Sheriff won't raid polygamist compound to arrest leader
 
By Erin Quinn
San Angelo Standard-Times
 
Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran said Sunday that he has no plans to raid the Eldorado compound of a polygamist sect to arrest the group's leader, Warren Jeffs, who has been indicted on sex-crime charges by Arizona police.

In fact, he says he has no immediate plans to set foot on the property.

"If we see the guy on a traffic stop, we'll arrest him," Doran said. "We're not going to blow this out of proportion."

Doran said there's no way he can be certain that Jeffs is even on the ranch.

Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has not been seen in public for months, and officials don't know for sure where he lives.

"We have a lot of out-of-state warrants issued," Doran said. "We're not going to treat this one any different."

The church has been under close scrutiny amid allegations of welfare fraud, sexual abuse and forced marriages.

On Friday, an Arizona grand jury indicted Jeffs, 49, on charges of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. If convicted, he would face a prison sentence ranging from four months to two years.

The reclusive church leader is accused of arranging the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a 28-year-old married man, said Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith.

Officials in Utah also are looking for Jeffs so they can serve him papers related to lawsuits filed against him in that state.

"He's going to be held accountable for the charges," Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Friday. "That's the bottom line."

Speculation is that Jeffs' most-likely location is at the Schleicher County compound, though the group also has enclaves in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.

Eldorado is 45 miles south of San Angelo.

"We have no evidence that he's even on the ranch," Doran said. "He could be anywhere from Mexico to Canada."

San Angelo Police Department Sgt. Greg Conner said that in general, it's a sensitive issue when law-enforcement personnel are faced with the decision of whether to raid a home, building or compound to arrest a crime suspect.

While each situation is different, he said, it's sometimes best to simply wait and serve the warrant when the opportunity arises.

"It's kind of like searching for contraband," Conner said. "You have to have probable cause that he's even in there. Then, you weigh the risk."

The risk, he said, is possibly putting officers and those on the ranch in danger.

Doran said his next step is to continue communicating with Arizona law-enforcement officials and with those inside the compound. He said he has weekly conversations with people on the ranch.

"We're not going to take any drastic measures," Doran said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

equinn@sastandardtimes.com
 
sanangelostandardtimes.com
Originally published June 13, 2005
 
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