| Abuse alleged in polygamist marriage | |
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By Mike Watkiss NewsChannel 3 - Phoenix | |
Orson William Black is reportedly a polygamist on the run. An Arizona grand jury indicted Black on charges of sex crimes against children. He's the first man to be charged in Arizona in nearly 50 years for crimes related to polygamy. Black allegedly took pre-teens, Beth and Robert Stubbs, as wives and impregnated them by the time they were 15 years old. Tamara Phelps married Black when she was 17 years old. Black, at the time, was 27. "This guy, he's so scary. He needs to be tried," Phelps said. During the marriage, Phelps claims that Black, who may have as many as five wives, brainwashed her, beat her and raped her. Tamara Phelps says she was abused at the hands of her ex-husband Orson Black. The marriage, Phelps said, was arranged by the now deceased religious leader, Rulon Jeffs, who was also a practicing polygamist in Colorado City. Phelps escaped the regimen of what she says is physical and psychological abuse which was spelled out in a 1995 order of protection against Black. Phelps said she was forced to leave her three children behind because she was so battered and broke. Phelps later removed the children from the Black home, with the help of Pennie Petersen, a 33-year-old Valley resident who assisted state prosecutors with an indictment against Black. Meanwhile, law enforcement officers remain on the hunt for Black. | |
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azfamily.com Originally published August 14, 2003 | |
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