The Black Hills of South Dakota

Another FLDS hideout for fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota in March 2006.   100 acres of wooded property was purchased in October 2003 by David Steed Allred for $135,000.  This land was purchased around the same time as Allred bought the parcels of land in Eldorado, Texas and Mancos, Colorado. The South Dakota compound is located in Custer County, 15 miles southwest of the tiny town of Pringle.   According to Private Investigator Sam Brower, this land is "in the middle of nowhere" just like the properties in Eldorado and Mancos.  The County Inspector said that there were only access roads on the land when it was purchased. And, just like David Allred told the local Texas and Colorado citizens, he also told the South Dakotans that he was planning to build a "corporate retreat" on the land. Custer County records show that they bought more land adjacent to the compound in Fall 2006.  According to the neighbors, construction goes on around the clock.  A "prison-like guard tower" was also erected at the entrance to the compound.  Is this to keep the "faithful" in or to keep the "wicked" out? As with the other FLDS communities, the residents at the Pringle compound are isolated, secretive and keep to themselves.  Neighbors say that only one man, named Jerald, speaks for the estimated 60 people living here. Below are news articles on this latest discovered hideout of Warren's.   These articles are in chronological order.

Enclave of Polygamist Sect Found in South Dakota

John Hollenhorst reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast March 8, 2006

Has Warren Jeffs, gone to the Mount Rushmore State?   Investigators on the trail of the fugitive polygamist leader have made a surprising discovery.   Sam Brower, Private Investigator:: "Given it's remote location and so forth it's a place that is simply a hideout for Warren Jeffs."   They've found a previously unknown polygamist compound in an unexpected location.  They believe Jeffs has used it as a hide-out.   It's in South Dakota, nestled in the trees that gave The Black Hills their name.  It's the latest twist in what appears to be a secretive multi-state expansion of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   From his base on the Utah-Arizona border and a satellite community in Canada, Warren Jeffs has been expanding his empire, even as his legal troubles deepen.     Read more

Polygamists May Have Settled Near Custer

By Jodi Schwan KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally published March 9, 2006

Followers of the nation's largest polygamist sect may be living in South Dakota.   Their leader is accused of child rape and wanted for fleeing from prosecution.  And he could be hiding in the state.   Investigators discovered a 100 acre site 15 miles southwest of Pringle, in Custer county.   They believe it's home to a group connected to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, led by Warren Jeffs.   The above photo is of the property near Pringle.  There are several buildings, one reportedly has as many as 21 bedrooms.  The picture was taken by Private Investigator Sam Brower, who visited South Dakota earlier this year and says he knew right away he was looking at a polygamist compound.   The people building this settlement south of Custer probably didn't want anyone to find it.   Investigators believe it was meant to be a secret hideout for Warren Jeffs, the leader of a polygamous sect whose followers consider him a prophet.   Sam Brower says, "I think it was significant.   I think if the heat came down on Warren Jeffs that would be the place he ran to."     Read more

Black Hills Police Aware Of Polygamist Fugitive

By Andy Harvey KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally published March 9, 2006

The Black Hills of South Dakota could be a hiding spot for the leader of a polygamist group.   50-year old Warren Jeffs is wanted by the FBI on two counts of sexual assault on a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor.  Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ... an organization that practices polygamy.   The group has built a compound near Pringle south of Custer.  And while neighbors didn't want to talk about what could be going on there, local law enforcement officials are aware of the group.   Electronic gates near Pringle are the entrance to a 100 acre piece of land, home to a polygamist sect.  On the ground ... a green metal roof is barely visible through the trees.  But in the air ... you can see the layout of the compound.  And it could be where fugitive Warren Jeffs is hiding.   Custer County Sheriff Phil Hespen said, "Everybody thinks he's down there."   Hespen learned about Jeffs and his followers within the past year.  But says he's had no reason to visit the secretive community so far.     Read more

Polygamy follower buys land in South Dakota

The Associated Press Provo Daily Herald Originally published Friday, March 10, 2006

Deeds to a 100-acre parcel of South Dakota land show the property was bought by a follower of Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of a Utah polygamist sect.   Copies of deeds filed in Custer County, S.D., and obtained by The Associated Press indicate the land was deeded to Jeffs' loyalist, David Allred, president of Details Unlimited, based in Washington County, Utah, on Sept. 22, 2003, by an Illinois couple.  Allred also fronted the purchase of the fundamentalist sect's 2,000-acre YFZ Ranch, near Eldorado, Texas.   Jeffs, 51, heads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is headquartered in the twin towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah.   In addition to the Texas ranch, the church has outposts in British Columbia, Colorado and Nevada.   Considered a prophet by his followers, Jeffs is wanted on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on an Arizona charge that he arranged a plural marriage between a 16-year-old girl and an older man.   Utah private investigator Sam Brower, who works for several attorneys involved in lawsuits against Jeffs, said he and author Jon Krakauer, were contacted by Randy Mankin, editor of The Eldorado (Texas) Success, in January about the possible enclave after the paper received anonymous e-mail and phone tips.     Read more

Group near Pringle linked with fugitive polygamist

By Steve Miller, Journal Staff Writer, and AP reports Rapid City Journal Originally published March 10, 2006

PRINGLE - Neighbors of people who built a compound in a remote area southwest of Pringle say they were suspicious of the secretive group even before learning that it could be linked to a polygamist Mormon sect led by a federal fugitive.   They said heavy construction work goes on all night under big spotlights inside the fenced-off compound, which appears to be self-sufficient.   The 100-acre complex in southwestern Custer County is an outpost of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a polygamist sect led by federal fugitive Warren Jeffs, a Texas newspaper, The Eldorado Success, reported Wednesday.   Jeffs — considered a prophet by his followers — is wanted on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on an Arizona charge that he arranged a plural marriage between a 16-year-old girl and an older man who was already married.   The FLDS sect is headquartered in the twin towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah.  The sect also has long had an enclave in British Columbia and in recent years has established outposts in Texas, Colorado and Nevada.     Read more

A Look at FLDS Property in South Dakota

Sam Penrod Reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast March 10, 2006

A temple in Texas, a compound in Arizona, and now video of Polygamist Warren Jeffs' newly discovered development in South Dakota.  Tonight, a first look at property in South Dakota that appears to be yet another hideout for fugitive polygamous leader Warren Jeffs.   It's one of at least four locations outside of Utah and Arizona with ties to FLDS leader Warren Jeffs.  Eyewitness News first reported Wednesday night about the South Dakota property.  Today, the first video from it.   These land deeds detail that the property was purchased by the same man who bought the FLDS land in Texas.  The Texas Ranch has been known about for two years now, and documents show the South Dakota property has been owned by the FLDS Church for just as long, but it was only discovered by outsiders this week.   A dirt road leads to property that has direct ties to FLDS church.  Fences with "No Trespassing" and "Keep Out" signs line the property.   The land, located in the southwest corner of South Dakota, appears to be another place that may be a hideout for FLDS leader Warren Jeffs.     Read more

Polygamist Compound In Pringle, SD Not Hidden Well Enough

By Don Jorgensen KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally published May 15, 2006

He is on the FBI's most wanted list and could be hiding in the Black Hills of South Dakota.   Warren Jeffs, a prophet to his followers, is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, the nation's largest polygamy sect.   Jeffs is on the run and hasn't been seen in two years.   The FBI says Jeffs is known to travel with bodyguards and is considered armed and dangerous.   Don Jorgensen recently took a trip to Pringle, South Dakota, where Jeffs has one of several of his polygamist compounds.   It's in a remote area of the Black Hills.  Very few people have ever seen it or even knew it was there until last month when news broke about the suspected hideaway.  And if you know anything about the FLDS, you know they don't like visitors.   The front gates to Warren Jeffs compound near Pringle are locked.  No trespassing signs are posted.  The compound is hidden by evergreens.   "People say you can't see the compound from the road, but if you take a little hike through the hills you're able to sneak up along side a ride and look over the compound and that's where we're headed right now," said Jorgensen.     Read more

FLDS Compound In South Dakota Drawing Attention

KUTV Channel 2 Originally broadcast May 17, 2006

(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY As the FBI searches for fugitive polygamous leader Warren Jeffs attention turns to the compound the FLDS church recently built in South Dakota.   Members of the polygamous FLDS church bought remote land in the Black Hills three years ago, and from the air, you can see they’re building a community.   Three-story houses, and a large pole building.  They have more lumber and heavy equipment, so they may build more.   From the ground, all you can see is locked gate barbed wire fence and no trespassing signs.   Cheryl Hadlock lives near the FLDS, and she likes them.   "They plow the road in the winter; they watched our house after it was broke into.   They’ve been good neighbors. We have no problems."   Warren Jeffs, the leader of the FLDS polygamous church, is on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list.   He’s charged with performing a marriage between a 16-year-old and an older man.   The compound would be a good place for him to hide, but Custer County Sheriff Phil Hespen hasn’t been on the property, and says he has no reason to go     Read more

New sheriff to monitor secretive group

By Ryan Woodard The Rapid City Journal - Rapid City, South Dakota Originally published Friday, June 23, 2006

CUSTER - Although the FBI hasn’t received any new tips about Warren Jeffs — the fugitive leader of a polygamist group linked to a group living near Pringle — Custer County’s sheriff-elect said he will be watching the situation closely when he gets into office in January.   "What I would like to do is keep in contact with people in the immediate area and touch base with law enforcement in the areas where colonies are set up," said Rick Wheeler, who defeated incumbent Phil Hespen in the June 6 primary to become Custer’s new sheriff.   Wheeler said he doesn’t know if a direct confrontation would be the best tactic.   "There’s ways of getting in there," he said.  "I think we should probably try to avoid that right now.  I know the FBI is working hard.  My goal is to keep in touch with those guys and work with them as much as I can."   Bob Perry, director of the Rapid City FBI office, said there is no "actionable" information that would lead authorities to Jeffs.   "We don’t have any information he lives there," Perry said.     Read more

