137 children rescued from Polygamist ranch. Guess the State? No, not Utah

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Lonestar
Don't blame Texas for a Utah Cult, especially when Texas has moved so swiftly to root 'em out.

4 years.

ACK!

[Provost Harrison]

Re: 137 children rescued from Polygamist ranch. Guess the State? No, not Utah

Originally posted by Asher
Yep, Texas!

You know, my first guess was Texas anyway, not Utah...crazy place

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Oerdin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bountif...itish_Columbia

From that article ( *cough*)

On June 6, 2007, the province of British Columbia announced the appointment of high-profile Vancouver criminal lawyer Richard Peck as a special prosecutor to review the results of a police investigation into possible polygamous activity or other offences by members of the community.[6]

On August 1, 2007, Richard Peck concluded that there isn't enough evidence to charge the group with sexual abuse or exploitation charges as it has been extraordinarily difficult to find victims willing to testify and the defendants are likely to claim "religious freedom" as a defense.

Peck suggested that British Columbia ask the courts whether the current laws concerning polygamy are constitutional. Peck said that it's time to find out once and for all if Canada's laws against polygamy will stand. He stated that, "If the law is upheld, members of the Bountiful community will have fair notice that their practice of polygamy must cease.".[7]

BC has made no request of the courts since August 2007. They are afraid of the answer.

[Berzerker]

According to the search warrant, authorities are seeking Dale Barlow, 50, whom they suspect of having married and fathered a child with a 16-year-old girl.

Thats illegal? I dont think so...

The warrant cited an "immediate need" for authorities to have access to the 16-year-old and an 8-month-old child with either the last name of Barlow or the girl's last name. It instructs law enforcement officers to look for any records showing that Barlow and the girl were married and any evidence of them having a child.

So the government just abducted a couple hundred people because this guy might have married a 16 year old?

[Asher]

Is anyone else suspicious that Ben spends his time between BC and Texas?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Berzerker
So the government just abducted a couple hundred people because this guy might have married a 16 year old?

Law enforcement agencies raided the ranch Thursday night after receiving a report Monday that a 16-year-old girl had been "sexually and physically abused,"

RTFA

[Patroklos]

Thats illegal? I dont think so...

I think she is 16 years old now, but was much younger when she had the child.

[Berzerker]

Law enforcement agencies raided the ranch Thursday night after receiving a report Monday that a 16-year-old girl had been "sexually and physically abused,"

RTFA

The girl who married the guy? Since when do authorities abduct 200 people because some guy got his 16 year old wife pregnant? This sounds like a trumped up excuse, the only "evidence" of sexual and physical abuse is the marriage and child.

I think she is 16 years old now, but was much younger when she had the child.

According to the article she's 16 and her kid is 8 months.

"We're trying to find out if they're safe," she explained. "We need to know if they have been abused or neglected."

So whats the warrant for? The 16 year old and allegations of misconduct or a fishing expedition? Its easy to dismiss this because of the people being targeted but this stinks to high heaven.

[snoopy369]

Given they have evidence of one forced marriage below the legal age, it's quite reasonable to believe more may have occurred. I have no problem with a fishing expedition on something like this - with a closed compound it's very hard to enforce laws and very easy for significant abuses to occur, and it sounds like they are occurring.

[SlowwHand]

16 will get you 20, still.

[Wezil]

What happened to the good ol' days when we'd just burn the place down?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Berzerker
So whats the warrant for? The 16 year old and allegations of misconduct or a fishing expedition? Its easy to dismiss this because of the people being targeted but this stinks to high heaven.

If the state recieves a credible report of physical a sexual abuse, are you of the opinion that they should ignore it and not investigate?

[Berzerker]

I'd like to see the credible report, but if this is about some guy getting his 16 year old wife pregnant then placing 200 hundred people under arrest or custody is not appropriate. You dont do that to "investigate" one guy and his wife.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Berzerker
I'd like to see the credible report, but if this is about some guy getting his 16 year old wife pregnant then placing 200 hundred people under arrest or custody is not appropriate. You dont do that to "investigate" one guy and his wife.

...or as the article says:

Critics of the sect say that it arranges marriages for girls as young as 13 and that competition for brides may be reduced through exiling young men. If male followers are excommunicated, the critics claim, their wives and children can be reassigned to someone else.

[DinoDoc]

Is the State required to provide you personally with evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation that doesn't involve you?