| Building continues at FLDS compound | |
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By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle | |
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." "The semi that came in last night right after dark, well, it left empty at 10 p.m. So they unloaded and took off. This morning at 7:30 I was outside and I could hear them scraping rock, so the building continues." "Warren’s conviction has not stopped anything out here!" Cheryl Hadlock, whose home borders the FLDS compound, says they are getting fed up with their neighbors. "We can’t sleep at night," she said. "There’s noise 24 hours a day." At the July 25 county commission meeting, Sheriff Rick Wheeler informed the commissioners that the FLDS had agreed not to work at night any more, but that has not been the case, according to Hadlock. She said she and her husband, Bob, called the sheriff’s department a couple of weeks ago to complain about the noise at night. "After we called, they still weren’t shutting down by dark like they said they would," she said. After she registered her complaint with the sheriff’s department, the FLDS finally shut down about 9:30 p.m., she said. Although the water truck doesn’t go directly past the Hadlocks’ home, she said other neighbors have complained that it makes four to 11 trips per day. "We’re getting fed up with it," Cheryl said. "We can’t have any company over because they patrol the fence line. Every time someone comes over, they ride up to the fence line and shine their lights on us. We can’t do anything. They know everybody who is here. We can’t even go outside. They’re getting too carried away." Linda Wilson, Custer County planning department office manager, said the department gets lots of complaints about the compound. "One of the issues is the wear and tear on the roads," she said. "People come to the window and complain, but there’s not a lot we can do, except sympathize." Another issue is the amount of water the compound is using. The Custer County Commissioners also had their share of complaints last summer about noise and traffic tearing up the roads, along with the many trips to town for water. Additionally, one neighbor complained about the guard tower on FLDS property. It came to the county planning department’s attention that the FLDS was building a guard tower, something they had not gotten a permit for, according to Wilson. The FLDS was notified that they needed a permit, so one was obtained March 16. The tower is 30 feet high and is 13.5 feet by 14 feet. They were assessed a $100 late fee, which was paid. Another permit was taken out June 28 for a new two-story dormitory-type building on the east parcel, which is 9,504 square feet with a 8x72 foot deck. It has 14 bedrooms. Estimated cost of the materials for this project is $475,200. Labor costs are estimated at $0. The wastewater system for this dormitory was approved by the state Department of Natural Resources (DENR). A third permit was taken out Sept. 7 for another dormitory-type structure, also on the east parcel. The DENR has approved its septic system design. This dormitory is 9,504 square feet. The three-story building is 44x72 feet on each floor with 12 full baths. Estimated cost for materials is $950,000 with zero dollars for labor. Jon Krakauer’s belief that Warren's conviction will drive the faithful more deeply underground might well be what is happening at the Custer County compound. Krakauer is author of a book about the FLDS, "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith." "But I also have some hope that it will make them reluctant to marry off very young girls," Krakauer said."In any case, I am glad Warren was convicted. He has done so many terrible things to so many people. He needs to be put away." | |
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CusterCountyNews.com Originally published October 11, 2007 | |
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