Is the fact there is no evidence of a caller’s first hand knowledge of abuse within the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Texas enough for a judge to toss out all of the evidence collected during the now infamous raid in 2008? If the lawyer for the religious sect have their way, it’s more than enough. Despite the evidence that was found that proved the caller’s information correct, it could very well mean there’s no way to protect the kids who were temporarily removed a year ago because the caller lied when she identified herself.

This evidence led to search warrants, which in turn led to even more search warrants. Underage marriages, incredibly young girls who faced motherhood long before they were emotionally or physically ready and a host of other abuse allegations were uncovered during the many searches but may now be deemed illegal due to the mental state of the woman who first reported their living situations. The Colorado woman, who was later discovered to be Rozita Swinton has been charged with false reports of abuse to authorities and will be in court later this month to answer those charges.

As lawyers face off in a courtroom regarding the legality of the searches, there are over four hundred kids who have since been returned to their homes so that they can continue living the only life they’ve ever known. The young girls are still having babies and continue to be forced into so-called marriages. The only bright spot is the criminal case that’s now in jeopardy has little, if anything to do with the child custody issues. Those issues are still being hammered out in Texas courtrooms and will probably continue through the rest of this year.

Should law enforcement be penalized for doing its job, even if the initial reasons were less than truthful? As pure as the motives were, the fact Swinton didn’t disclose her actual identity may be what knocks the strength out of the criminal cases. This would be especially tragic since it will once again tie the hands of law enforcement who now know exactly what takes place behind those gates, but are helpless to halt those activities. A judge is now considering the next step in this case. Her ruling will ultimately determine how much farther this case will be allowed to progress.