Childress Resigns. CPS in Turmoil

My my, but isn't this a bit of an earthquake;

The Houston Chronicle - "The lead attorney at the center of the largest child removal case in U.S. history has turned in his resignation and neither he nor Texas Child Protective Services are saying why.

Charles Childress was hired by CPS on July 21 to take over the behemoth case involving 439 children taken and eventually returned to the West Texas ranch belonging to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamist sect."

Of course only one in six children taken in the raid are still the subject of CPS suits, the vast majority have been nonsuited. The only reason to believe that such nonsuits will stop, is the fact that the number of FLDS children taken in the raid is finite.

After three months the attorney hired specifically to handle FLDS cases has abruptly resigned. Such resignations don't occur unless something major has happened behind the scenes. I've pointed out before that when high profile figures in a department or case resign, it's done with the awareness of how it will look to the world at large.

Clearly the damage of a Childress resignation was outweighed by the damage that Childress would stay, so he resigned. Since the appearance of a Childress resignation is a sign of the total turmoil in Texas and their "persecution" of the FLDS, the resignation signals extreme internal distress at CPS.

What else could possibly be the meaning of a three month employee resigning in the biggest child custody case in US History? By concluding there is no one to pursue, Childress has said there was no case. At all.

Hat tip to Brooke Adams.

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Research on Harvey's SB6 by Sore Toes. Is the bill UNCONSTITUTIONAL because it WAS aimed at a specific group?

I tried to struggle through the complexities of HB3006/SB6, Harvey Hilderbran's vote pandering keyhole peeking law. Sore toes does the hard work and it's worth a look.

"To support this bill, the following witnesses came forward and testified in front of the Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee on April 13, 2005 (list)
-Sam Brower, Private Investigator
-Jon Krakauer (Not identified, but google shows as Author of Under the Banner of Heaven)
-Randy Mankin, (Not identified, but google shows as Publisher of the Eldorado Success newspaper, and city administrator of Eldorado, Texas) . . .
-The Honorable Mark L. Shurtleff, Utah Attorney General, State of Utah

There were no witnesses presenting against the bill."

Sam Brower is a private detective who investigates the sect. With Flora Jessop. Utah AT Mark Shurtleff apparently CANNOT be trusted regarding his stated intent to not behave like Texas did. Another excerpt;

"There is no actual evidence that this group is doing any of the things accused by local residents. Texas should not endorse laws aimed at one specific group lawfully practicing its religious beliefs."

But they did. Could it be the whole law is unconstitutional on that basis? All you have to do is look at Harvey's website. Among other things the bill in its original form, it was to;

"-to deny a spouse the right to refuse to testify in a bigamy case (removes the right of spousal privilege), and further define bigamy.."

Sore Toes and a Bleeding Heart: Studying the Change of Texas Law More →

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Where is the FLDS Special Prosecutor?

Maybe I need to dig deeper in the stories but I haven't seen a specific special persecutor named yet by Texas. What's up with that?

Is it just the Attorney General's office for the state of Texas? More →

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You've got to know when to hold 'em

The Texas Gestapo puts a new twist on "Texas Hold 'em."

The San Angelo Standard-Times - "CPS had about 26 young women in custody who say they are adults but whom the agency considers minors. Jessop was one of those, but the agency has not filed any additional non-suit notices, Tom Green County court clerks said Tuesday, leaving the number at 25."

Since when is the only crime to be a minor, and you get held until you prove that you're not?

"If we possess credible evidence that other minors in question are over 18," then CPS will release them, as well, said spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner, declining to discuss what specific evidence led CPS to reverse course in Jessop's case. "We are still in the midst of an investigation. We cannot just dismiss them without credible evidence."

Let's see, their "crime" is being underage. No wait, that would be the evidence of someone else's crime. Yup, these people are in the evidence locker until someone can spring them. Cattle. More →

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Um, we don't know what we're going to charge someone with.

Ain't it grand when someones kids are locked up for a month and law enforcement plays hot potato with the case? Go ahead, just sign up for updates for the Salt Lake Tribune. Really, if it wasn't for this paper, everyone would be locked in a dungeon somewhere and we'd have stopped caring a long time ago.

"Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, did not know what type of charges the office would consider, but said: 'Our office has been in communication with law enforcement as well as prosecutors."'

And in the biggest news to come out of Texas since Waco, all they say is they've "been in communication?" I know I'd be real comfortable in my tomato patch this morning, having been bussed all over and imprisoned and deprived of my children knowing that the best Jerry Strickland and Greg Abbott can do is communicate.

"Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) has said there is evidence adult FLDS men were having sex with underage girls. Officials also have said 41 of the 464 FLDS children in custody had histories of broken bones, but have acknowledged that it has not been determined whether any of those injuries were the result of abuse."

So, it's SIX now? I thought that was five. That's ok. ARREST THEM. Give the other children back. Part of the function of law is and the punishments associated with them is deterrence. You don't stroll into the Two Dot Bar (there is such a place) and arrest everyone because one of them is drunk. Arrest the drunk, scare the rest. Besides, if they can only find six in all that group either you shut down all the high schools in Texas or you give the rest back.

"Two men arrested for allegedly interfering with police during the raid have not been charged."

Duh. and don't forget they were NOT charged with a crime of sex or violence.

"CPS said Tuesday it is assessing the FLDS children to develop individual education plans.
It is planning for children to be taught in foster care facilities, not public schools, the agency said."

Texas has been singularly unsuccessful instilling good values and behavior in children. Oh please don't make me link to it. It's systemic, not anecdotal.

Too funny. The article in "GoSanAngelo" starts THIS way;

"With evidence sorted and the state Attorney General's Office called in to help, the prosecution of the historic YFZ Ranch child-abuse case needs just one thing - a suspect."

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