Texas sect member guilty of sex assault
ELDORADO, Texas - The first polygamist sect member to face criminal trial following the raid at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in West Texas last year was convicted yesterday of sexual assault of a child.
Jurors took a little more than two hours to convict Raymond Jessop, 38, of sexually assaulting a teen with whom he had a so-called “spiritual marriage.’’
Jessop allegedly has nine wives. He faces a bigamy charge, but that case is to be tried later. The girl in the assault case, now 21, was previously in a “spiritual marriage’’ with Jessop’s brother before being “reassigned’’ to Jessop when she was 15, according to documents seized at the ranch. She became pregnant at age 16.
Jessop, who had been free on bond during the trial, was immediately handcuffed and led across the Schleicher County Courthouse square to the jail after his conviction.
Jurors were expected to return to court Monday to begin deciding his sentence. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Lawyers in the case declined to comment on the verdict.
