Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 10:10:01 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Police Defend Inaction at Polygamist Ranch

Posted Apr 11, 08 6:00 AM CDT in Crime & Courts,  US 

(Newser) – Law enforcement authorities yesterday released dramatic details of the police raid that rescued children suspected of abuse at a polygamist ranch—and countered complaints that the action was too late. Some 60 men surrounded the ranch temple, weeping and praying, in the last day of the operation that seized 416 children—but no one violently opposed the officers, said a Texas Rangers captain.

Police moved in after a teenage girl called a hotline complaining of rape and beatings by her "husband," which authorities fear may have been a common occurrence. Investigators have had an informant at the founding church of the sect for four years, but couldn't take action earlier, said County Sheriff David Doran. "This is the United States. We are not going to violate their civil rights until we have an outcry, a complaint, and I've said that from day one," he added.

Sources CNN, ABC News

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Jeffs, Sect Members Face Sex Charges

    Jul 22, 08 9:27 PM CDT
    Jeffs, Sect Members Face Sex Charges Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs and four members of the Texas ranch raided by authorities in April now face charges of sexually abusing girls under the age of 17, the Houston Chronicle reports. One of those indicted also is charged with bigamy, and a sixth person is accused of failure to report child abuse. A Texas grand jury handed down the charges today after two days of considering the state’s evidence. More »

  • Sect Kids Aren't Going Home

    May 30, 08 9:51 PM CDT
    Sect Kids Aren't Going Home The parents of children taken from a polygamist ranch in Texas will not see their kids on Monday after all. At the last minute, a lawyer objected to the state's deal with the sect and stopped the judge from ordering the children's release. Now the judge plans to get them home by canceling the original order to raid the sect, the San Antonio Express-News reports. More »

  • Sect Moms Say Kids Scarred

    May 29, 08 12:39 PM CDT
    Sect Moms Say Kids Scarred Taking young children away from their parents has harmful effects, say mothers from the polygamist sect in Texas, and numerous studies agree—which is why federal and state guidelines require a “reasonable effort” to keep children with their parents before removing them. Texas authorities don't appear to have done so, mothers and experts say, in taking 468 children from YFZ ranch, the New York Times reports. More »

  • Jeffs Photos Used to Bolster Custody Case

    May 29, 08 7:41 AM CDT
    Jeffs Photos Used to Bolster Custody Case It was an obvious stunt by Texas child services: entering photos of Warren Jeffs kissing two "child brides" in a custody hearing for a newborn. Reeling from an appeals court ruling that they failed to show that 450 children were at risk, officials wanted to hype the "pervasive" abuse at Yearning for Zion. No surprise. The surprise, writes Rebecca Walsh in the Salt Lake Tribune, was that the young parents whose newborn was at issue actually helped the state's case. More »

  • 12 Children Returned to Sect Parents

    May 24, 08 6:00 AM CDT
    12 Children Returned to Sect Parents Texas has agreed to return a dozen of the children in its custody to their parents, members of the polygamist sect FLDS, but the state is fighting to hang on to hundreds more, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The reunited families won't be allowed to return to the sect's Yearning for Zion ranch but can live in the San Antonio area under state supervision. More »

Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, front center, is followed into a news conference by Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran, middle right, and Texas Rangers Capt. Barry Caver, center rear, to discuss...   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers Capt. Barry Caver, right, responds to questions about raid on the YFZ polygamist compound in Texas.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The main temple on the grounds of the "Yearning For Zion" Ranch, home of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Eldorado, Texas.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A Texas State Trooper is seen patrolling the grounds as members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, rear, gatherat one of the structures of their temporary housing.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

Texas  • rape  • polygamy  • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  • Yearning for Zion ranch  • Warren Jeffs  • child molestation



Today's Most Popular


Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »