Five FLDS Members Turn Themselves In
[Guest post by DRJ]
Last week, the Texas Attorney General announced indictments in the FLDS case on charges of sexual assault, bigamy and failure to report child abuse. One indictment was returned against Warren Jeffs and the remaining indictments were sealed until the suspects could be arrested.
Five suspects have turned themselves in to the Schleicher County Sheriff:
“* Raymond Merril Jessop, 36, the alleged husband of a 16-year-old daughter of Warren Jeffs, is charged with one count of sexual assault of a child.
* Allan Eugene Keate, 56, is charged with one count of sexual assault of a child.
* Michael Gorge Emack, 57, is charged with one count of sexual assault of a child.
* Merril Leroy Jessop, 33, is charged with one count of sexual assault of a child and bigamy.
* Lloyd Hammond Barlow, 38, is charged with three [misdemeanor] counts of failure to report child abuse.”
— DRJ
Regardless of one’s views about this controversy, surely we can all be pleased that the defendants have turned themselves in. By no means should that suggest that they are admitting guilt. But it means they’re not fugitives from the law, and that once again, violence has been avoided.
On such emotionally charged issues, those are not small accomplishments. I’m confident that there has been a lot of hard, emotionally draining work done behind the scenes to get to this point; I commend those responsible for their efforts.
Beldar (0bd1bc) — 7/28/2008 @ 5:22 pmTrue, Beldar.
DRJ (de3993) — 7/28/2008 @ 5:28 pmActually Beldar, let’s be glad that this particular religious group was arrested by the Texas authorities and not Janet Reno’s “Justice” Department.
If this had happened in the 90s we’d still be sifting through the ashes left by the ATF and the FBI.
Britt (c69fa1) — 7/28/2008 @ 6:42 pmCatch 22
Boise Leon (0d1979) — 7/28/2008 @ 6:44 pmI would like to see Raymond Merril Jessop go first. The evidence should be not allowed as fruit of a poison tree, however if allowed:
The victim as a wife should not be forced to testify, therefore, no victim, no assault,no crime.
The important thing is to overthrow the law as unconstitutional, ex post facto religious discrimination. To get to the last point you have to have a conviction. Catch 22! Where do you start?
when this whole thing happend a few months back i was very troubbled by how the CPS and the texas state athorities handled it. this is what they should have done from the start. there is one thing though. (please understand that i think that the men involed with this SHOULD be put in jail) but the evidence that will be used against them was obtained during the illigal raid of the YFZ ranch, so will it be allowed in court? i see shows on T.V. where the cops do a illigal search of someones car or something and and the judge wont allow the information in court? but i am glad that they are finally following the law
Scott (6aa8a7) — 7/29/2008 @ 3:16 amI am curious how they arrived at only one count for each of the sexual assault indictments. These guys each had sex with an underage girl one time? Doesn’t seem likely. They have no evidence of multiple assaults but evidence of one? That would mean the girls have children and these are the fathers?
If they determined that from DNA tests ordered related to the CPS raid and the judges reversed decision to separate all the children from their families, I don’t see that being used at trial.
Also why is the age of only one victim listed? How old were the other girls supposed to be?
CAL (a25eb4) — 7/29/2008 @ 4:30 amIt is absurd to say that these children were not abused. Many of them under age 17 were pregnant and/or had children. That is child abuse! I have been a social worker my entire career, and it is amazing to me how the TX law has been circumvented in this case. Why are there no feelings for these children who have to live with this abuse day after day?!
Elizabeth A. Bowers (5b2750) — 7/29/2008 @ 6:06 amNo, not so much. Last I heard, they were down to one; Teresa Jeffs. She claims not only to not be/ever have been pregnant, but that she’s a virgin. I look forward to seeing what their evidence is.
Pablo (99243e) — 7/29/2008 @ 7:42 am