Law enforcement officers have surrounded the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, (left) the little city operated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints near Eldorado.
Information was sketchy, but officials are reportedly interviewing members of the polygamist group about a sexual assault case.
Staff Writers Bill Hanna and Jack Douglas Jr. report that the surveillance of the ranch began Thursday afternoon and continued throughout the night. Around midnight, Child Protective Services investigators entered the compound, located about 45 miles south of San Angelo, and are continuing to question members of the sect.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger described the sect followers as "very cooperative" and that the group is "providing all of the people we need to talk to" about the complaint.
The Texas Rangers also are involved, Vinger said.
Crime Time reported Feb. 27 that the sect's leader, Warren Jeffs, (right) pleaded not guilty in Kingman, Ariz., to sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of two teenage girls to older men.
The Eldorado Success, a weekly newspaper, continues to closely follow developments at the YFZ. Editor Randy Mankin said one of the members of the sect filed a complaint that she was sexually assaulted and that authorities appear to be taking it "very seriously."
Other reports are carried by the San Angelo Standard-Times, which has a storied history of covering events in West Texas, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City.
When you get caught up on the breaking news, see the ongoing vigorous discussion about the sect on the blog Texas Polygamy, which carries diverse opinions on the subject.
-- Bill Miller