| Jeffs reportedly seen at Lehi store | |
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By Jeremy Twitchell Deseret Morning News | |
LEHI — FBI officials are investigating a reported sighting of Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of a polygamous sect, Friday afternoon at Cabela's in Lehi. A store employee told the FBI that a man he believed was Jeffs entered the store in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a number of women and two larger men that appeared to be security guards. The group is said to have entered at about 3:30 p.m., stayed for about 45 minutes, and left in two vehicles. Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamy-practicing group residing along the Utah-Arizona border. In June, an Arizona grand jury indicted Jeffs on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. The charges stem from a 2002 incident in which Jeffs allegedly performed the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a 28-year-old man who was already married. Jeffs fled Arizona and has also been charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Utah and Arizona have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Jeffs' capture. He was supposedly sighted in Florida in August, but that sighting was not confirmed. Friday night, FBI agents spent hours at Cabela's, interviewing witnesses and reviewing security tapes in an effort to get a positive identification. "We treat any potential sighting as true, but we don't find out until we investigate," FBI spokesman Brent Robbins said. Robbins said agents have not yet confirmed if Jeffs was in the store but are looking for the vehicles in which the group traveled. The group left in a white GMC Yukon, Nevada plate 253 SUS, and a black Ford pickup, Utah plate 344 VNS. Robbins said the FBI issued an attempt to locate order to local police agencies, and agents are investigating if the vehicles are connected to Jeffs. "If it was Mr. Jeffs, we're going to catch him," Robbins said. E-mail: jtwitchell@desnews.com | |
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deseretnews.com Originally published Saturday, October 22, 2005 | |
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