New sheriff takes office

By Ryan Woodard The Rapid City Journal - Rapid City, South Dakota Originally published June 24, 2006

CUSTER -- Custer County Sheriff-elect Rick Wheeler has taken office sooner than expected.   Wheeler, who had been scheduled to take office Jan. 1 after defeating incumbent Phil Hespen in the June primary, was instead scheduled to be sworn in Friday afternoon.   Hespen, who was elected sheriff in 2002, decided to step down early.   "I’m going to pursue other employment opportunities," he said Friday afternoon, although he was not specific.   He said he has enjoyed his time as sheriff of Custer County.   "It’s been a tremendously interesting experience," he said.  "I’ve enjoyed it very much.  I’d like to say thanks to the supporters in the community."   Hespen also wished luck to Wheeler.   "I wish Rick the best," he said.  "It’s a very tough job for anybody.  If anybody can do it, Rick probably can."   Wheeler could not be reached Friday for comment.  However, he has said one of his goals as sheriff is to watch for Warren Jeffs — the fugitive leader of a polygamist group linked to a group living near Pringle.     Read more

Compound still growing

By Steve Miller The Rapid City Journal Originally published November 6, 2006

Although polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is in jail in Utah, a compound reportedly occupied by members of his sect continues to expand in remote country southwest of Pringle.  Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which practices polygamy, was captured Aug. 28 during a traffic stop outside Las Vegas.  He faces charges in Utah and Arizona.  Private investigators tracking Jeffs said they believed that the Pringle compound was among places he had hidden.  But state and federal authorities said they could not confirm that.  The Salt Lake Tribune last March reported that members of the church had acquired the 100-acre property southwest of Pringle in the Red Canyon area.  Since October 2003, the group has built several structures on the property.  More recently, United Land Management, a group tied to the FLDS, bought another 40 acres, owned by Kenneth and Marlene Boggs, adjacent to the compound.  The compound bought 15 acres last March for $37,500 and on Oct. 13 paid $275,000 for 25 acres.  The second piece of property includes a new 2,400-square-foot log home, according to documents at Custer County Courthouse.  Compound members also have begun work on another, larger lodge, according to Custer County equalization director Les Struble.  That building will total more than 14,000 square feet and contain 18 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, according to documents filed at Custer County Planning Department.  Group members have been building one or two lodges a year on the fenced-off, gated compound, Struble said.  He estimated that the existing lodges are about 3,000 square feet each.  "The existing ones are set up like a bed and breakfast," he said.  They have large kitchen and living rooms, plus separate bedrooms and bathrooms.  The lodges vary in size and have five to 10 bedrooms per building.  "What they use them for, I don’t know," Struble said.  "That’s just speculation on anybody’s part."     Read more

Victim's group offers help to polygamists

By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Friday, November 10, 2006

As construction escalates on a Fundamentalist LDS Church compound in the Black Hills of South Dakota, victim advocates are trying to educate themselves about abuses within polygamy.  The South Dakota Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault said it is trying to make resources available to any abuse victims within the FLDS Church's compound near Pringle.  "Our position is that it's illegal," coalition director Chris Jongeling said of polygamy.  "However, we don't want to interfere with anybody's religious freedom, either.  Our concern is the women and the children in the situation that are being abused and frequently don't have a way to get out."  Within the past couple of weeks, coalition members have begun putting up posters and fliers around Pringle about abuse and domestic violence with hotline numbers.  It is their attempt to reach the closed society inside the FLDS compound.  Meanwhile, coalition members said they are trying to educate themselves about polygamy.  The group has been keeping up on the FLDS Church and its leader, Warren Jeffs, through news reports.  "Ever since we started hearing rumors about what type of situation is going on in Pringle, the membership decided we didn't know enough about it," Jongeling said Wednesday.     Read more

Custer County Compound

By Matthew Holsen Keloland TV - Sioux Falls, SD Originally published January 11, 2007

Warren Jeffs, the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, currently resides in Purgatory, a correctional facility just outside of Hurricane, Utah.  He is awaiting trial on two felony charges of rape as an accomplice and is still having an effect in Keloland.  A compound in Custer County once rumored to be a hideout for Jeffs is getting bigger.  When Warren Jeffs was pulled over in Nevada in August, he was on the FBI's most wanted list.  Jeffs was arrested on federal warrants and his case is proceeding through the court system.  And while Warren Jeffs remains in custody, his community just twenty miles south of Custer, continues to grow.  Custer County Sheriff Rick Wheeler is in charge of keeping track of changes at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saint's compound.  Wheeler said, "I've made communications with them.  We have a pretty good relationship as far as that goes.  We monitor down here to a certain degree so we have a pretty good idea what's going on most of the time."  The newest addition to the compound is a 22,000 square foot dormitory-style building to be used as a guest house.  The estimated cost of materials for the project is more than a million dollars.  Wheeler also said, "They came in and built a 22,000 square foot living quarter building up here and as you see put a watchtower up on top of the hill, which is new, in probably the last month or so."     Read more

Neighbor: FLDS Tower is 'Ominous And Creepy'

The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally published March 15, 2007

RAPID CITY, S.D. A neighbor is objecting to an "ominous and creepy" tower built on property owned by a polygamous sect.  "It looks pretty much identical to what you would see at a prison compound," said Jim Farmer, who owns a home and 400 acres next to the compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  He said the nearly 40-foot tower near Pringle has a metal base with windows and panes at the top that slant down.  There are communication antennae on top.  The Pringle compound was suspected to be one of the hiding places of church leader Warren Jeffs, who was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list until his arrest in Nevada in August.  He faces trial in April in southern Utah on charges of rape as an accomplice for his alleged role in the spiritual marriage of a teen girl to an older cousin.  Farmer, who lives in Rapid City, said the tower doesn’t fit the surroundings.  "It just destroys the feeling of wilderness we all came there for," he said.  "It’s ominous and creepy.  You’re not sure what their agenda is – to keep people in or keep people out."     Read more

FLDS Compound Neighbor Upset

By Matthew Holsen KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, SD Originally broadcast March 15, 2007

A prison-like guard tower and constant construction is a cause for concern for a man who lives near the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound in Custer County.  The neighbor has even gone to a lawyer to see what can be done.   It's a structure that sticks out in the countryside.  "Its very ominous.  It has the slanted in prison tower windows and supposedly there is people in it 24 hours a day with binoculars.  I'm not sure if its meant to keep people out or keep people in," says Attorney Michael Hickey.  Hickey represents Jim Farmer, who lives near the Fundamental Latter Day Saints compound in Custer County.  Hickey says his client bought his 400 acres of land to have a place to escape.  "He went out there for a reason, not to be bombarded with blasting and construction activities twenty-four-hours a day seven days a week and not to have a guard tower overlooking his property," Hickey replies.  Hickey has sent a letter to the compound, threatening to file a lawsuit against the FLDS company United Land Management.     Read more

Sheriff works to improve communication with FLDS compound

By Kevin Woster The Rapid City Journal Originally published April 28, 2007

Custer County Sheriff Rick wheeler says his outreach to a fenced community associated with a polygamist religious sect has improved communications with the group and prompted members to apply for standardized testing for their home-schooled children.  Wheeler, who recently returned from visiting polygamist communities in Utah and Arizona to learn more about the group, said he has developed a relationship with the Custer County compound through one contact person.  "It took six months, really, to make contact with them," Wheeler said.  "They call me.  And I call them.  We got them to sign up for the school part, to get registered with the state, to make sure they’re home schooling."  So far, six students at the compound have been signed up to take standardized achievement tests by the Custer County School District.  Wheeler said his growing relationship with the Custer County community, as well as his trip to Utah, has helped ease his mind about the presence of the sect in the county.  But he also knows the community will continue to be the subject of public speculation and rumor.     Read more

FLDS gets noise, road complaints

By Jason Ferguson Custer County Chronicle - Custer, South Dakota Originally published Wednesday, July 18 2007

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) continues to grow its compound southwest of Custer, having recently applied for a building permit for a new 9,500 square foot building on the compound’s property.  The compound has drawn the ire of some of its neighbors recently, for what they feel are incessant trips down area roads with a 3,500 gallon water truck.  Cookie Hickstein, one of the compound's neighbors, said the truck makes as many as seven trips a day to retrieve water.  The neighbors are also distraught at the damage the tandem axle truck is doing to the roads.  "They are going to do something with it, but they can’t do anything until it rains," said Custer County Sheriff Rick Wheeler, who met with compound representatives last Thursday.  "They need to communicate with their neighbors a little bit."  FLDS members are said to retrieve water from both the Custer and Hot Springs public loading areas, although they have recently made less frequent trips to Hot Springs.  It isn’t because it costs more or they aren’t welcome.  For 50 cents, a consumer can get 300 gallons of water in Hot Springs, compared to around 60 gallons for that same 50 cents in Custer.  Gene Wiser, water and street superintendent for the City of Hot Springs, said the city does not monitor who takes water from the loading dock.  In fact, he said he did not even know what the FLDS was.  Bob Morrison, public works director for the City of Custer, also said Custer does not regulate who and how much water is taken from the public source.  Wheeler said the compound uses the water for gardening and drinking. The compound has a well, but its pump is reportedly stuck and cannot be retrieved from the well.     Read more

County establishes penalties for burn violations

By Jason Ferguson Custer County Chronicle - Custer, South Dakota Originally published Wednesday, August 1, 2007

County residents who violate the county’s burn ban or misuse a burn permit will now be subject to a fine under a new ordinance passed by the Custer County Commission at its regular meeting last Wednesday, July 25.  Under Custer County Ordinance No. 14, a penalty of no less than $100 was established for a violation of the ban and burn permits.  In addition, the person who is found violating the ordinance will have fire suppression costs charged against them based on established fire rates.  Mike Carter, director of emergency services for the county, said there were eight fires last weekend county-wide, despite a previously enacted burn ban in the county.  The commission had enacted the burning ban at a previous special meeting because of tinder dry conditions throughout the county.  Of the eight fires, one was caused by someone burning lawn refuse.  Prior to enacting the ordinance, the county had no real recourse in punishing those who ignored the burn ban.  "At least this will give us a little teeth," commissioner Joe McFarland said.  "We’ve never had any."  The commission also discussed the idea of changing the county’s cattle guard resolution, which currently states all cattle guards replaced in the county must meet U.S. Forest Service standards, which is 24 feet wide.  The cost of purchasing the new cattle guard is the responsibility of the landowner, although the county highway department will install the cattle guard for free.     Read more

Into the compound

By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published August 30, 2007

Susie Johnson may never know her mother came to visit her last Saturday.  She and her children may never receive the presents her mother lovingly chose and left for her.  Jane Blackmore knew she didn’t have much hope of seeing her daughter, Susie, when she made the 932-mile, two-day trip to Custer from her home in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, but still she came.  "For the most part, it’s maternal," she said simply.  "She’s my daughter."  Jane wasn’t asking for much; just a short visit with her daughter, who she’s seen only once since July 2003.  She didn’t even ask to see Susie’s four sons, two of whom she has never seen.  One was born approximately a month ago, but Jane has not been informed of his birth date or his name.  At the age of 17, Susie was taken by her father, Winston Blackmore, to Salt Lake City to marry Ben Johnson.  They met for the first time just five minutes before the ceremony.  In early 2004, Susie went missing from their Colorado City, Ariz., home.  Jane received a call from Susie in June of that year, begging Jane to stop trying to track her down.  There was an obvious strain in Susie’s voice.  Finally, Susie said, "Mother, my time is up.  I have to go now."  Johnson then got on the line and warned Jane that God did not want her to find Susie and their three young sons.     Read more

Blackmore bucks 'system'

By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published August 30, 2007

Jane Blackmore’s diminutive stature, soft-spoken nature and quiet demeanor belie the steely resolve and iron will that fire the 50-year-old Canadian woman’s resolve to do what she sees fit, regardless of circumstances or what anyone else thinks or does.  When it comes to ensuring the welfare of her children, she clearly epitomizes the U.S. Army’s slogan, "An army of one."  At the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound in Custer County last Saturday afternoon, Jane stood off several men for approximately two hours while they videoed her, told her she wasn’t wanted and denied her access while she doggedly refused to budge, asking only to see her 26-year-old daughter, Susie, who is married to Ben Johnson, the local compound’s person in charge.  Not until the Custer County Sheriff’s deputy arrived did she allow herself to be led off the compound by her son, Hyrum.  Why is Jane considered an "evil influence," as her son-in-law contends, and why is she not allowed to see her daughter and grandsons?  Jane was the first — and only legal — wife of Winston Blackmore.  For two decades, Winston was bishop of Bountiful, a polygynous community in Canada closely associated with the twin communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.  According to Jane, Winston has 115 children and at one time had 26 wives.  She left him in 2004 and divorced him.  Her departure gave several other wives the strength to also leave Winston.  He now has only 19 or 20 wives, Jane said.     Read more

Human rights being violated

Opinion Custer County Chronicle Originally published August 30, 2007

After witnessing first hand this weekend the devastation of a mother and grandmother who was refused access to her daughter and grandchildren, we are more convinced than ever that there are human rights violations occurring regularly at the so-called FLDS compound near Pringle in Custer County.  Jane Blackmore of British Columbia, Canada, drove nearly 1,000 miles with some members of her family just to see her daughter, Susie, and two grandchildren she knows are at the compound in Pringle.  Several years ago, Jane left the FLDS group, which means she also left behind some members of her immediate family.  Jane tracked her daughter down by linking her husband, Ben Edward Johnson, with the compound in Pringle through a photo of Johnson.  He is the person in charge of the Pringle group after taking over from Jerold Williams.  Jane was allowed to visit with her daughter once before when Ben took her to Rapid City.  This time she also offered to visit with Susie in Rapid City or Custer, but she received no such confirmation from Ben.  After repeated phone calls to him went unanswered, she and her family members decided to drive out to the Pringle compound and demand to see Susie and her four grandchildren.  Family members also brought gifts for Susie.     Read more

Blackmore declines to be on CNN

By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published September 5, 2007

Jane Blackmore, who was in Custer Aug. 25 seeking to visit her daughter, Susie, who is in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound near Pringle, recently declined to be on Anderson Cooper 360° on Thursday, Sept. 6.  Blackmore, a resident of Cranbrook, B.C., Canada, was denied visitation rights by her son-in-law, Ben Johnson, the man in charge of the compound here.  Blackmore entered the property through a downed fence on the south side of the property.  She was met by six men, two of whom were wearing wigs and all wore sunglasses.  They each had a radio.  One man, Wayne Fischer, carried a video camera.  Thomas Roundy, was the spokesperson, according to Blackmore.  Two of the others were Melvin Steed and Davied Neilson.  Blackmore was told that both Ben and Susie were unavailable and that they were calling the sheriff.  "Go ahead," she said.  "I want to talk to the sheriff myself."     Read more

Pringle compound is in the news again

By Charley Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Before going out to the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound near Pringle Saturday, Aug. 25, Jane Blackmore and her entourage stopped at the newspaper to visit with us.  Author ("Under the Banner of Heaven" and others) and adventurer John Krakauer had put her in touch with us several days earlier.  He also wanted CNN to accompany her to the compound, but apparently they couldn’t react on such short notice.  CNN was supposed to air a segment involving an interview with Jane this Thursday evening during the Anderson Cooper 360º segment.  She recently declined to be on the show, however.  Jane had called us several times before arriving on our doorstep with a van full of family members from British Columbia, Canada.  We offered to accompany them to the compound in their van, since they really didn’t know the way.  During the course of our 30-minute trip out to the FLDS compound, I had the opportunity to visit with two of Jane Blackmore’s well-groomed sons, Peter and Hyrum.  They aked if we had ever heard of them before the compound was discovered here in the county.  They said it must be strange for us to be in their company because a lot of people drove through their town just to look at them.  I found out they both engage in logging for their father, Winston Blackmore, an outcast FLDS member who has his own enclave in Creston, B.C.  Their mother, Jane, the first wife of Winston, has renounced polygamy and moved to nearby Cranston, B.C.  Both communities are located just north of Idaho.     Read more

An explanation to our readers

By Charley Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3, I was sitting down to eat an evening meal when I received a phone call from Rapid City Journal reporter Bill Harlan who was working the night shift.  The reporter quizzed me about an e-mail news release he had just received from Frank Carroll of Custer who represented a group called the South Dakota Office of the Mormon Anti-Defamation League (MADL).  Carroll was condemning statements I made in an Aug. 29 editorial about the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound near Pringle.  Specifically, Carroll charged that I failed to differentiate between the FLDS and Mormons.  I told Harlan I had not seen the news release, but thought I had not mixed the two in my editorial.  The same release was on our computer at the newspaper the next morning, way after our weekly deadline.  For some reason in his MADL news release, Carroll also said I was a retired Army major who served in Bosnia.  I don’t know what that had to do with the issue and it was incorrect information anyway.  We set the record straight with him later.  My retired Army National Guard rank is colonel and at one time long ago I was an infantry rifle platoon leader in Vietnam.  Harlan admitted he had not read my editorial.  He said he would have to hunt it up in the Journal newsroom.  I asked him if he had read the stories my wife had written that same week concerning a Canadian woman’s attempts to visit her daughter at the compound.  Again, he said he had not.  Harlan said it was the Journal’s policy not to do anything with stories written in other newspapers.  I said I knew Carroll was a Mormon and that he was concerned about us lumping the Mormons and the FLDS together.  We ran a story last year on the difference between the two.  The FLDS believes it is the only true Mormon church that adheres to the original teachings of founder Joseph Smith regarding polygamy and blood atonement.  They call themselves Mormons, too, whether the mainstream church recognizes them or not.     Read more

Trial will set precedent for years to come

By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published Wednesday, September 12, 2007

It’s a tale of incest, rape, physical, sexual and emotional abuse. The latest Hollywood movie?  Perhaps, but it is also the norm — along with deprivation of education and forced marriages of young girls — in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), according to Laura Chapman, who left that group, as stated in the book, "God’s Brothel," by Andrea Moore-Emmett.  With the trial of FLDS self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs scheduled to start this week, press from around the world has converged on the tiny town of St. George, Utah, shedding light on this shadowy sect.  The FLDS likes to fly beneath the radar.  Only when a trial of this magnitude hits the news does the FLDS show up on the radar screen of the consciousness of the nation.  As well it should.  According to Chapman, one of the leaders in the FLDS has told members it is OK to marry relatives as close as cousins and uncles to nieces because God will change the blood so it is not related.  That presumption has produced children with genetic disorders such as Down and Tourette’s syndromes, as well as other birth defects.  Chapman says the prevalence of pedophile behavior dominates the culture, while the victims are forced to revere their abusers.  When she was 4, one of her step brothers tied her to a bedpost and tried to rape her.  "It would be difficult to pull a girl out of Colorado City who hasn’t been sexually assaulted," she said, adding that she knows of girls as young as 12 who have been forced to marry their step fathers.  As the 25th of 31 offspring of her father, Chapman’s earliest memories are of molestation and rape by her father.  She was also routinely fondled by her brothers.  And the leaders claim these acts are their right because it is their religion.     Read more

Reaction To Warren Jeffs Conviction

Keloland TV - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast September 27, 2007

