The sect custody cases have adjourned for the day. As further information becomes available Tuesday, gosanangelo.com will update this story with live coverage at the Tom Green County Courthouse.
Courtroom D - Jennifer Rios
"They're not the forest," DeLong said about the Jessops. "They're one tree in the forest."
Courtroom A - Jayna Boyle
Two FLDS members were reclassified today as adults - before the beginning of the 60-day hearings, Child Protective Services was including them in a group of underage girls with children.
The service plans developed by CPS for both women were not signed today by Judge Ben Woodward because he agreed to allow the women to meet with their attorneys and discuss any possible problems. Both women were at a shelter in Austin with their infant children and were participating in the hearings via phone.
CPS said the women, Sarah Cathleen Jessop and Merilyn Barrow, are 18 and considered adults.
Jessop's hearing was rescheduled for May 27 because her attorney, Amy Wells, was prepared to represent her as a minor and requested time to prepare to work with her as an adult.
Barrow's hearing proceeded because her service plan had already been filed, but her plan was not approved by the judge in an effort to allow her to meet with her attorney, Kelly Fitzgerald. The next hearing will be May 27, but if all parties agree to the service plan, an additional hearing won't be necessary.
To its knowledge, CPS does not have DNA samples collected from the fathers in both these cases.
Jessop identified Luke Jeffs Neilsen as the father of her son, while Barrow has not named the father of her son. However, CPS attorney Gary Banks said during the hearing that CPS has reason to believe the father is Allan Keate, although the man couldn't be found.
Part of the plan calls for Barrow to identify her son's father, undergo a psychological assessment and take parenting classes about Texas' laws of child abuse and neglect.
Lindsay Lanham, a CPS case worker, said CPS also encourages Barrow to further her education to help her take care of her family. CPS estimates she has an eighth- or ninth-grade education.
John T. Quinn, the attorney appointed to Barrow's son, said that because her son is 1- 1/2, that indicates that Barrow was underage when he was born and may lead to criminal charges once the father is identified, depending on the father's age at the time.
Fitzgerald said she was concerned that the service plan is geared toward perpetrators and not toward victims because of the wording, so she requested time to discuss it with Barrow.
Courtroom B - Matt Phinney
Another service plan was approved in Courtroom B today, and one case was delayed to gather more information on the child.
Kathleen Steed signed a family service plan regarding her daughter. The plan also will go into effect for her other 11 children whose cases were scheduled to be held this week. Judge Tom Gossett of the 391st District Court ruled that the service plan will encompass all the children so Steed will not have to come back to court.
Attorneys for Steed said her children are scattered statewide and wanted them to be put at one location, a notion that Gossett agreed with much like he did in this morning's case.
And just like he did this morning, Gossett said the ultimate goal is to reunite families, but he said custody could be restricted or terminated if the family does not work to meet the goals in the service plan.
He also said the father, identified as Leroy Steed, needs to work on the plan. A CPS worker testifying this afternoon said she is not the main case worker for Kathleen Steed and said that person was in court for another case today.
The witness said she has been told that Leroy Steed cannot be reached to serve notice to appear in court.
However, every reasonable avenue has been made to reach him, she said.
Attorneys for Kathleen Steed were granted a break to talk with CPS workers about amendments she wanted added to the service plan for consideration. After a 30-minute break, Gossett said Kathleen Steed would sign the service plan, but that she doesn't "agree with allegations in the service plan."
She also wrote her "hopes and dreams" for the children, which was added to the service plan.
Gossett asked whether Kathleen Steed read the service plan and she said yes. Then he asked whether she understood the service plan.
"Yes," she said softly, "but it's very broad."
"I just asked if you understood it," he said.
He also said her progress under the plan will be reviewed.
The children must continue to be educated, Gossett said, and the children need to be put together, but said it could take time to move children from various shelters.
Gossett said the service plan was appropriate, and the case was adjourned.
