Lawmakers want aggressive AG polygamy action
 
By Le Templar
East Valley Tribune
 
A group of state lawmakers is demanding more aggressive action from Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard on reports of widespread child abuse and welfare fraud in the polygamous community of Colorado City.

A letter to Goddard signed by 26 Republicans and one Democrat in the House of Representatives says Arizona law enforcement must address renewed reports that women and teenage girls have been compelled by the community’s religious leaders into polygamous marriages for years.

"For too long, Arizona has allowed this grave problem to deteriorate," says the letter, which is dated Jan. 27 but was released to the media Tuesday. "Too many young women have lost their virtue without their consent. Too many young lives have been shattered. Too many witnesses have been ignored. The time has come for Arizona to act."

The letter’s author, Rep. John Allen, R-Scottsdale, said lawmakers are alarmed that the state has made no arrests or taken significant action against Colorado City leaders, despite attorney general investigations going back to 2000 under Goddard’s predecessor, Janet Napolitano. Events in the isolated community on the Arizona-Utah boundary have been under renewed scrutiny since polygamy became an issue in the 2002 state elections, when Goddard was chosen to be attorney general and Napolitano became governor.

"It looked so promising there for a while," Allen said. "He said he was going to put together a group to look at this, and nothing has happened. It looks like it’s getting worse."

While Goddard is a Democrat, Rep. Ben Miranda, D-Phoenix, said he signed the letter because politics shouldn’t interfere with protecting children.

"I would assume this letter could have easily been written if there was a Republican in the AG’s office," Miranda said. "You can’t have an enclave out here that, for all intents and purposes, run their own city as a country and has its own laws."

A spokeswoman for Goddard said Tuesday that the attorney general’s office had not received the letter until the Tribune faxed it a copy. Goddard scheduled a news conference for today to discuss the issue.

"The letter sent this afternoon signals support for attorney general initiatives in Colorado City and his efforts to draft stronger state laws to protect children," Goddard said in a short statement.

Some lawmakers defended Goddard, who has been in office for 13 months.

"I wouldn’t want to point to the attorney general on this," said Sen. Marilyn Jarrett, R-Mesa. "I’ve heard that there’s problems with kids (from Colorado City) as runaways, and (Child Protective Services) would turn them back. That has nothing to do with the attorney general."

Most residents of Colorado City and neighboring Hildale, Utah, are members of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That religion teaches that men must have at least three wives to reach heaven, but two of the women take part in a "spiritual" marriage that doesn’t require state approval. Arizona law appears to only forbid obtaining two or more state marriage licenses.

Allen said that among other things, the attorney general should look into claims that some women in polygamous marriages say they are single in order to get welfare checks, then turn the money over to the church.

Jarrett has introduced legislation with Goddard’s support that would make "child bigamy" — purporting to be married to a person younger than 18 years old — a felony. Jarrett had originally considered setting the age limit at 16. But she filed SB1335 this week to mirror a law adopted by Utah last year.

"The thing is, something like this, you just want to get it right," Jarrett said. "I don’t know anything about the letter. We’ve been working on it over here. We think it’s the answer, and it will give the attorney general the tools he needs."

The attorney general’s office also worked with CPS to arrange for two 16-year-old girls who left Colorado City in January to stay in foster care in the Valley instead of being returned to their parents. Goddard has previously confirmed that his office has spoken with the girls, who claim they left to avoid being forced into "spiritual” marriages, but has declined to elaborate.

Goddard’s counterpart in Utah has successfully prosecuted one man from Hildale for polygamy. But Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has said criminal investigations have been difficult for both states because most Colorado City residents are devoted to their religious tenets and church leaders, and refuse to cooperate with law enforcement.
 
EastValleyTribune.com
Originally published February 4, 2004
 
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