52 girls taken from polygamous sect in Texas
By Bill Hanna . McClatchy Newspapers . April 4, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas -- A total of 52 girls were removed today from a
polygamous sect's compound near Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, --
18
of them legally, while the rest were being questioned this afternoon by
Child Protective Services caseworkers.
All the children have been confirmed to be girls ranging from 6 months to
17
years old, according to CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins.
Crimmins said all the children will be placed in foster homes.
"We're *****sing their needs and making arrangements for their placement,"
Crimmins said. "The caseworkers need to have an op****tunity to *****s
their
needs and try to find out what the appropriate action will be."
The children were taken in two small buses to an undisclosed location in
San
Angelo, 45 miles north of the compound.
No arrests have been made.
Schleicher County Justice of the Peace James Doyle, who arraigns suspects
brought to the Schleicher County Jail, said no one has been brought into
the
jail.
"We don't know anything," Doyle said.
Randy Mankin, editor of the Eldorado Success, said the roadblocks remain
on
the roads leading to the ranch.
Surveillance of the YFZ Ranch, which is owned by the Fundamentalist Church
of Latter Day Saints and led by Warren Jeffs, began Thursday afternoon and
continued throughout the night, Texas Department of Public Safety
spokesman
Tom Vinger said.
Around midnight, Child Protective Services investigators entered the
compound, located about 45 miles south of San Angelo, and began
questioning
members of the sect.
This afternoon, a bus left the compound with children in it.
Vinger described the sect followers as "very cooperative" and that the
group
is "providing all of the people we need to talk to" about the complaint.
Vinger said authorities have implemented flight restrictions to prevent
anyone from flying over the compound and said the Texas Rangers are also
involved.
The sect bought the 1,691-acre ranch in 2003.
The group began building a temple and other buildings on the remote
ranchland. Jeffs, who was considered their prophet, was arrested near Las
Vegas in 2006 and was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in November
in
Utah for his role in arranging the marriage of teenage cousins. He also
faces federal charges in Arizona and Utah.
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