Transfered to Temporary Homes

Individual hearing are being arranged and could result in a number of possibilites where the children will go. Some children could be placed in permanent foster care; some parents who have left the sect may win custody; some youngsters may be allowed to return to the ranch in Eldorado; and some may turn 18 before the case is complete and will be allowed to choose their own fates. Some of the 437 children are being scattered around Texas to 16 temporary facilities. Because of their culture difference to the outside world they are not being placed with kids already in foster care.  The children eat fresh vegetables and other foods that would of been grown on the ranch. The state believes that the children will run away because they want to retun back to the lifestyle they are used to. The foster homes will still home-school the children and feed and dress them like  their used to. Their emotional needs are harder to deal which might lead to the them being easily taken advantage of by the outside world because of the strict control the church leaders had on thier daily lives. It’s said that people who had left the sect was unable to make decisions of their own.  

Court Hearing Starts

On April 17th, 2008 the court hearing for the 416 children started. The state of Texas is trying to take away the parents custody and place the children into foster care because of evidence of phyiscally and sexually abuse within the sect.  By mid afternoon only two witnesses had taken the stand,.They had laid the foundation of documents to be admitted but was cross-examined by dozen of  the sect’s laywers  The child welfare investigator testified that once a man fell off in the sect his wife and children were reassigned to other men.  She then went on to say that that was the cause of not identifying the children’s family links.  

The Beginning

In late March a violence shelter in San Angelo recieved a phone call. The caller was a 16 yr. old girl claiming to have been sexually and phyiscally abused by her 50 yr. old husband at the Zion Ranch in Eldorado Texas. Law enforcement officials escorted 416 children and 139 women of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints onto a school bus in Eldorado, Texas. Copies of the search warrent showed that police seized dozens of journals and other materials containing documents of marriages and births certificates. The Texas authorities was issued an arrest warrent for Dale Barlow (the alleged husband).  Dale is Currentlr srving a 3yr. probation for pleading no contest to sexual misconduct with a minor who he claimes to have been spiritually married to. The children are being housed at  the San Angelo Colisuem.