Stolen Innocence - Lisa Pulitzer [203]
To Roger Hoole—there are not enough words to express how grateful I am. You have been more than an attorney to me; you have become a dear friend. You and Sharon have helped me so much, and I will be forever grateful. To Roger’s law partner and brother Greg and his wife, Kelly Hoole, thank your friendship, hard work, and support. To both Roger and Greg and your families, thank you for believing in us, and for sacrificing so much of your time to this cause. To legal assistant Shellie Manzanares, you have been a quiet soldier, and private investigator Sam Brower, thank you for your many efforts and encouragement.
Heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated members of the Washington County Attorney’s Office, Ryan Shaum, Bryan Felter, Roger, and all the many others who gave their time and hard work to this case. You were all amazing and so utterly impacting on me. A special thank-you to Brock and Shaunty Belnap—you encouraged me to come forward and you always believed in me. To Jerry Jaeger, for your extensive investigation and for helping us to survive the many trials and tribulations of the witness protection program. You and so many others were there to guide and protect us, and we are forever grateful. Thank you to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office: Kirk Smith, Jake Schultz and all the deputies who helped investigate and keep us safe.
To Sheriff David Doran of Schleicher County for his untiring efforts to understand the FLDS people. To Capt. Barry Caver, Sgt. L. Brooks Long, and all the Texas Rangers for taking time to listen and learn about the FLDS.
To the Mojave County Attorney’s Office, and Gary Engels, you have forged the path for these cases, and so many people owe you their gratitude. Matt Smith, your efforts do not go unnoticed. To everyone else who worked hard to help me, you are appreciated.
And to all of you who have been there and touched our lives in some way, no matter how small, your kindness and efforts have not gone unnoticed. Your hard work and dedication in this case will surely change the destiny of so many girls and young women that you may never know.
Most important, I thank my loving children, who give me a reason to look forward to each new day with happiness and anticipation. It is my hope that you will someday understand why I needed to write this book. As your mother, I will strive to be an example in your lives and show you the difference between right and wrong. I hope I’ve shown you to stand up for your beliefs and defend your rights.
About the Authors
ELISSA WALL is a former member of the FLDS church who was forced into marriage at age fourteen. She left the FLDS at age eighteen and she currently resides with her two children and her husband, Lamont.
LISA PULITZER is a freelance writer. She lives on Long Island, New York.
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Credits
Jacket design by Rick Pracher
Jacket photographs: Elissa Wall, courtesy of the author; Warren Jeffs, by Steve Marcus/Corbis
Photograph insert credits:
Photos 1–14, 18, 20–34, 38–39 courtesy of the author; 15–17 by Douglas Love; 19 by Sam Brower; 35, AP Photo/Stuart Johnson, Pool; 36, AP Photo/Jud Burkett, Pool; 37, AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac.
Copyright
STOLEN INNOCENCE. Copyright © 2008 by Elissa Wall. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled,