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Grand Jury To Meet In FLDS Case; Jeff's Daughter May Testify

By Howard M. Friedman

In Schleicher County, Texas tomorrow a grand jury will begin hearing testimony growing out of the state's raid earlier this year on the FLDS Ranch in Eldorado. Yesterday's Dallas News reports that searches on April 3 and 6 netted 1,000 boxes of evidence plus a number of DNA swabs from adult FLDS members. It appears that among the charges that the grand jury will investigate are claims of sexual abuse of minors. In that connection, the Deseret News reports that on Friday court-appointed attorney Natalie Malonis obtained a restraining order from Judge Barbara Walther to prevent FLDS leader Willie Jessop from having contact with her 16-year old client (and the client's mother). The 16-year old is a daughter of former church leader Warren Jeffs.

Attorney Malonis claims the girl is a victim of sexual abuse, and that Jessop is trying to coerce her to avoid a subpoena to testify to the grand jury. However on Thursday the girl wrote Judge Walther saying that she was not a victim of sexual abuse and is not pregnant. Church leader Jessop says that the court should appoint a guardian ad litem for the girl to argue in favor of the FLDS lifestyle. Attorney Rod Parker, who often speaks for FLDS, argued that the girl needs a new attorney because Malonis has a "dysfunctional relationship" with his client. (See prior related posting.)

Full post as published by Religion Clause on June 22, 2008 (boomark / email).