that they could "enter the property and take an inventory."[108][109] The FLDS Church had 30 days to appeal.[110] On February 6, 2014, at the close of the courthouse day, the opportunity to appeal the seizure expired; since no one had filed an appeal challenging the seizure by that time, the state of Texas became the legal owner of the YFZ Ranch. Officials did not release details about their future plans for the ranch at that time.[111] On April 16, 2014, officials met with two representatives of the remaining eight adult residents and discussed arrangements for them to vacate the premises,[112] and the following day (April 17) the State of Texas took physical possession of the property.[2][3]

In 2018, the ranch was reported as being disused, with the county, city and school district disappointed with the loss of tax revenue – properties owned by the State are exempt from local taxation, so the property became tax-exempt when state authorities seized it.[113] In 2019, it was reported as having been leased and in the process of being sold to the Dallas-based firm ETG Properties LLC, who were providing it to the military and law enforcement for training use. [4]

See also

  • Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, a book of investigative non-fiction published in 2003 which documents incidents of violence and abuse connected with the FLDS.
  • Lost boys, young men who have been excommunicated or pressured to leave polygamous groups such as the FLDS, though no documented cases were related to the YFZ Ranch.

References

  1. ^ "FLDS temple nearly complete". Provo Daily Herald. (AP). January 31, 2006. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Texas Seizes Polygamist Warren Jeffs' Ranch". NBC News. Associated Press. April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Carlisle, Nate (April 17, 2014). "Texas takes possession of polygamous ranch". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  4. ^ a b MacCormack, John (March 2, 2019). "Yearning for Zion ex-polygamist ranch in Texas being sold". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  5. ^ Korosec, Thomas (March 6, 2005). "Have polygamists found their Eldorado? West Texas compound may be a haven from scrutiny, but neighbors worry". Houston Chronicle.
  6. ^ Bistline, Ben (2004). Colorado City Polygamists. Agreka Books. ISBN 1-888106-85-9.
  7. ^ Ben Winslow (June 1, 2009). "Division over FLDS land grows wider". KSL-TV.
  8. ^ Waller, Matthew (March 16, 2010). "FLDS TRIAL: Jessop letters read in court". San Angelo Standard-Times. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  9. ^ Frazier, Deborah (July 16, 2005). "Majestic temple rises in Texas oil country". Rocky Mountain News (reprint at childbrides.org). Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  10. ^ "Corporate retreat or Prophet's refuge". The Eldorado Success. March 25, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  11. ^ a b "Peek at polygamists' haven". The Arizona Republic. July 11, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  12. ^ Lewan, Todd (April 19, 2008). "Polygamists transformed rocky ranch into bustling site". Houston Chronicle. (AP). Retrieved April 25, 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "137 children removed from polygamist ranch". CNN. April 4, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  14. ^ "TCEQ seeks $18813 fine against YFZ". The Eldorado Success. March 3, 2005. Archived from the original on October 26, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  15. ^ "Jeffs dedicates FLDS temple site at YFZ Ranch". The Eldorado Success. January 11, 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
  16. ^ a b "FLDS-raid timeline". Deseret Morning News. April 13, 2008. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  17. ^ a b c West, Brian (April 8, 2008). "Affidavit: FLDS raid spurred by girl's reports of physical, sexual abuse". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  18. ^ Mankin, Randy (April 4, 2008). "52 children taken during raid". The Eldorado Success. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  19. ^ Arian Campo-Flores and Catharine Skipp (July 26, 2008). "Did Rozita Swinton's call set off the FLDS raid?". Newsweek. Retrieved May 11, 2009. Sarah was not the blond, blue-eyed teen bride she claimed to be, but rather a 33-year-old African-American woman living in Colorado Springs, Colo., named Rozita Swinton. It's not the first time Swinton has been accused of duping authorities. She's been arrested for false reporting in two separate cases in Colorado, allegedly setting off frantic manhunts by repeatedly impersonating abuse victims. But even as she now faces possible charges in Texas, Swinton remains an elusive and enigmatic figure. As one woman who cared for her beliefs, Swinton might well be a victim of sexual abuse who fractured into multiple personalities to cope with the trauma. Others who've known her view her as a masterful manipulator with an insatiable appetite for attention. In a brief conversation with NEWSWEEK, Swinton only added to the mystery. "There are so many lies about me that have been published," she said without elaborating.