Courtroom A - Jayna Boyle
State 119th District Judge Woodward overruled motions by attorney Jerri Lynn Ward, representing one of the YFZ Ranch children, to abate and dismiss the case.
The CPS attorney called a CPS supervisor to testify. The supervisor said the child and Sarah Jessop's other children are ages 7, 9, 5, 4 and 18 months, and that they are spread across four locations around the state.
She said the goal in this case is reunification of the family, and 10 goals have been laid out in the service plan.
One of the crucial goals is to provide a safe environment for the children and be able to support them, she said.
Parents will be given a psychiatric evaluation, and children will be given school assessments.
The supervisor said CPS intends to allow the children to continue with home-schooling. CPS workers will observe how parents interact with the children.
"I did not discover until last night that a service plan had not yet been created," she said.
She said she wrote the service plan Sunday night, citing department oversight as the reason the plan had not been outlined sooner and sent to all involved attorneys.
When asked by attorneys whether the children could be moved to the same facility, she said that would be difficult to manage given the limited available spaces at any one facility.
Ward then called Tim Lambert, president of the Texas Home School Coalition, as a witness. He discussed his communications with CPS in the past and said he has been informed that home-schooling does not put children at risk and is not a factor in removing children from homes.
After a five-minute break, Judge Woodward approved the service plan and ordered that the children not be moved to public schools.
"The key is going to be providing a safe environment for the children," Woodward said before adjourning the court for the morning.
Courtroom E - Rick Smith
One of Warren Jeffs' "wives" agreed to sign a plan developed by the state's Child Protective Services agency that could eventually reunite her with two of her children, while another of Jeffs' wives said she would follow the plan but would not sign it.
Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was mentioned several times in three hearings this morning conducted by retired District Judge Marilyn Aboussie.
Two hearings involved the sons of Brenda Jessop, who agreed to sign the plan.
The other hearing was for the daughter of Shannon Johnson, who agreed to follow the CPS plan that could reunite her with her daughter but said she would not sign the document. She said she believes the tasks outlined in the document are "unreasonably vague," said her lawyer, Jacques DeLaMota.
"You certainly have the right" not to sign, Aboussie said.
Another issue raised during the morninglong series of hearings was about the version of the Book of Mormon that has been distributed to children from the YFZ Ranch who are in state custody.
Children are accustomed to a pre-1978 version, but are being given newer editions, Aboussie was told.
"Work it out," Aboussie told lawyers and CPS staff members. "They need to have their religious texts."
Courtroom D - Jennifer Rios
8:30 a.m. - Judge Jay Weatherby waited for people to trickle into the courthouse before addressing the case of Sarah Keate Steed, who was served Friday with a service plan from Child Protective Services, and her husband David Jessop, who was not in court. In court, Steed presented CPS with a marriage certificate, and with birth certificates for her children.
Her attorney, D'Ann Johnson, moved that the case be dismissed, but Weatherby eventually signed the service plan.
The six children involved in the case, ranging in age from 7 months to 10 years, are in four shelters across Texas. Alison Albrecht, the primary Child Protective Services caseworker, was the only witness called to testify on behalf of the children, whose case she took two weeks ago.
Attorneys Mark Ticer, Jennifer Hancock and Jennifer Goldman asked for a more specific plan from CPS, which is using the same plan for all the YFZ Ranch cases.
Albrecht said CPS is not waiting for parenting classes to finish, or DNA results to decide to move the children closer together. She said the department continues work this week on the children's cases. After Johnson told the court that Steed was unable to contact two of her children on their birthdays this past week, Albrecht said she would arrange for phone calls on children's birthdays,
Goldman asked Albrecht whether she knew that her 3-year-old son was sick, had been ill several times since he was taken from his mother and cries himself to sleep. The caseworker said she was aware that the child had a cold. Albrecht said she knew the child had a "slight fever."