Warren Jeffs, a self-proclaimed prophet and polygamist leader, was convicted of being an accomplice to rape on Tuesday in a Utah court room.  Years ago when Jeffs was in hiding from law enforcement many believed he could have been staying at a compound in Custer County.  Its home to more than seventy five of Jeffs' followers and guarded by this watchtower.  It's a place Sheriff Rick Wheeler visits routinely.  But now that Jeffs is a convicted criminal, Wheeler says he's interested more than ever about what goes on behind the gates.  "Well, I'm concerned, that's for sure," says Wheeler.  But concern alone doesn't get the sheriff very far.  "I don't have a reason to go in there. I have neighbors down there doing most of the monitoring for me," Wheeler replies.  Several of those neighbors have contacted Wheeler to complain about things going on in or around the compound.  "I mean they will work into two, three o'clock in the morning. We do get complaints and I try to address those. If I make a phone call they will usually shut it down," he says.  Wheeler says workers are busy constructing two new housing complexes as they continue to expand what he believes is some sort of a retreat.  And while he has an open line of communication with officials at the compound, he says Warren Jeffs' trial has never come up in conversation.  "We don't bring this up. It's kind of a touchy subject I'm sure," adds Wheeler.

FLDS camp spurs suspicion

By Steve Miller Rapid City Journal - Rapid City, South Dakota Originally published September 30, 2007

The people occupying a secretive and growing compound southwest of Pringle are practicing polygamy and are likely conducting under-age marriages, say two former members of the sect led by Warren Jeffs, who was convicted last week of rape as an accessory.  Jeffs is the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, headquartered in the twin border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.  He was convicted of the rape as an accessory charge last week in Utah, and faces similar charges in Arizona.  Jeffs was a fugitive for several years and was suspected to have hidden for a time at the compound about 12 miles southwest of Pringle in the southern Black Hills.  The people in the compound, who consider Jeffs their prophet, are practicing polygamy, which is a central tenet of the FLDS church, according to Isaac Wyler of Colorado City, an ex-FLDS member.  "That’s a no-brainer," Wyler said of the polygamy question.  "I know they’re practicing illegal, under-age marriages in there because they can get away with it. Warren has received revelations from God that he’s supposed to be marrying these girls at young ages. He would have to have a completely new revelation for that to change."  The Journal has not been able to contact members of the compound.  Jeffs likely took refuge at the Pringle compound at some point during the years he was a fugitive, Wyler said, although he probably spent most of his time on the road.     Read more

FLDS fences separate members, society

By Steve Miller Rapid City Journal - Rapid City, South Dakota Originally published September 30, 2007

The fenced compounds occupied by members of a polygamous Mormon sect, including the one near Pringle, were built out of fear of the outside world, but they also serve to keep the occupants inside, according to a former member of the sect.  Isaac Wyler, 41, was born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, headquartered at the twin border towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah.  The FLDS members are brainwashed into thinking the government is out to persecute them, he said.  There are walled and fenced compounds, complete with watchtowers, in Colorado City-Hildale as well as in FLDS outposts in Canada, Nevada, Texas and southwestern Custer County here in the Black Hills.  "They’re in there living in fear, thinking the government will push tanks through these big walls," Wyler said.  "Those people are just terrified over that."  Two Canadian women who recently tried to visit relatives at the Pringle compound were turned away by several men.  The men were wearing wigs, but the women recognized several of them anyway, according to Cecelia Blackmore of Lister, British Columbia.  Wyler said the wigs don’t make sense because as far as he knows, none of the men at Pringle is a fugitive.  "It’s almost as if they’re in this fantasy land," he said.  "It’s like they’re running from things. I’m sure they’ve done things they know they should run from. Half of the time, they’re running because they know they’re guilty, not because anybody’s chasing."     Read more

Guilty! Verdict sends message to men, gives hope to women

By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle - Custer, South Dakota Originally published Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Jane Blackmore, former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), is happy that Warren Jeffs, prophet of that sect, was found guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice last week in Utah.  "I hope my testimony had some part in the verdict," she added.  Blackmore’s daughter, Susie, is at the FLDS enclave in Custer County.  Blackmore has not been allowed to see either Susie or Susie’s four sons.  "I am so proud of Elissa (Wall)," the Canadian woman said.  "She gave an amazing presentation."  Wall brought the lawsuit against Jeffs, which found him guilty of arranging a marriage for her at the age of 14 to her first cousin, Allen Steed, who has now been charged with rape, an action he admitted to under oath during the trial.  Cookie Hickstein of Pringle, FLDS neighbor, says she is overwhelmed that our justice system is working and that Jeffs was convicted.  "I hope it will continue with other convictions of other men who have done the same thing," she said.  "I think it will make all FLDS men realize they cannot have their celestial marriages to these young girls."  Elaine Tyler at The Hope Organization, said the volunteers of that organization are overwhelmed with joy for Elissa Wall, who dedicated and sacrificed so much to make justice happen for so many other young girls (children actually) who find themselves in a similar situation.     Read more