  20. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (May 23, 2008). "Court Says Texas Illegally Seized Sect's Children". The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  21. ^ Nancy Perkins and Amy Joi O'Donoghue (April 15, 2008). "FLDS at ranch detail raid by Texas officials". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  22. ^ "219 children, women taken from sect's ranch". CNN. April 6, 2008. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  23. ^ a b Frosch, Dan; Johnson, Kirk (April 23, 2008). "Parents of Sect's Children Begin Submitting DNA for Texas Officials". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  24. ^ a b c West, Brian (April 10, 2008). "Search: Were beds in temple used for teen sex?". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  25. ^ "Sect children will stay in state custody, judge rules". CNN. April 18, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  26. ^ Roberts, Michelle (April 25, 2008). "Sweep of polygamists' kids raises legal questions". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.
  27. ^ a b Pilkington, Ed (April 4, 2008). "Children removed from sect in Texas tell of girls forced into sex with older men". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  28. ^ "Update: Judge orders all children out of FLDS compound". The Salt Lake Tribune. April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
  29. ^ Boyle, Jayna (April 25, 2008). "Coliseum population down to 260 as mothers divided from children". San Angelo Standard-Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  30. ^ "FLDS kids may overload Texas' troubled foster care". The Salt Lake Tribune. April 9, 2008. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  31. ^ Smart, Christopher (April 11, 2008). "FLDS children to stay in care of Texas officials pending court hearing". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  32. ^ "Affidavit: Teen brides cry for help led to raid". CNN. April 8, 2008. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  33. ^ a b "Moms and young children from Texas ranch to be parted". Associated Press. April 19, 2008. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  34. ^ a b Adams, Brooke (April 7, 2008). "People who have left sect go to Texas to help". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  35. ^ Winslow, Ben (April 5, 2008). "Hildale and Colorado City worry over Texas raid". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  36. ^ "Police Search for Missing Sect Teen; 533 Women, Children Are in Custody". KRDO-TV. April 7, 2008. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  37. ^ Winslow, Ben (April 10, 2008). "FBI confirms warrant served at FLDS ranch". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  38. ^ "Love your lawyer suit - FLDS does not put children in danger - Polygamy.com".
  39. ^ Michells, Scott (May 22, 2008). "Court: Texas Had No Right to Keep Polygamy Kids; Appeals Court Overrules Decision Placing Sect Kids in State Custody". ABC News.
  40. ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (May 23, 2008). "Texas to Seek Stay of Polygamy Ruling". New York Times.
  41. ^ Sullivan, John (May 29, 2008). "Court Rules Sect Children Should Go Home". New York Times.
  42. ^ In Re Texas Dept. of Family and Protective Services, 255 S.W.3d 613, 615 (Tex. 2008).
  43. ^ Michael Kelly (October 2, 2009). "Judge allows FLDS raid evidence". San Angelo Standard Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  44. ^ Adams, Brooke (November 10, 2009). "Polygamist sentenced to 10 years for sex assault of teen 'bride'". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  45. ^ Waller, Matthew (November 5, 2009). "Jessop Guilty of Sexual Assault". San Angelo Standard Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  46. ^ "Polygamist sect member Allan Keate convicted of sex assault". Deseret News. December 15, 2009. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015.
  47. ^ a b Waller, Matthew (April 15, 2010). "2 FLDS men plead, sentenced". San Angelo Standard Times. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
  48. ^ Order dated February 5, 2010, Superior Court, Mohave County, AZ, Cause CR-07-0743, State v. Jeffs, here [1] Archived March 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  49. ^ Adams, Brooke (February 8, 2010). "Conn Grants Suppression Order". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  50. ^ Wright, Richard A.; Piccarreta, Michael L. (September 3, 2008), NO CR-2007-743: Motion to Suppress Evidence Obtained in Unlawful Searches of FLDS Properties (PDF), Mohave County Superior Court, archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2009, retrieved April 3, 2010
