Posted on 04/09/2008 9:33:38 AM PDT by Domandred
Texas authorities named the wrong man in search and arrest warrants used to enter the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado and begin questioning FLDS children, two opponents of the sect said Tuesday.
The warrant issued Thursday evening named 50-year-old Dale Barlow, alleging he had married and impregnated a 16-year-old girl. Officials, who later sought a second search warrant, have removed 419 children.
But Joni Holm, who has helped children leave the FLDS, said the teenager who called officials on March 29 and 30 and claimed she was abused is married to a different, younger man. The girl's husband is in his late 30s, is related to Dale Barlow, shares his surname and has a similar sounding first name, Holm said.
"I know they're looking into the wrong one," Holm said.
Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, on Tuesday said police were continuing to serve warrants and attempt to locate "the person that we are looking for."
When asked if that person was still Dale Barlow, she said, "As far as I know."
But Flora Jessop, who left the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at age 16 and now helps others do the same, also said the wrong man was named in the initial warrants.
Texas authorities have made no effort to apprehend Dale Barlow at his address in Colorado City, Ariz. He reported to his Arizona probation officer on Friday - less than 24 hours after the raid began to tell the officer he was under investigation.
His probation officer has said Dale Barlow claimed to not know the teenager making the abuse accusations. Later Friday, Arizona authorities questioned him and searched his home.
The Salt Lake Tribune, which generally does not name alleged victims of sexual abuse, and other media outlets have not published the girl's name.
But Holm said the girl's identity, and the correct identity of her husband, is "common knowledge" in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, where the sect has traditionally been based.
The Tribune is not naming the man identified by Holm as the girl's husband because he has not been named as a suspect or in court filings.
Holm, who is married to a former FLDS member, said she has spoken with people who know the teenager. She thinks Texas officials confused the two Barlows.
She believes it is possible the teenager did not know her husband's correct age and told authorities he is about 50. Also, she noted, Dale Barlow has a 2007 conviction in Arizona for criminal charges related to marrying and impregnating a different 16-year-old girl, which may have contributed to confusion.
The first warrant identified Dale Barlow by name and his birth date. The copy on file in court does not list the name of the investigator who petitioned for it.
A second and more expanded warrant, signed Sunday night, was based on observations and evidence found by law enforcement and child services workers inside the compound, according to court documents.
Maybe they are considered in danger of physical abuse too. We don’t know what the Rangers have found or been told. I doubt these boys are going to talk in front of the men. Maybe too, their moms want them out.
Under what law are men being prevented from leaving their property? Are they under arrest? If so, why do they not have the rights of any common criminal defendant?
Why were boys taken into custody?
Are the mothers free to come and go. Can they communicate with their children? Can they communicate with attorneys?
Cordially,
The Mann Act will come into play. This is the same one being contemplated to be used against Spitzer in NY...it deals with the trafficing of women, across state lines, for sex.
no it appears it was dropped because there is a duplicate federal warrent which CYA the state screwup.
If it was the state alone the motion would still be there. However, we still don’t know if it was “dropped” on condition it would be preserved for appeal.
Sloppy police work only helps the criminals.
If roughly half of the children are boys, there are 200 boys who are in enough immediate danger of physical abuse to justify taking them into custody? That is too fantastic to believe, even considering the crimes of (some of?) their fathers.
We don’t know what the Rangers have found or been told. I doubt these boys are going to talk in front of the men.
It won't be too difficult, should they have an agenda, for experienced, adult social workers to fish for or manufacture justification for this massive raid by thorough isolation and interrogation of young children.
Maybe too, their moms want them out.
Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe some the mothers went out of fear of being separated from their children. Are the mothers free to come and go? Can they communicate with their children? Can they communicate with attorneys?
Why not actually arrest the alleged perpetrators instead of an entire community of people? Cordially,
“Government” is responsible for the welfare of the helpless citizens of it’s own country.
In this case justice is actually being done, for once, by the removal of these poor children from this sex factory.
In this place -and others like it- the poor babies are born only to be raised as nothing but objects to fulfill the lusts of sex crazed religious fanatics.
I can.