Jeffs’ convictions won’t change compound situation

Opinion Custer County Chronicle - Custer, South Dakota Originally published Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The convictions of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs last week in Utah was good news, but it won’t change what is going on at the FLDS fenced compound near Pringle in Custer County.  The former federal fugitive was found guilty on both counts of being an accomplice to rape for a marriage he conducted in 2001 between Elissa Wall and Allen Steed.  Wall was 14 years old at the time and did not consent to the so-called marriage.  These are felonies punishable by five years to life in prison for each count.  As long as the money keeps flowing in, day and night construction will continue at the 140-acre secured compound near Pringle.  And the money will keep flowing in, despite the fact that Jeffs is in prison and is now a convicted felon.  To his followers, he is a martyr who is being persecuted for following his religious beliefs.  Basic to those beliefs is the original Mormon practice of polygamy as revealed by founder Joseph Smith.  The mainstream Mormon church disavowed polygamy in 1890 so Utah could be admitted to the Union as a state.  However, factions like the FLDS broke away and continued the practice of polygamy.  There can be little doubt, even among law enforcement officials, that polygamy is being practiced at the Pringle compound.     Read more

Building continues at FLDS compound

By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published October 11, 2007

While Warren Jeffs, prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), cools his heels in Purgatory Correctional Center in Utah, awaiting sentencing Nov. 20 on two counts of accomplice to rape, the neighbors to the FLDS compound in Custer County are in a purgatory of sorts all their own.  The FLDS has been receiving building permits for new structures every three months since March, according to the Custer County planning department.  It has not been without problems for the neighbors.  "Too bad they (the FLDS) aren't neighbors to those who think they should be left alone, with all the dust and semis coming and going 24 hours a day," said Cookie Hickstein.  One recently woke her up coming at 11 p.m., she added.  They brought in at least three loads of raw cement in the one week recently, she said, and they are hauling a lot of gravel again.  "A semi came in after dark tonight; I couldn't tell what was on it, but it was a flat bed and the load was covered" she said recently.  They are still hauling water all the time and are digging at night, according to Hickstein.  "I can hear them in the rock if I am outside."     Read more

FLDS accussed of harassment

By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle Originally published October 18, 2007

The Fifth Judicial District Court in Washington County, Utah, has notified legal counsel for Warren Jeffs, as well as the state, that persons are making unwanted, and, in some cases, harassing attempts to contact jurors and members of jurors’ families in Jeffs’ case.  Jeffs, prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), was found guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice last month in the Utah court.  The court has ordered that no person shall attempt to harass, intimidate or otherwise annoy members of the jury regarding matters in this case.  According to an Associated Press (AP) report, jurors who convicted Jeffs have been bothered by phone calls from a private investigator working for Jeffs.  The AP report quoted the foreman of the jury, David Finch, as saying that he and other jurors had received unwanted calls from an investigator hired by Jeffs’ attorneys, looking for something that would impeach the jurors so they could file an appeal.  Finch alone received three phone calls, which he termed "annoying."  That activity was called to a halt when Finch and another juror called the judge to report that they were having problems with the calls.  Neighbors to the local FLDS compound have also been annoyed by the activities of the FLDS.  Suzie Von Rump said the FLDS is jackhammering rock and using a bucket long after dusk, although they promised the Custer County Sheriff’s Department they would quit at dusk.  "They don’t stop until 11, 12, 1 or 2 a.m., whatever suits them," she said.  "It’s not fun," she added.  "There’s noise going on all the time. They work from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. the next morning. She said if she or her husband, Karl, go down by the fence line that borders the FLDS, or if they have company, the FLDS shines a spotlight on them."     Read more

Warren Jeffs Faces Sentencing Today

The Associated Press KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast November 20, 2007

A polygamist leader with ties to South Dakota is preparing to be sentenced for his role in the rape of a girl.  Jeffs was found guilty on two counts of rape as an accomplice and now faces life in prison.  Sentencing for Jeffs is later this afternoon in Utah.  Jeffs' felony convictions are from his arrangement of the marriage of a 14-year-old girl with her 19-year-old cousin.  However, the defense has asked for the case to be thrown out.  That could delay today's scheduled sentencing.  While Jeffs could be sentenced to life behind bars, each conviction also has a minimum sentence of just five years.     See photo of Pringle FLDS compound

FLDS compound poised for more construction

By Steve Miller Rapid City Journal Originally published Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The Pringle-area compound reportedly occupied by members of a polygamist sect appears to be preparing for expansion, according to Custer County Sheriff Rick Wheeler.  Wheeler said he visited the compound a few days ago.  "They're not doing much right now because of the ground being frozen," Wheeler said Monday.  "But there's going to be some building again. I saw lots of topsoil piled up. They've got something going on."  David Green, the Custer County planning director, said compound members told him late last summer that they planned to build another structure this year, but they didn't indicate what type of building.  But Green said Tuesday compound members haven't applied for a building permit or a wastewater permit.  He said the compound leaders have been good about filing all necessary paperwork for the construction they have completed.     Read more

See the Photo Gallery of the compound in Pringle, South Dakota

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