Posted on 05/01/2008 5:47:12 PM PDT by Politicalmom
Eldorado, TX - One of the biggest news stories in Texas and across the nation unfolded April third when lawmen raided a polygamist sect in Eldorado.
A phone call from an alleged female victim of sexual abuse inside the Y.F.Z. ranch prompted the massive search.
Texas Ranger, Captain Barry Caver received two days notice from state officials. He would be in charge of carrying out a search warrant and investigation to find a young woman who had placed a call of distress.
Over 150 lawmen hit the massive FLDS compound in force. Rangers and other officers were prepared to take whatever action was necessary. Captain Caver told CBS 7 News, "...it was a little eerie, we weren't sure what kind of resistance to expect....we'd never had any problems in the past, but at this point in time, we'd never forced our way onto the property with a search warrant either."
Caver says the strategy was diplomacy. The Captain says, "...of course adrenaline was flowing and we were trying to use what i believed was the most diplomatic and passive approach we could." It worked. Not a shot was fired. Resistance was mostly symbolic when elders in the church surrounded the huge temple. A silent protest as Rangers began searching the 31 buildings on the 1700 acre compound. The looked for a teenage girl named Sarah Barlow asking to be rescued from her abuse inside the ranch. Rangers began interviewing a parade of young girls. Caver says, " ...it appeared to me like they were somewhat brain washed...told what to say...kind of had a robot mentality in their mannerisms."
Building searches produced two bank vaults inside the temple. Over 75 safes were found, mostly empty. Rangers were surprised to find only 13 thousand in cash in addition to lots of mostly personal records. According to Caver, "...they just happened to be low on funds at the time or possibly may have hidden some of the money prior to us being able to enter some of the safes. Caver says the records found in the safes would also be valuable to lawmen looking at FLDS sect activity in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Canada. Caver told CBS 7, "...this will probably lead to more investigations of this nature in the other states, based solely on what we have uncovered and found in our investigation. After several days, lawmen still hadn't found Sarah Barlow. Child Protective Services moved over 400 women and children to Fort Concho near San Angelo. Investigators suspected many of the teenage girls were "child brides" who had given birth to children in "spiritual marriages" conducted by the polygamist sect. D.N.A. tests were ordered and lots of interviews still needed to be conducted. A long investigation looms, according to Caver, "...the mass volume of records we're going to have to go through...the d.n.a. testing involved and the timeliness of waiting on those results."
Questions remained of where was Sarah Barlow? What charges would be filed? Plus determining the paternity and maternity of sect members.
Captain Caver formed some interesting opinions on the people he was investigating and the impact it had on him. More on that in part two of the Ranger raid on the FLDS compound.
Part Two:
Eldorado, TX - An intense and complicated investigation is underway into charges of sexual and physical abuse by the FLDS polygamist sect in Eldorado,Texas. The man who is in charge of the investigation is Captain Barry Caver of Company E of the Midland based Texas Rangers.
Caver led 150 lawmen into the FLDS compound on April third. The goal was to rescue a teenage girl who called authorities saying she was being abused inside the Y.F.Z. ranch of the sect. It was the beginning of what is expected to be a long and complicated investigation.
The Ranger led raid on the Y.F.Z. ranch was forceful. But, Captain Caver says diplomacy was the plan, "...having been in waco and seeing what can happen and what can go bad on search warrants, I certainly did not want that to happen on my watch."
Searches of the huge FLDS compound failed to produce Sarah Barlow, the teenage girl who was allegedly being abused inside. But, officers discover what they suspect are many "child brides", products of so called "spiritual marriages" to older men in the sect. According to Caver, "...it really opens my eyes as an investigator and a human being what's been going on there at the ranch." But, Caver's interviews with sect members produce some unexpected impressions. He says, "...I believe that these people, even the men, honestly do not see what's wrong with having sex with underage girls." But, lawmen believe laws have been broken and charges will be filed. The Ranger Captain told CBS 7 News, "...simply because of the numbers of under age females we believe either are pregnant or have had children under the age of 17."
Child Protective Services and Rangers move over 400 women and children to Fort Concho near San Angelo. It's time to start determining the father and mothers of the children inside the sect. Caver says, "...all the men were ordered to give dna samples...well, that has of yet to really be done...I think the last count I had was up to eight men had given samples out of 75.
Meanwhile, Rozita Swinson is arrested in Colorado for making false reports. Caver says he suspects Swinson masqueraded as Sarah Barlow who made the initial distress call. Caver told CBS 7, "....the Colorado Springs police department who had several pending cases on her at that particular time on warrants they had yet to serve on her on the same type of thing."
Captain Caver is now conducting his investigation from his office in Midland. He says the case has made a huge impact on his life. The Ranger Captain says, "...you feel like at some point you've probably seen just about everything there is to see or done just about everything...well, I thought that too until this happened."
History will show that Ranger Captain Barry Caver led over 150 lawmen into a polygamist compound of over 600 people. But, not one shot was fired, nor one person injured.
PING!!
FReepmail to be added to the FLDS Eldorado Legal Case Ping List
8 out of 75 men have given DNA....
Beats the Fed record all to heck.
/johnny
Gee, I wonder why they don’t want to give their DNA. Could it be they don’t want to do time for sexual abuse.
My dream is that there will be simultaneous raids on all the fLDS sects in the U.S. based on paperwork they’ve recovered from the “temple.”
One riot, one Ranger.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thank the Lord it went down that way. It could have been way worse.
I don't understand why any parent of a child wouldn't give DNA. If my child was ever taken from me. I would be in line with everything & anything I needed to prove she was mine. I would gladly give DNA.
There is more to come and the FLDS are not out of the woods yet. It will be a long haul, I fear.
The kids have come first in any case.
Too funny! I just had a FReeper banging on me for calling it a raid.
Don't forget, for all kinds of source links and info, check out the FLDS Daily Thread.
ROTFLMBO!
It was already a fact, it was just the deniers who are adopting the MSM memes regarding the FLDS will have to drop the objection to those who called it a raid. I’m not sure why they objected to that characterization in the first place. I’m sure they’ll get over it quickly enough. :-)
How nice to see more information coming out, with FACTS that support exactly what many posters have been saying.
It is complicated, and it takes time.
” There is more to come and the FLDS are not out of the woods yet. It will be a long haul, I fear.”
“The kids have come first in any case. “
Deserved to be repeated.
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