Utah Judge Rules Polygamist Abused Girls

[Lou_C]

Jun 4, 12:15 AM EDT

Utah Judge Rules Polygamist Abused Girls

By DEBBIE HUMMEL
Associated Press Writer

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A juvenile court judge ruled Thursday that a prominent polygamist abused two young daughters and their eight siblings.

Judge Andrew Valdez decided that an uncle and aunt who are not part of John Daniel Kingston's clan will have temporary custody of the 13-year-old girl, and the 15-year-old girl will go to a foster facility.

They will be able to visit their mother, even though the judge said the mother had been negligent in protecting them. Kingston was ordered to stay away from all 10 children unless visits were supervised.

Valdez said all the children of Kingston and Heidi Foster were entitled to be named Kingston and also were entitled to inheritance.

The Kingston clan, also known as the Order, has an estimated 1,200 members. The secretive group has amassed a $150 million business empire, running companies that include pawn shops, restaurant supply stores, dairies and mines.

The two girls were removed from their home by child welfare authorities two months ago after they allegedly were threatened with beatings for getting their ears pierced.

During the trial that started May 20 the state accused Kingston and Foster of a decade-long pattern of abusing and neglecting their children.Foster has been investigated by child welfare authorities at least three times since 1994, and found each time to have neglected her children by not providing enough supervision or a clean home.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/POLYGAMIST_CHILD_ABUSE?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Kingston is believed to have approximately 100 children with around 14 wives.

How did he support all of those kids?

[saracat]

1. What about the 90 or so other kids?

And I don't see a ruling that the polygamy was illegal!

[amber dog democrat]

2. Read Under The Banner of Heaven.

Its by the same author who wrote Into Thin Air...

The way these families support these kids is to put the mothers on welfare as unwed mothers. There is a HUGE ammount of sexual child abuse going on in these Morman cults.

[Lou_C]

3. Let's see $100.00 per kid x 100 kids= $10,000.00 per month + food stamps

Hot damn what a way to make a living!

$100.00 dollars says he's a Republican!

[Tansy_Gold]

4. they ran a $150 million business empire

I doubt they were collecting welfare, too.

<snip>
The Kingston clan, also known as the Order, has an estimated 1,200 members. The secretive group has amassed a $150 million business empire, running companies that include pawn shops, restaurant supply stores, dairies and mines.
<end snip>

Besides, $100 a month per child doesn't go very far, and just because there are 100 kids doesn't make it go any further. Would you like to raise a child on $1200 a year?

If they had been getting welfare through fraud, that would likely have been in the report. The trial of Tom Green a few years ago was for welfare fraud, not polygamy; he got caught and I'm sure these folks would have, too.


I think polygamists and abusers are among the lowest of the lowest scum, but let's not accuse them of things they haven't done until we have some reasonable evidence.

Tansy Gold

[Lou_C]

5. No I wouldn't want to raise a child on that kind of money

Our welfare system is broken and it's doesn't help people it makes them helpless because it doesn't provide enough money to live on.

People on welfare and coming off of welfare are stuck in a bind.

It's not enough money to put food on the table for a child, pay utilities, rent and buy the clothing and books.

I feel sorry for people in the welfare system and it's nothing to laugh about.

We are all one paycheck away from being homeless and hungry.