As Eldorado's improbable polygamist ordeal is now finally ending, opinions about the place among community leaders differ. The Raid on YFZ Ranch, Ten Years Later A decade after the largest custody battle in U.S. history, some of those involved speak about their memories. [20] Authorities believed the children "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse", a state spokesman said. [79] The Los Angeles Times editorially endorsed the appeals court decision, saying CPS "was overzealous in its efforts". Leveled against Palmer, in her official capacity as DA, and Kent Richardson, acting on behalf of the Attorney General of Texas, the lawsuit is being heard in the 13th Court of Appeals. Hurt this whole community bad. [86], The children were placed in 16 group shelters and foster homes. The boys, however, weren't ready to open up, and their eyes betrayed an inner fear of having another unknown grown-up asking personal questions. Home-schooling families were also fearful that opponents could file similarly false complaints against families to force attendance in government-run schools.[73]. Doran still remembers the shock of learning that the reclusive polygamists were building a community just to the north. "[74], Texas requires public education for children not in private or home schooling. Theres no denying that Warren Jeffs took the concept of polygamy and gender roles within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) way too far. The physical examinations were horrifying to the children. Carey Cockerell, representing Texas CPS investigators, said on April 30 that they have identified 41 children with past diagnoses of fractured bones. A handful of residents remained on the property, along with a large number of officers who were still conducting operations. At the peak of 2008, I guess prior to the raid or about the time of the raid, there was probably pushing the number 700 out there.. 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. He did not, however, obtain a lien or any judgment against the YFZ Ranch or its owners before the state seized it in 2014, according to a 2015 article by The Eldorado Success. Some stayed still at the ranch, and life there became increasingly constrained by orders issued by . At first it was creepy because of everything that happened there. I left my family and most all my friends to find the real . You're in a difficult situation either way. [23] A religious scholar later testified in court that he does 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". Billy Collins, former superintendent of Schleicher County Independent School District, said at the time of the seizure, the district expected to lose 5 to 10 percent of its operating budget because of the states tax exemption. FLDS and mental health workers complained about subjecting children to interrogation sessions, invasive physical examinations, pregnancy tests and complete body X-rays. [4] Numbers that we never did fathom that was out there, he continued. April 4, 2008 . Plus, were still stuck with it because the sheriff still has to guard it.. June 24, 2010. Supreme Court Of Texas: In re Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Relator, Supreme Court Of Texas: In re Texas Department (Minority Opinion), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=YFZ_Ranch&oldid=1156493441. The district was collecting about $400,000 annually in taxes from the property before it was seized, said current Superintendent Robert Gibson. "[38] The children were to be returned to their families in 10 days. An FLDS member had bought the land in 2003 and initially said it would be a hunting retreat. A copy of Jessops Utah judgment was filed with the Texas courts July 17, 2012, through a legal tactic known as domesticating, which gives the Utah judgment the same effect as any other judgment in Texas. An experienced pilot, Doyle said from the air he could see the poor shape of the existing buildings made mostly of wood. It was how they left. The State Attorney Generals Office reimburses the expense to the district attorneys office for the utilities, he said. Children of FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs 10 years after YFZ Ranch raid [16][35] On April 10, law enforcement completed their search of the ranch, returning control of the property to the FLDS Church.[36]. More:FLDS leader Lyle Jeffs caught after year on lam. Willie Jessop, former bodyguard and one-time staunch supporter of Jeffs, is in a dispute with the state of Texas. The Yearning for Zion Ranch, or the YFZ Ranch,[1] was a 1,700-acre Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints community of as many as 700 people, located near Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, United States. "We're just glad that they are gone. Abbott said the numerous cases of child sexual assault perpetrated on the ranch made the property contraband, and a default judgment of forfeiture was signed in January 2014 by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther in San Angelo. The members of the YFZ ranch maintain his innocence, and his picture hangs in many buildings on the grounds. Now empty, all that remains is a towering white stone temple and numerous buildings, a majority that were used for housing. [50] 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. While waiting for the sale to close, ETG has been leasing the property for $5,000 a month. [95][96], In November 2008, 12 FLDS men were charged with offenses related to underage marriages. He separated wives from