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	Grand Jury to Convene; Indictments May Follow Underage Moms of the Yfz Ranch Are Likely to Be Subpoenaed to Testify By Brooke Adams Salt Lake Tribune June 20, 2008 http://www.sltrib.com/Polygamy/ci_9637417 A grand jury will meet next week in Eldorado, Texas, to hear testimony that could lead to indictments of members of a polygamous sect. A Schleicher County clerk confirmed the grand jury has been called in but would not say why or when it would meet. But The Salt Lake Tribune has learned the hearing will be under way by Wednesday and is related to the investigation of residents of the Yearning for Zion Ranch, all members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The grand jury met June 2 but didn't take up any FLDS-related matters. Expected to be subpoenaed as witnesses, among others, are mothers who conceived or gave birth when they were younger than 17, the age of consent in Texas. Texas authorities raided the ranch on April 3 after receiving a call for help later deemed a hoax. Authorities removed about 450 women and children from the ranch; the children and some mothers remained in state custody for two months. The Texas Supreme Court then upheld an appeals court finding that there was insufficient evidence of abuse to keep all the children in custody. District Judge Barbara Walther signed an order returning them to their parents on June 2, while Child Protective Services continues to look into abuse allegations. About 143 children and their parents have returned to the ranch, while the rest have set up homes in San Antonio and other locales across Texas. CPS has begun scheduling or conducting interviews with some mothers, several attorneys said - including sessions Thursday at the YFZ Ranch. During the probe at the ranch, Texas Rangers seized thousands of documents that are being culled for evidence in a case likely to focus on underage marriages. The Texas Attorney General's Office is leading the criminal investigation. The state also has DNA samples from about 600 FLDS members in order to match parents and children - samples that may be useful in verifying whether older men had children with underage girls. Contact: brooke@sltrib.com
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