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Texas takes custody of 400 children from polygamist compound
By Ben Wasserman
Apr 7, 2008 - 4:37:07 PM

MONDAY April 7, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Officials said the State of Texas had taken legal, temporary custody of 401 children from a polygamist compound in Schleicher County, Houston Chronicle reported today.

The temporary custody was ordered by a state district judge based on allegations of abuse and endangerment of the children, Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for Child Protective Services was cited as saying.

133 women had also reportedly voluntarily joined the children, who were being held at Forte Concho, a historic site.

Meanwhile, state officials were almost completing their search of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints ranch, Meisner said.

During the search, the state arrested a man who allegedly interfered with the duties of a public servant, a charge that could get the man two to 10 years in jail and a maximum $10,000 fine.

The search was apparently intended to find a 16-year-old old girl who reported an abuse complaint, which resulted in the massive raid.  Officials had not yet known anything about her whereabouts.

State investigators had not entered the ranch until Thursday a search warrant was issued to allow them to search for records on the girl's pregnancy and marriage to a man in the warrant.

News reports said the girl was 15 when she was married and she now has an 8-month-old daughter.  In Texas, the legal age to marry was raised from 14 to 16 in 2005 after concern of the sect was raised.

Allison Palmer, first assistant district attorney for the 51st judicial district, was cited as saying Dale Barlow, the man who was wanted on a charge of sexual assault of a child, had been located.  News reports said the man was in Arizona.

The raid came four years after members of the church moved to the compound.  The polygamists were said to have erected more than 35 buildings and a massive white temple on the compound to host several hundred people.