I think the state of Texas has gotten itself into one big pickle. One of the “girls” taken into custody by CPS was Leona Allred, a 27-year-old adult with a birth certificate and driver’s license to prove it.
Apparently she is not the only child taken in the raid that isn’t really a child.
What is going on here?
SOURCE: “Reclassifications Weaken Polygamist Case,” UPI, May 21, 2008
UPDATE: The AP is reporting that eight of the “girls” are legal adults.
SOURCE: “Relatives Outside Sect Seek Custody in Texas Case,” AP, May 21, 2008
3 responses so far ↓
Mike Lovell // May 21, 2008 at 12:49 pm
That’s an extremely odd,odd circumstance to know about. Apparently not only is everything bigger in Texas, everything is also “older” in Texas now too?
nandita // May 21, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I’d heard that the age of some of the girls was disputed but it seems quite a stretch to be unable to tell that a woman of 27 isn’t a child.
RG: I agree with your statement. I’m only passing on the report. She supposedly has two proofs of her age.
Pauline // May 21, 2008 at 2:55 pm
‘it seems quite a stretch to be unable to tell that a woman of 27 isn’t a child’
Well, actually a 17-1/2-year-old doesn’t look like a child either, although she would still be a minor. I have known teachers/professors who were mistaken for students because of their youthful looks. I have a co-worker I assumed to be in her mid-20’s until I found out she had a daughter in high school.
This is why stores now have to ask for ID even for adults who clearly look like adults, because looks can be so deceiving as far as age goes. I imagine if they had taken the time to talk to her and really study the matter, they would have realized sooner, but she was just one person in a very large group, and the mistake (about her age) doesn’t sound that unlikely to me.
The fact that they simply rounded up all these people rather than dealing with them as individuals is another matter.
RG: Good points. I’ve even known people in their 40’s that I thought were in their 20’s.
I don’t think it’s true in this case, but I got the idea from some of the interviews that some of the mothers lied about their age (or didn’t tell the truth), because they knew that they would be allowed to stay with the children if they claimed to be underage. Other mothers apparently lied about their age because they were married so young, and they wanted to keep themselves (and presumably their husbands, parents, and community members) out of trouble.
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