After an objection was made that Albrecht was being coached by a woman in the courtroom, Weatherby ordered that no nods or signals be exchanged. Ticer asked Albrecht to identify the woman, her supervisor, Patricia Magdaleno.
While Judge Weatherby agreed that the goal is to reunite the family in a safe environment, he responded to the attorneys' comments by saying that in his courtroom, there are few exceptions "where they don't want to go home."
Albrecht stepped down at 9:35 a.m.
A CASA guardian reported that she had not met the children's father, David Steed, and said she was worried about the children in Waxahachie listening to tapes of convicted felon Warren Jeffs. The judge asked her to listen to the tapes and, "We'll review them."
The judge signed the plan with the understanding that changes will be made to the service plan as the investigation continues.
Courtroom B - Matt Phinney
9:40 a.m. - Gossett ruled that the plan is reasonable and approved the service plan.
9:31 - Jeffs said she has read the family plan and understands it. Gossett said revisions to the plans are likely to make it meet the needs of individual families to provide a safe environment for the children. He wants Jeffs and the case worker to meet as soon as possible to work on more details about the plan.
The goal is reunification, he said.
He said he has some concerns with wording in the plan, such as the meaning of the word "inappropriate" in one specific sentence, but thinks that will get ironed out as more cases go before judges. He also expressed concern that Jeffs apparently agreed to follow the plans as long as it does not interfere with her religious beliefs. Gossett said the hearings are not about her religious beliefs but about the safety of the children, and state law will take precedence.
9:17 a.m. - Rod Parker, who has worked as spokesman for the families, entered the courtroom and sat at the back of the room.
The CPS worker said the family plan is a further step for family reuniting. Part of the family plan is to identify missteps in the family.
9:02 a.m. - Wylie cross-examines the witness. The CPS worker agrees amendments can be made to the service plan, but proposal for such a change would have to go up the chain of command. She can't make promises, she said, but she can promise to make sure Jeffs' concerns are heard. The CPS worker said she wants to meet with Jeffs as soon as possible to discuss concerns with the plan.
8:43 a.m. - The first and only witness this morning in courtroom B was called to the stand. A CPS worker said it has come to her attention that Jeffs' eight children have been placed in different sites, and the agency is working to get the family back together. Some had childhood illnesses, especially her one-and-a-half-year-old son. None of the illnesses was serious or required long-term care, the witness said.
The CPS worker said she sent the service plan to Wylie but has not met face to face with Jeffs because the mother of eight has been busy traveling across the state to see her children. No one has spoken to Allan Keate, the man identified as the children's father.
Wylie has sent a letter stating her concerns about the family service plan, the witness said. The CPS worker also said the Texas Education Agency is working on a placement exam to determine where the children are in terms of their education. Jeffs has twins, and reuniting them is a priority, the case worker said.
There is no timetable for family reunion, she said.
8:40 a.m. - The judge to Jeffs: "Mrs. Jeffs, I can imagine your level of anxiety is high. This is an important case, but a simple procedure."
The judge said the court is reviewing the service plan, a document designed to reunite the families.
8:32 a.m. - All rose as Judge Tom Gossett of the 391st District Court walked into the courtroom. Attorney Lexie Wylie and the woman from the ranch, later identified as Nora Jeffs, took their seats at a table closer to the bench. Marleigh Meisner, CPS spokeswoman, entered the courtroom and sat in the audience.
All parties agreed to hear the case of all of Nora Jeffs' eight children in one procedure.
8:20 a.m. - Attorneys walked around courtroom B during the first morning of the hearings. A CPS worker and an attorney talked to a woman from the YFZ Ranch who was wearing a light blue dress, who nodded but said nothing to the other two women.
* * *
Courtroom A - JAYNA BOYLE
Attorney Vera Bennett made a motion to continue the case and give her a few days to continue her search for the child, but the judge said he is bound by law to sign paperwork putting the case on hold.
