ST. GEORGE — A criminal indictment issued last week against polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was discussed nearly six weeks ago by a group of Utah and Arizona law enforcement officials.
"We formed a joint task force. I think we are working together pretty well," Mohave County, Ariz., County Attorney Matthew Smith said.
The group of officials included members of his office, the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Washington County Attorney's Office and the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona.
An Arizona grand jury on Thursday indicted the 49-year-old Jeffs on two counts of felony child sex abuse for conspiring to arrange — and then performing — the marriage of a then 16-year-old girl to a man who was already married. Jeffs is not accused of having sex with the girl. If convicted, he would face a prison sentence ranging from four months to two years.
A criminal indictment also was issued for the 28-year-old Colorado City, Ariz., man who allegedly married the girl. Smith said the man "ran" and is now being sought by authorities.
The girl, who is now 19, was forced to appear before the grand jury after being subpoenaed to testify. She is no longer a member of the church led by Jeffs — the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — and had no children with the man to whom she was spiritually married, a source told the Deseret Morning News.
Jeffs has not been seen in public for more than a year, nor has he responded to several civil lawsuits filed against him in federal court in Salt Lake City, prompting summons by publication in several newspapers.
Last year, one of Jeffs' followers purchased a large tract of land outside Eldorado, a small town in Schleicher County, Texas. Locals were told the land would be used for a corporate hunting retreat. The truth was soon known, however, after construction began on large, multi-family dwellings, and people wearing the distinctive pioneer dress and hairstyles of the FLDS faithful were seen in aerial photos.
Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran said he received a copy of the Arizona warrant Friday but has no plans to enter the ranch grounds without an invitation from those who live there.
"'We're not going to take any drastic measures," said Doran, adding he's not certain Jeffs is on the property that its owners call the YFZ Ranch, or Yearn For Zion Ranch. "We have a lot of out-of-state warrants issued. We're not going to treat this one any different."
Doran said Sunday he will arrest Warren Jeffs on an Arizona warrant if he's pulled over for a traffic violation.
Polygamy is practiced openly in Colorado City, a remote enclave in Arizona on the state line with Utah that is dominated by Jeffs' group. Polygamy also is practiced in Hildale, Utah, across the state line from Colorado City, and in nearby Centennial Park, Ariz.
The fundamentalist sect split from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the LDS Church renounced polygamy more than a century ago.
Contributing: The Associated Press
E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com