FLDS Members Turn Themselves In After Being Indicted On Child Sex Abuse Charges

After being indicted on charges of sexual assault and failure to report child abuse, five members of the fundamentalist sect of Latter Day Saints surrendered to Texas police in Schleicher County on Monday.

On Monday, five member of the FLDS turned themselves in to face child sex abuse charges associated with the ongoing investigation. Four of the men face direct charges of sexual assault of a child, which holds a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison. The fifth man faces up to 6 months in prison on charges of failure to report child abuse. According to a news report, the five men were indicted along with Warren Jeffs last week. Only one of the men was charged with bigamy in conjunction with the child sexual assault charge.

Bail for the defendants facing felony charges -- Raymond Merrill Jessop, 36, Allan Eugene Keate, 56, Michael George Emack, 57, and Merrill Leroy Jessop, 33 -- was set at $100,000 each. Lloyd Hammon Barlow, 38, charged with the misdemeanor failure to report child abuse, faces a sentence of up to six months in prison and a fine of $2,000 per count.

Warren Jeffs was also charged with sexual assault of a child and faces up to 99 years in prison. The 52-year-old self proclaimed profit of the FLDS, a breakaway group from the Mormon faith, is alleged to have "spiritually" married four young girls, two of whom were 12-years-old. The news report also states:

A search warrant seeking the samples said marital records -- also known as bishop's records -- from the YFZ Ranch showed that Jeffs married a 14-year-old girl in January 2004 in Utah. The records showed that Jeffs "married" three other underage brides -- two 12-year-olds and a 14-year-old -- at the ranch, the search warrant said.

DNA samples were taken from Jeff's back in May as part of the ongoing investigation in an effort to determine if he was the father of children born to underage mothers within the sect. Extradition proceedings of Jeffs will be sought by Texas authorities. He was convicted on two counts of being an accomplice to rape in Utah and is currently awaiting trial in Arizona on charges of sexual misconduct. The FLDS did make a statement last month that they will no longer allow the marriage between underage girls and older men, changing its longtime policy. Approximately 440 children are still under court protection and a CPS spokesperson did say that last week's indictments of these men

...provide some vindication for CPS, which was criticized by the courts for its position that all children living at the ranch were in such danger that their removal was the only option.

“The indictments (or charges) seem to indicate that CPS was correct in its belief that some children at the ranch had been sexually abused, and all children are at risk in a community in which adults do not take a stand against the abuse taking place in their homes,” Patrick Crimmins said.

With the children in the hands of their mom's, and Attorney General Gregg Abbott requesting federal assistance with the investigation due to their being a flight risk, it will be interesting to see if the return of the indicted sect members will have an impact on the actions of those who are looking for leadership and direction within the group.