Return of Sect Children Doesn’t End Abuse Inquiry
The return of 468 children removed from their homes in a polygamous sect doesn’t end the investigation into sexual abuse there.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that a grand jury in Eldorado, Texas, issued a higher-than-usual 18 indictments yesterday. Some sect members feared the indictments were related to the sect and arrests could follow.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Family and Protective Services, Marleigh Meisner, told the New York Times the investigation was continuing. The judge who presided over the case, Barbara Walther, imposed several conditions on the children’s release and then swore in the grand jury later in the day.
Sect members could receive surprise home visits from caseworkers, would not be allowed to travel outside the state, would have to take parenting classes, and would have to allow possible psychiatric evaluations of their children. Some lawyers had argued Walther had no right to impose the restrictions.
Sect member Willie Jessop told reporters outside the courthouse that parents were nonetheless happy to be reunited with their children. “We wish it was a better order,” he said, “but hey, it gets the children and the mothers back, so we’ll take it.”