Cordially,
I'm not much on the equal protection thing, when you are dealing with perverts.
That's a better way to put it, And I agree
In this case justice is actually being done, for once, by the removal of these poor children from this sex factory.
I'll ask you again; why were boys taken into custody? And why wouldn't justice consist of arresting the alleged perpetrators instead of traumatizing over 400 children even more by mass relocation detention, isolation, the morass of a juvenile court system and an already overwhelmed foster system?
In this place -and others like it- the poor babies are born only to be raised as nothing but objects to fulfill the lusts of sex crazed religious fanatics.
Why were the boys taken into custody?
Why are the men apparently being prevented by force from leaving their property? Are they under arrest? If they are under arrest why are they not given the rights of any common criminal defendant?
Cordially,
That is, until somebody accuses you of being a pervert and the government comes after you.
If there's probable cause, arrest the perps and take them into custody. Read, "jail". Don't cause the victims more trauma.
Cordially,
Sounds like one HELL of a church, and anyone who belonged to the church would be under probable cause to check the location and status of any daughters they might be prostituting to this despicable organization.
I imagine that comment probably has a lot of truth to it in this day and age.
I’ve read that the men at the compound have been told they’re free to leave, but would not be allowed back inside the compound if they did.
The women and children are together, at this point I believe at 2 different locations, though it’s impossible to tell which children belong to which women since they all lie and give multiple names each time they’re interviewed. And infants are routinely put in the care of women other than their biological mothers on orders of the FLDS leaders. And many of the adolescents are the biological children of FLDS members still living the Utah/Arizona community. So there’s no way for all children to be with their own mothers, but they weren’t while they were still in the compound either.
Many of the boys are young children and the men in this group don’t do child care, so since all or most of the mothers left voluntarily with the girls, there was no question that the younger boys needed to go along. There was plenty of evidence that the older boys were being brainwashed into preparing for a future involving the same illegal and brutal activities that the adult men engage in, and also that children of all ages and both sexes are regularly subjected to physical abuse, especially if they dare to question the authority of the men to engage in all these illegal and brutal activities.
A number of the women have cell phones and are speaking regularly with the men still in the compound. I assume that they are therefore in a position to communicate with attorney if they choose, but the attorneys representing the FLDS wouldn’t represent any individual women because the women have no decision-making authority whatsoever under FLDS rules. The phone conversations presumably include the men giving instruction to the women based on advice from the FLDS attorneys.
As I said in another post, I would like to see some explicit official assurance from the Texas authorities that the adult women are free to speak with journalists if they choose to. However, it’s extremely unlikely that the FLDS men would give the women permission to do that, or that the women would do it without such permission. Still, I’d like to hear the official assurance, and ideally some evidence to back it, such as video of journalists being allowed close enough to some of the women to call out and ask them if they’d like to speak.
I would think that going back to the judge wouldn't be an option. They couldn't use any evidence they found to justify getting another warrant. JMO.”
If a judge believes that the first warrant was in “good faith” even if it did have the wrong name on it, then that warrant can stand. Also, since they found evidence of another crime (statutory rape) then it won't matter- this will be held up in court.
***Why not actually arrest the alleged perpetrators instead of an entire community of people?***
Hi, Diamond. As I understand it, the effort is being made to identify which men have raped which children so that arrest warrants can be issued.
***If the police KNEW it was the wrong person that makes it even WORSE and more likely to damage the case somehow.***
Look, I’m just playing a devil’s advocate game here. Supposing that authorities knew that the girl got the name wrong, which we don’t know, what exactly would you have done here? NOTHING!!! Is that really it? A girl makes a mistake, which doesn’t make her rape go away, and you want nothing done.
Well, I hope your 4th Amendment sensitilities feel better, even if it would have resulted in dozens of girls continuing to be raped by these fundy Mormons.
***As to the girls, I want to know if texas has a mandatory reporting or pregnant minors law. Then, since it is a matter of mandatory reporting, the issue leaves the warrent domain. (just because a girl has a fat belly does not always mean she is pregnant)***
Sure does sound like you really wanted to simply let these rapes continue until your sensibilities were satisfied.
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