9:17 a.m. - The judge begins hearing a case involving parents James Jerry Jessop, 32, and Sarah J. Jessop, 32. In a passionate speech, the couple's attorney made a motion to abate and dismiss the case, which would have the effect of returning their children to the parents.
She said the couple's children are not in imminent danger, and James Jerry Jessop was not served court documents until this morning.
"I appreciate your passion," Woodward said, but he indicated that he would not revisit some of her concerns with matters already ruled on at the 14-day, hearing which took place a month ago.
9:11 a.m. - Revisiting a case that the court quickly reviewed at the start of the morning, Judge Ben Woodward signed paperwork to put a case on hold involving a child called "Baby Girl Jessop."
Child Protective Services reported this morning that its workers do not believe the child exists. The child's mother, listed as Sarah Jessop or Sarah Barlow, could not be identified. The initial CPS raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ranch near Eldorado began as a result of a phone call from a girl who identified herself as 16-year-old Sarah Jessop.
* * *
9 a.m., Courtroom C - Paul A. Anthony
51st District Judge Barbara Walther spent nearly as long waiting for attorneys to come in from other courtrooms as she did hearing the case of Samuel Jeffs.
Walther ultimately approved a service plan for Jeffs, the roughly 6-year-old son of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs, as an attorney for the boy's mother, Sharon Barlow, criticized the plan as overlay vague.
"This plan is so vague and so broad that my client basically has no idea what to do now," Donna Guion said.
Child Protective Services case worker Joni Manske told the court the agency is working on creating more specificity once psychological testing on parents begins June 2.
The hearing began at 9 a.m., 30 minutes later than scheduled as attorneys handling cases in other courtrooms trickled in.
9 a.m. The massive child custody hearings in the polygamist sect's YFZ Ranch case began this morning as state Child Protective Services representatives told a judge that they believe one of the children scheduled for hearing this morning does not exist, and that the child's mother of record, Sarah Jessop, could not be located.
Sarah Jessop is the name given by the person who telephoned a San Angelo domestic violence shelter in March, filing the original complaint that triggered an April raid and the removal of more than 460 children from the 1,700-acre Schleicher County compound.
State 119th District Judge Ben Woodward was told at the opening of proceedings in Courtroom A that the child listed as "Baby Jessop," whose parents were shown as Sarah Jessop and Dale Evans Barlow, is not a real person.
Barlow was the only person in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints case for whom an arrest warrant was issued, and authorities, although they have spoken to Barlow and know his whereabouts, have not moved to arrest him.
The FLDS is a splinter Mormon sect whose religious beliefs include the practice of men taking multiple spiritual wives.
The person who told the domestic violence shelter that she was 16-year-old Sarah Jessop claimed that she was Barlow's seventh "wife," and that he was abusing her, triggering the search of the compound and the removal of the children there.
That was the surprising start of the round of 60-day hearings expected to tie up the entire Tom Green County courthouse for at least two weeks. The 60-day hearings are statutory requirements at which the state reports to a judge on the status of the child in custody. The hearings must be wrapped up by June 5.
The YFZ Ranch cases began April 3 when a small army of law enforcement and child protective services personnel started raiding the compound near Eldorado, and in a period of several days, took away all the children on the grounds that they were at risk of child abuse.
The fascination with polygamy, an unorthodox religious sect, potential child abuse and the law has again made San Angelo the focus of national - and in some case, world attention.
Satellite trucks surrounded the courthouse this morning as lawyers, witnesses, spectators and reporters lined up to enter the building, where five judges in five courtrooms were preparing to decide the next stages of the lives of hundreds of children involved in the child custody.
The children are in state custody and living in group foster care facilities around Texas.
As further information becomes available, gosanangelo.com will update this story with live coverage at the Tom Green County Courthouse.
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-304-7763.
Monday-Friday: 6am-8pm / Saturday: 6am-12pm / Sunday: 6am-1pm