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October 12, 2008 10:40:44 AM CDT

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Jeffs, Sect Members Face Sex Charges

Posted Jul 22, 08 9:27 PM CDT in US,  Crime & Courts 

(Newser) – 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.

“The indictments issued today are part of an ongoing and continuing investigation," said the Texas attorney general. "There will be an aggressive attempt to apprehend them.” Jeffs is currently jailed in Arizona on separate charges and may face extradition. At the courthouse today, women with braided hair and long dresses filed in and out of the grand jury room. "They're all taking the fifth," said a male sect member.

Source Houston Chronicle

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A member of the FLDS looks on as others chat with reporters on the premises of the Yearning For Zion ranch in Eldorado, Texas, Monday, April 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
This undated booking file photo provided by the Mohave County Sheriff's Office shows polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs in Arizona.   (AP Photo)
In this file photo taken inside the very private polygamous ranch, "Monica," a member of the FLDS Yearning For Zion community, talks about not being able to see her children.   (AP Photo/Keith Johnson)
In this Dec. 14, 2006 file photo, Warren Jeffs looks across the courtroom during his preliminary hearing in St. George, Utah.   (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)
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child abuse  • polygamy  • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  • sexual abuse  • Warren Jeffs  • polygamists  • Eldorado


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