their husbands and all kinds of things," Doyle said. Palmer and Jessops San Angelo attorney Rae Leifeste could not be reached for comment. Jessop, Carolyn, "Escape" (2008) Seventeen years after being forced into a polygamous marriage, Jessop escaped from the cultlike Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints with her eight children. He did not, however, obtain a lien or any judgment against the YFZ Ranch or its owners before the state seized it in 2014, according to a 2015 article by The Eldorado Success. [26] 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,[27] eventually a total of 462 children[22][23][28] went into the temporary custody of the State of Texas. YFZ Ranch - Wikiwand There were multiple other similar accusations against him, but only those heinous incidents that took place at the YFZ Ranch stuck. ", "Polygamists' ranch appears to belong to Texas", "Polygamist Warren Jeffs' Texas ranch being seized by state officials", "Plural marriage and Mormon fundamentalism", "Timeline of raid on FLDS-owned YFZ Ranch", CPS Petition for Protection of Children in an Emergency. One who had been listed as an underage mother had never been pregnant. In November 2012, the Texas Attorney General's Office began legal proceedings to seize the ranch. Billy Collins, former superintendent of Schleicher County Independent School District, said at the time of the seizure, the district expected to lose 5 percent to 10 percent of its operating budget because of the states tax exemption. 2023 www.gosanangelo.com. 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. On May 13, Louisa Bradshaw Jessop gave birth to a son. Khampha Bouaphanh, MBR / MCT Show More Show Less 7 of 7 Women and children from the YFZ Ranch, the compound built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, are moved by bus to San Angelo, Texas, on . [58] Flora Jessop recorded nearly 40 hours of Swinton's phone calls, both before and after the raid on the YFZ ranch. "[98], A year after the raid, two thirds of the families were back at the ranch and sect leaders had promised to end underaged marriages. We were trying to wrap our minds around what this group was about," he recalled. These are the most devout followers of Warren Jeffs. The 51-day Waco standoff ended with the compound being destroyed by fire, leaving nearly 80 people dead including more than a dozen children. "It was the cheapest way for the county. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax On a recent flyover, James Doyle, 82, a pilot and former Schleicher County justice of the peace, noted important landmarks. Photo gallery: The YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas Read More: Did Lyle Jeffs Replace Warren Jeffs? Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran attributes the safe outcome of the raid to a working relationship and open lines of communication between authorities and leadership at the YFZ Ranch. The county is paying for the reburial.. "It was the child abuse and the brainwashing that goes on in that cult. He was sentenced to two consecutive prison terms of five years to life and remains in prison. Here's a look at the buildings on the once self-sustaining 1,691-acre property that was home to members of theFundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints lead by Warren Jeffs. [67], Many FLDS members and supporters see the raid and the seizure of the children from their family as religious persecution[68] and have likened it to a witch-hunt.[69]. Yfz Ranch Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Inside the YFZ Polygamist Ranch - Oprah.com According to the article dated March 1, the ranch is being purchased byETG Properties LLC, a Dallas-area company, who intend to use the nearly 1,700-acre ranch asa military and law-enforcement training base. Saints under Siege: The Texas State Raid on the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints. More: Ex-polygamous sect members sue Warren Jeffs, former lawyers. [63][64] 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. In October, ETG Properties, based in Addison, agreed to buy the ranch for $4.17 million. Eldorado residents feared someone from the YFZ Ranch especially a child could get hurt by the feds, either directly or indirectly, Doyle said. [16][17] 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. 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. (2011). [85], The FLDS described the separation of mothers from their children as "inhumane". We had a large-scale raid with a lot of people with no incident, and thats a big accomplishment in my opinion. [10][11], The ranch was home to approximately 500 people who relocated from Arizona and Utah communities. Like the call that initiated the raid, Doran said the sheriffs office received a call by a former FLDS member whom he described as a polygamist activist who let them know about their new neighbors in 2004. They are a danger to their own children," said Jessop, who said she had 28 brothers and sisters. [54], 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. More than 400 children were taken from the ranch, resulting in the largest child custody case in U.S. history. [51] Jeffs was extradited to Texas, to face trial on charges facing him there. [104], 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. 4 years full of experiences that have changed my life. ", "Even the simplest request was discounted. It was like, could we be famous for a chili cook-off or something?. [91], On April 24, 2008, authorities stated that they believed 25 mothers from the YFZ Ranch were under 18. There were no plans for the children to attend classes on any public school campus. 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". It was like, could we be famous for a chili cook-off or something?. Some parents stated on the Today Show that they were unable to visit their boys due to a shortage of CPS staff. They wrote "Our innocent children are continually being questioned on things they know nothing about. We're glad someone was interested in the property and it's being put to good use," he added. The mothers declined to discuss the pending allegations of child abuse. The YFZ Ranch raid 10 years later: 'Texas had the guts to do what other Not just for us, but for law enforcement dealing with a large group in general.. 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. Wikimedia Commons The former FLDS temple at the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, Texas. The 51-day Waco standoff ended with the compound being destroyed by fire, leaving nearly 80 people dead including more than a dozen children. ", "Hoaxer's Phone Linked To Sect Abuse Calls", "Roommate stunned by claims Colo. woman's bogus call triggered FLDS raid", "Phone number in Texas abuse report linked to Colo. woman", "Second FLDS mother gives birth while in Texas custody", "CPS stopped in effort to remove baby, his mother", "Texas concedes sect woman who gave birth is adult", "Texas Concedes Sect Mother of Baby Born in State Custody Is Not a Minor", "Texas Officials: 15 Mothers Wrongly in Foster Care; Half of mothers thought to be underage in polygamist sect case are adults", "Willie Jessop: Purported Frontman at Texas Polygamy Compound", "Caregivers blast Texas' treatment of polygamous sect's women, children", "This incident is not what America or Texas stands for. "It's still fresh to me, like yesterday but I'm one of the old geezers," Mankin said. Other than a major grass fire on the property about a year and a half ago, upkeep has been limited to repairing water lines, caring for the orchard and making sure the property remains viable for sale. Randy Mankin, publisher of the Eldorado Success, the paper of record for the story since 2004, likened the polygamist's arrival to that of a UFO. After an anonymous tip alleging physical and sexual abuse of children prompted law enforcement to raid the ranch, a sudden rush of interest by news outlets put the small West Texas town about 45 miles south of San Angelo with a population of roughly 1,700 people in the national spotlight. There was a lot of turmoil and unrest in the county. Jessop was convicted of illegally marrying and then fathering a child with a 15-year-old female. The cost would be higher if not for his volunteer work on the property, inmate labor used when available and help from city and county departments, he said. The number one thing I still completely agree with is Judge Walther's order to remove the children from the YFZ ranch. ft. home for Warren Jeffs, among much more. Following the sermon, Jeffs suspended all further religious meetings but continued to allow his followers to pay their tithes and offerings to him. "It just felt like a cloud was hanging over the town. And for most residents of this one-stoplight farming town three hours west of San Antonio, the whole traumatic story that began 15 years ago is fading into history. Its unknown what plans the state has for the property other than to sell it or whether any serious buyers are looking to sweep up the multimillion-dollar ranch. The lawsuit was not contested and rendered a default judgment. On May 1215, 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. Minors with children were sent to the Seton Home in San Antonio, older boys to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch in Amarillo. "We're glad to have new owners. [78], 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. This is the YFZ RANCH in Eldorado Texas. The state of Texas wants to seize the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch, which gained international attention in 2008 after the state raided it and temporarily removed hundreds of children over allegations of child sex abuse. While the property waits in limbo and debate continues over who should benefit from a potential sale, Judge Walther granted a request made in early March from the Texas Attorney Generals Office to remove several sets of human remains buried at the YFZ Ranch Cemetery, The Eldorado Success reports. More: 10 years after YFZ Ranch raid: Hildale hosting presentation Saturday. The region covers 39,731 square miles of diverse topography including dense scrublands and agricultural fields. Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran is the most eager for the story to end. The states taken it over and they havent done a damn thing with it for the most part of it, except let it rot.. Other challenges to the blanket order by Judge Walther were filed in courts in San Antonio, Austin, and San Angelo. Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran attributes the safe outcome of the raid to a working relationship and open lines of communication between authorities and leadership at the YFZ Ranch. We had a large-scale raid with a lot of people with no incident, and thats a big accomplishment in my opinion. But it wasnt the way they moved in that grabbed peoples attention. Mormon sect appears to have completed Texas temple [53], On March 19, 2010, Merril Leroy Jessop was sentenced to 75 years in prison for one count of sexual assault of a child. In May 2008, FLDS spokesperson Willie Jessop wrote a letter to President George W. Bush,[70] asking him to intervene, and outlining the harsh conditions that Jessop believed that the children and mothers were subjected to. He did not, however, obtain a lien or any judgment against the YFZ Ranch or its owners before the state seized it in 2014, according to a 2015 article by The Eldorado Success. He also pointed out a huge concrete amphitheater from which Jeffs reportedly planned to address the leaders of the free world after his prison walls crumbled. Kriti Mehrotra April 27, 2022 There's no denying that Warren Jeffs took the concept of polygamy and gender roles within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) way too far. According to preliminary tax assessments, about $3 million worth of buildings had been built. A home is being built on the YFZ polygamous ranch near Eldorado, Texas, Saturday. The lawsuit was not contested and rendered a default judgment. 2023 www.gosanangelo.com. Plus, were still stuck with it because the sheriff still has to guard it.. He claims he has a legal interest in the YFZ Ranch and should receive money from a sale. But people from all over now knew about Eldorado. 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. [10] Later, ranch officials disclosed that the hunting retreat description was inaccurate; the buildings were part of the FLDS Church's residential area. The FLDS Church did not appeal the forfeiture filed in any way, shape, or form, resulting in the State taking physical and legal possession of the YFZ Ranch in April 2014. Thats the impression that we had. Among the buried is the body of Barbara Jeffs, one of Warren Jeffs wives, which will be relocated to an area around the Utah/Arizona border. Along the way, he said, he had to learn how everything worked, including the municipal water system. In many of the testimonies it was compared to a prison or concentration camp. Others testified the children were "amazingly clean, happy, healthy, energetic, well behaved and self-confident", while the mothers were "consistently calm, patient and loving with their children". He also disagrees with the state using the criminal convictions of a handful of polygamist men to justify seizing the Yearning for Zion Ranch, and forcing everyone who lived there to leave. Now empty, all that remains is a towering. The 2008 raid on the YFZ Ranch occurred two days before what Mormons popularly consider the real day of Jesus' birth, April 6. Among the buried is the body of Barbara Jeffs, one of Warren Jeffs wives, which will be relocated to an area around the Utah/Arizona border. The YFZ Ranch was situated 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of San Angelo and four miles (six kilometers) northeast of Eldorado. All rights reserved. However, despite the subsequent sex crime charges as well as legal proceedings, within a year of the probe, two-thirds of the families were back at YFZ, and its leaders had promised to abolish underaged marriages. Doran said authorities main interest sprang from an emergency management position. It's unknown what plans the state has for the property other than to sell it or whetherany serious buyers are looking to sweep up the multimillion-dollar ranch. The YFZ Ranch is a 1,691-acre tract with space enough for a self-sustaining community and an orchard filled with trees of apples, peaches and pears. Yearning for Zion Ranch in Texas empty 10 years after raid 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. I moved with my family to Texas two months before the government came in and raided the property (YFZ Ranch). Doyle. ETG Properties has since purchased this estate for about $4.17 million (in November 2018), only to rename it to the appropriate ETG Ranch for good. Within a short time, the outside world realized Allred had been the front man to an FLDS purchase and that there . [52] 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. YFZ Ranch remains in limbo 10 years after raid near Eldorado [76] CPS anticipates that the children will continue their education on the campus of their foster placement. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. Now all that remains is a towering white. "Why in the hell didn't they leave the mommas and the kids in there, and get rid of the men? Now all that remains is a towering white stone temple and numerous buildings, a majority that were used for housing. On May 22, 2008, an appeals court issued a writ of mandamus to Judge Walther and found that there was not nearly enough evidence at the original hearing that the children were in immediate danger to justify keeping them in state custody. YFZ Ranch Map - Texas, United States - Mapcarta But, the ACLU contends, "exposure to a religion's beliefs, however unorthodox, is not itself abuse and may not constitutionally be labeled abuse". [46], 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. 33 Photos Of Life Inside The Creepy Confines Of Warren Jeffs Before the YFC Ranch turned this small town upside down, people here talked more about cotton, cattle and high school sports. But it wasn't the way they moved in that grabbed people's attention. 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. [94] CPS investigators also made new allegations of possible sexual abuse of boys, citing their diary notes. Texas Court Of Appeals: In re Sara Steed, et al. The YFZ Ranch raid 10 years later: 'Texas had the guts to do what other
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