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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A child welfare case involving the children of polygamist John Daniel Kingston has cost the state a bundle.
The Division of Child and Family Services spent nearly 382-thousand dollars on the two year case involving Kingston and Heidi Mattingly.
During the case ten of the couple's eleven children were in state custody.
DCFS spokeswoman Carol Sisco says the case was unusual because of its length, number of children involved and the kinds of services provided.
The bulk of DCFS expenses was for foster care and staff time.
But the overall tab could be much higher. D-C-F-S expenses don't cover the cost of lawyers from the offices of the Guardian Ad Litem and Utah Attorney General.
The case began in 2004 when Kingston and Mattingly's eldest daughters argued with their parents over ear piercing and were removed from their mother's home.
Kingston and Mattingly gave up their parental rights to girls last fall.
The other children have been returned to Mattingly's care.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
