Jury Selection Underway in Polygamy Case

ELDORADO, Texas (AP) _ Jury selection continues in the first criminal trial of a member of a polygamist sect raided in West Texas last year.

After a full day of questioning Monday, roughly 150 potential jurors from Schleicher County are being asked to return on Tuesday as lawyers seek 12 jurors and two alternates for the trial of Raymond Jessop.

Jessop, 38, is the first man from the Yearning For Zion Ranch to go on trial since authorities raided the compound last April. He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if convicted of sexual assault of a child, a charge stemming from his alleged marriage to an underage girl.

Court documents indicate she gave birth to a daughter at the ranch when she was 16.

Prosecutors allege Jessop has nine wives. He faces an additional charge of bigamy but that will be tried later.

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