The state has dropped custodial interference charges against a woman who left the Freemen compound in Montana last week with her two daughters, an official from the Utah Attorney General's Office verified Monday.
Clarification about the state's position on the charges came after a weekend in which Gloria Ward and her sister appeared on the CBS news program "60 Minutes" to protest the way Utah officials handled the case.Assistant Attorney General Craig Barlow said Monday the state has dropped charges against Gloria Ward, who is known to Utah officials as Tamara Mangum, but will keep open the door to refile the charges. In addition, the agency will keep a close eye on the case involving two of her daughters, Jaylynn, 8, and Courtnie, 10.
It was unclear what the FBI had promised Ward and her sister, Lynn Nielsen, when the two left the compound Thursday with Ward's common-law husband, Elwin Ward. FBI officials said over the weekend that it was up to Utah officials to deal with the custody issue.
After conversations between Assistant Attorney General Reed Richards and the FBI, Utah officials confirmed the charges would be dropped.
"Apparently that's what they are expecting," Barlow said.
After a hearing Friday in which a judge awarded custody of both girls to Courtnie's father, Robert Gunn, of Kearns, both Ward and Nielsen called state officials liars. The state had promised the girls would go to the aunt, Nielsen, they said, and that all charges against Ward would be dropped.
"It's not true," said Barlow, who also was interviewed for the "60 Minutes" report. "What I said on `60 Minutes' is exactly what happened. There was never any intent for Lynn (Nielsen) to have custody any longer than it took to fly from Montana to Salt Lake City."
Barlow said Monday he continues to have grave concerns about the girls and their safety, and believes Gloria Ward will take off with the children if she can. "That is her first and primary goal."
Gloria Ward has exacerbated the situation by screaming and making accusations in front of the girls and has gone against the judge's Friday order by "harassing" the Gunns. Judge Frank Noel ruled Ward could see the girls but only under conditions organizedand supervised by Utah's Department of Family Services.
Ward told "60 Minutes" interviewer Morley Safer the Gunns had hung up on her and prevented her from seeing the children. In fact, Barlow said, the Gunns were just trying to get Ward to go through DFS in conjunction with the judge's order.
"If she had any concern for the kids, she'd relax," said Barlow. "But they (Ward and Nielsen) don't. They have concern for their own selfish need."
Third District Judge said in a statement Monday, "The June 7 ruling was a temporary order based on an emergency hearing. A pre-trial conference will be set in the near future, probably next week.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Who's who
Gloria Ward: Known to Utah officials as Tamara Mangum. Changed her name to Gloria Ward as part of alignment with religious teachings of John Perry Chaney. Mother of four girls, two of whom were holed up in the Freemen's Montana compound for 2 1/2 months.
Elwin Ward: Gloria's common-law husband. Left the Freemen compound with Gloria Ward and her two daughters Thursday. Also follows the teachings of John Perry Chaney.
Lynn Nielsen: Salt Lake resident and sister of Gloria Ward. Visited Ward three times while her sister was inside the Freemen compound. Instrumental in negotiating Ward's exit from Justus Township.
Courtnie Joy Christensen: Ten-year-old daughter of Ward. Kearns' resident Robert Gunn is Courtnie's father.
Jaylynn Joy Mangum: Half-sister to Courtnie. Eight-year-old daughter of Ward and Bluffdale resident Steve Mangum.
Robert Gunn: Kearns resident who did not marry Gloria Ward but lived with her and is Courtnie's father. A 3rd District Court judge awarded Gunn temporary custody of both Courtnie and Jaylynn Friday.
John Perry Chaney: Religious leader lodged in the Utah County Jail on charges that he conspired to commit rape of a child and conspired to commit aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Prosecutors say Chaney in 1993 performed a ceremony in which he married his 13-year-old daughter to a 48-year-old friend. Prosecutors recently increased the severity of Chaney's charges from second-degree to first-degree. Declared competent to stand trial after a mental-health evaluation.
Leslie Chaney: Another daughter of Gloria Ward. Fifteen-year-old common-law wife of John Perry Chaney. Just gave birth to a child while in Michigan state custody.