Mother, ‘husband’ charged after girl says she wed at 13
Pair claim to be Hebrew Israelites, say child marriage part of their culture
Police have accused a 47-year-old man of sexually assaulting his teenaged wife, who is a member of a group that believes they are direct descendants of biblical Israelites, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff ’s Office.
The unidentified 14-yearold girl’s mother, another member of the group, also was arrested on charges of endangering a child.
According to the sheriff’s office, the girl told a doctor she was married and sexually active. She said she had been “married” since she was 13.
Child Protective Services notified police of the situation on June 5.
Sheriff Troy Nehls said he found the girl’s ordeal to be a “very disturbing, disturbing case” during a Thursday press conference.
‘A cultural thing’
The sheriff ’s office identified Steven Carty, 47, as the “husband” and charged him with aggravated sexual assault of a child. The girl’s mother, Cherry Jamila Payton, 39, was charged with endangering a child, a state felony.
When CPS officials interviewed both the teen and her mother, they described themselves as Hebrew Israelites, African-Americans who believe they are descendants of ancient Israelites.
The mother apparently supported her daughter’s marriage to Carty because of their beliefs, according to Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Caitilin Espinosa.
Espinosa said the young girl did not have a traditional marriage ceremony, but the teen believed she was married because of her cultural beliefs.
“She didn’t get married in front of pastor or priest,” Espinosa said. “It was a cultural thing that she believes she was married.”
Thousands of people across the country and other parts of the world, including the Caribbean, Africa and the United Kingdom, consider themselves Hebrew Israelites, according to The Associated Press.
Members usually dress in colorful clothing, refrain from birth control and also believe in polygamy. Texas has several meeting places for Hebrew Israelites, including in El Paso, Houston and Dallas.
Safety plan
Their spiritual leader, Ben Ammi Ben Israel, died in Israel in 2014. He believed some African-Americans were descendants of the biblical tribe of Judah and migrated to West Africa after the Jewish Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 in Jerusalem.
In the 1960s, the leader had a vision from the angel Gabriel to return to West Africa. He led a group of people back to Liberia, which became the starting point of the worldwide belief system.
During the press conference, the sheriff ’s office reported the girl was doing well. The office is working with CPS to set up a safety plan for the girl.
Police said the couple were in Sugar Land but for some time have lived in and around the Houston area.
Carty and Payton are lodged in the Fort Bend County Jail. Carty is being held on $100,000 bail. Payton is being held on $10,000 bail.