  51. ^ Adams, Brooke; Carlisle, Nate (September 26, 2007) [1st pub. September 25, 2007]. "Jeffs guilty on both counts". The Salt Lake Tribune. ISSN 0746-3502. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. The 51‑year‑old was convicted of two counts of being an accomplice to rape related to a marriage he conducted in 2001 between Elissa Wall, who was 14, and Allen Steed, 19.
  52. ^ Metcalf, Dan Jr.; Vanocur, Chris (July 27, 2010). "Utah Supreme Court reverses Warren Jeffs conviction". KTVX. Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  53. ^ Ward, Mike (December 1, 2010). "Jeffs arrives in Texas". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  54. ^ Whitehurst, Lindsay (August 11, 2011). "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  55. ^ Waller, Matthew (March 19, 2010). "Jessop sentenced to 75 years". San Angelo Standard Times. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010.
  56. ^ Matthew Waller (June 22, 2010). "FLDS member found guilty of child sexual assault". The San Angelo Standard-Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010.
  57. ^ Whitehurst, Lindsay (August 9, 2011), "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls", Salt Lake Tribune
  58. ^ Teague, Don (May 21, 2008). "Polygamist girls surprise investigators". MSNBC. Archived from the original on May 25, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  59. ^ "Swinton used phone that helped spark raid". The Denver Post. April 23, 2008.
  60. ^ "Is arrest tied to FLDS raid, phone calls?". Deseret News. April 18, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008.
  61. ^ "Hoaxer's Phone Linked To Sect Abuse Calls". KYW-TV (CBS 3). April 24, 2008. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
  62. ^ "Roommate stunned by claims Colo. woman's bogus call triggered FLDS raid". Salt Lake Tribune. April 20, 2008.
  63. ^ Merritt, George (April 23, 2008). "Phone number in Texas abuse report linked to Colo. woman". Associated Press.[dead link‍]
  64. ^ Adams, Brooke (May 13, 2008). "Second FLDS mother gives birth while in Texas custody". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  65. ^ Garrett, Robert T. (May 13, 2008). "CPS stopped in effort to remove baby, his mother". The Dallas Morning News.
  66. ^ "Texas concedes sect woman who gave birth is adult". WOAI-TV. May 15, 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  67. ^ "Texas Concedes Sect Mother of Baby Born in State Custody Is Not a Minor". Fox News Channel. (AP). May 13, 2008.
  68. ^ Roberts, Michelle (May 22, 2008). "Texas Officials: 15 Mothers Wrongly in Foster Care; Half of mothers thought to be underage in polygamist sect case are adults". ABC News. (AP).
  69. ^ "Women return to Texas polygamist ranch". CNN. April 14, 2008. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008.
  70. ^ "Willie Jessop: Purported Frontman at Texas Polygamy Compound". ABC News. April 18, 2008.
  71. ^ "Letter to President George W. Bush" (PDF). captivefldschildren.org. May 10, 2008.
  72. ^ Perkins, Nancy (May 11, 2008). "Letter asks Bush to help FLDS kids". Deseret News. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008.
  73. ^ Lyon, Julia (May 13, 2008). "Caregivers blast Texas' treatment of polygamous sect's women, children". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
    Some quotes found in two of the original affidavits linked to from this article titled: "This incident... is not what America or Texas stands for." Archived May 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine and "Even the simplest request was discounted." Archived May 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  74. ^ Johnson, Jeff (May 7, 2008). "Caution urged in Texas sect case". OneNewsNow.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  75. ^ Winslow, Ben (May 4, 2008). "Utah, Arizona AGs feel fallout from FLDS raid". Deseret News. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012.
  76. ^ "Texas Education Code Excerpt". Texas Home School Coalition. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  77. ^ a b Julia Lyon; Brooke Adams; Nate Carlisle (May 5, 2008). "FLDS children adapt old ways to new homes". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  78. ^ "CPS Working with TEA to Meet Educational Needs of Eldorado Children". Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. May 14, 2008.
  79. ^ "ACLU Statement On The Government's Actions Regarding The Yearning For Zion Ranch In Eldorado, Texas". ACLU. May 2, 2008.
  80. ^ Derbyshire, John (May 1, 2008). "April Diary: Atrocity of the month". National Review Online.
  81. ^ "Polygamists presumed evil?". Los Angeles Times. May 23, 2008.
  82. ^ Adams, Brooke (April 11, 2008). "Polygamous crackdown echoes 1953 Short Creek arrests". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on April 12, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  83. ^ "Polygamy: Where religious liberty ends". The Salt Lake Tribune. April 13, 2008. Archived from the original on April 14, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
  84. ^ BDN Staff (May 28, 2008). "Editorial: Shades of Short Creek". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  85. ^ Miguel Bustillo and Nicholas Riccardi (staff writers) (May 31, 2008). "FLDS raid appears to have backfired". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008.
  86. ^ Randall, Kate (April 15, 2008). "Court proceedings begin in Texas polygamy sect case". World Socialist Web Site (International Committee of the Fourth International).
  87. ^ Adams, Brooke (April 26, 2008). "FLDS attorney challenges Texas count of pregnant minors from polygamous sect". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  88. ^ "We need our children". CNN. April 16, 2008. (Video clip)
  89. ^ "Tour of polygamist compound" (video clip). CNN. April 16, 2008.
  90. ^ "Sect members say life 'normal' on polygamous church ranch". San Francisco Chronicle. April 19, 2008.
  91. ^ Johnson, Kirk; Dougherty, John (April 19, 2008). "Sect's children to be held in custody for now". New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  92. ^ "DNA tests to determine parentage in polygamist sect". Houston Chronicle. April 21, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  93. ^ "Number of children in Texas custody rises – some young mothers are actually under 18". Deseret Morning News. April 24, 2008. Archived from the original on April 25, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  94. ^ "Most teen girls from ranch have been pregnant". NBC News. April 28, 2008.
  95. ^ "Texas officials looking at possible abuse among FLDS boys". KSL-TV. April 30, 2008.
  96. ^ Allen, Elizabeth (May 13, 2008). "Polygamist sect couple allowed to visit their children". Houston Chronicle (in association with the San Antonio Express-News).
  97. ^ Allen, Elizabeth (May 13, 2008). "Sect couple's visits with children OK'd". San Antonio Express-News (in association with the Houston Chronicle). Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
  98. ^ Paul Anthony (November 13, 2008). "Nine more indictments issued against FLDS members". San Angelo Standard-Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012.
  99. ^ El Dorado Investigation (PDF), Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, December 22, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2011, retrieved February 17, 2012
  100. ^ Owens, Ryan. "Polygamist Sect Marks First Anniversary of Texas Ranch Raid". ABC News.
  101. ^ "Alleged underage polygamist bride to leave foster care". The Arizona Republic. (AP). May 7, 2009.
  102. ^ Brooke Adams (July 23, 2009). "Texas judge closes last custody case in YFZ raid". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  103. ^ Richardson, Kent S. (November 28, 2012). "The State of Texas v. 2420 County Road 300, Eldorado, Schleicher, County, Texas 76936: Plaintiff's Original Notice of Seizure and Intended Forfeiture" (PDF). Cause No.: 3164. The State of Texas Attorney General. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  104. ^ a b Reavy, Pat (November 28, 2012). "Texas seeks to seize YFZ Ranch from FLDS Church". Deseret News. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  105. ^ a b c Dalrymple II, Jim (November 18, 2013). "Texas inches closer to seizing massive polygamous ranch". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  106. ^ Martinez, Sergeant Marcos. "Affidavit for Search and Seizure Warrant" (PDF). Cause No.: 3164. The State of Texas Attorney General. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 8, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  107. ^ "State of Texas Files Legal Action to Seize West Texas Ranch Where Warren Jeffs and Sect Members Sexually Assaulted Children". Texas Attorney General's Office. November 28, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  108. ^ Vine, Katy (February 5, 2014), "What's the Next Chapter for the FLDS Ranch?", Texas Monthly
  109. ^ Rios, Jennifer (January 8, 2014), "Former FLDS ranch forfeited to state", San Angelo Standard-Times, archived from the original on January 13, 2014, retrieved February 28, 2014
  110. ^ "Clock ticking for YFZ Ranch owners", San Angelo Standard-Times, January 11, 2014, archived from the original on February 28, 2014, retrieved February 28, 2014
  111. ^ Carlisle, Nate (February 6, 2014), "Polygamists' ranch appears to belong to Texas", The Salt Lake Tribune
  112. ^ Martinez, Michael (April 17, 2014), "Polygamist Warren Jeffs' Texas ranch being seized by state officials", CNN.com
  113. ^ Gaitan, Michelle. "YFZ Ranch remains in limbo 10 years after raid near Eldorado". Standard-Times. Retrieved November 10, 2024.

Further reading

  • Wright, Stuart A. and James T. Richardson. (2011). Saints under Siege: The Texas State Raid on the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9529-3

CPS websites

Court Documents

30°55′17″N 100°32′05″W / 30.9215°N 100.5348°W / 30.9215; -100.5348 (YFZ Ranch)