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| Nevada - Wide Open | |
AP Photo/Isaac Brekken
Underage "Child Bride" polygamous marriages were performed for years in room #15 at the Caliente Hot Springs Motel in Caliente, Nevada.
According to Jennifer Dobner with The Associated Press: FLDS weddings in Caliente came in bunches, said Carolyn Jessop, a former FLDS member, who ran the motel for a year. Once or twice a month, beginning in the spring of 1999, Jessop would get a telephone call, telling her to plan for a weekend of weddings – some say as many as 10 in one day. "Room 15 would have to be cleared out the day before and cleaned," she said. Jessop would scurry to see if guest reservations could be changed or canceled. When it wasn’t possible, the weddings would wait. Wedding parties and church elders would arrive in a caravan of cars about midmorning, not long after checkout for guests. "They did not want anybody on the property," said Jessop, whose husband Merrill Jessop owned the 18-room motel with her father, Art Blackmore, for seven years until he sold it in 2004. Each wedding was different, but girls usually arrived with their parents, including "other mothers," their father’s plural wives. The groom might bring his own plural wives. In some ceremonies, the first wife might even hold the young bride’s hand, placing gently in the groom’s as a symbolic gesture that she accepted the new wife into the family. "You would only bring the wives you have confidence in," Jessop said. "The ones who would keep the secret." After the ceremony, FLDS elders would share a meal cooked by some of the women. Today, many FLDS members have moved to Nevada - primarily Las Vegas, Henderson and Mesquite. Below are some news articles supporting this fact. These articles are in chronological order. | |
| Consideration of unsolicited offer of Dagrow Truss, Inc. to lease approximately 7 acres of City-owned real property located north of the Mesquite City shop and to purchase 15 acres of City-owned real property located in the Mesquite Technology and Commerce Center. | |
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Summary Minutes Mesquite, Nevada City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - Regular Meeting 4:00 P.M. | |
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Minutes of a scheduled meeting of the City Council held January 13, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. In attendance were Mayor Bill Nicholes, Councilmembers Marco Ruelas, Bubba Smith, Scott Fisher, David Bennett and Donna Fairchild. Also in attendance were City Manager Bryan Montgomery, City Attorney Terry Marren, City Engineer Allen Bell, Director of Planning and Redevelopment Don Matson, Finance Director David Empey, other City staff members and approximately 100 citizens. Mayor Nicholes called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. (NOTE: This meeting has been tape-recorded and will remain on file in the office of the City Clerk for four years for public examination.)
Terry Marren recommended Council accept the unsolicited offer by Dagrow Truss, Inc. to lease and purchase certain city-owned real property subject to a written agreement returning to the City Council for approval setting forth the consideration and performance conditions for this lease and sale, and subject to all staff recommendations. Councilmember Fisher asked Guy Allred with Dagrow Truss, Inc. what the average wages would be and how many local jobs would be created. Mr. Allred said $14.00 per hour and 10 jobs. Councilmember Fisher asked if Mr. Allred would hire exclusively local workers. Mr. Allred said he would as much as he could. Read more | |
| Consideration of approval of lease to Dagrow Truss for approximately 7 acres of City-owned real property adjacent to the Mesquite Maintenance Facility. | |
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Summary Minutes Mesquite, Nevada City Council Meeting Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - Regular Meeting 4:00 P.M. | |
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Minutes of a scheduled meeting of the City Council held on March 23, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. In attendance were Mayor Bill Nicholes, Councilmembers Donna Fairchild, Marco Ruelas, Robert “Bubba” Smith, David Bennett and Scott Fisher. Also in attendance were City Manager Bryan Montgomery, City Attorney Terry Marren, City Engineer Allen Bell, Finance Director David Empey, Director of Public Works Bill Tanner, Director of Planning and Redevelopment Don Matson, other City staff and approximately 75 citizens. Mayor Nicholes called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. (NOTE: This meeting has been tape-recorded and will remain on file in the office of the City Clerk for four years for public examination.)
Terry Marren recommended approval of the lease, including two changes 1) Dagrow will be responsible for upkeep of the landscaping and, 2) if they cause any damages to the outside of the building, Dagrow will be responsible for the expense of repairs. Mr. Marren also stated that the deed of trust is being prepared and will be ready soon, and the 2 agreements will be ready to sign tomorrow. Councilmember Fisher asked if the lease and the sale would occur at the same time. Mr. Marren said they would. Councilmember Fairchild made a motion to approve the lease to Dagrow Truss for approximately 7 acres of City-owned real property adjacent to the Mesquite Maintenance Facility, including all staff recommendations; seconded by Councilmember Fisher and passed unanimously. | |
| Huge farm in Nevada aids FLDS | |
| Profit from thousands of acres of hay may go to fund church | |
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By John Hollenhorst KSL-TV Channel 5 deseretnews.com Originally published Thursday, February 23, 2006 | |
| It's visible in satellite photos from space. A giant green patch stands out from the surrounding Nevada desert. And the greenery may be an important source of revenue for the church led by fugitive polygamist Warren Jeffs. Over the past two years, families linked to Jeffs have quietly begun operating a large hay farm in a remote valley 30 miles north of Pioche, Nev. Investigators are trying to figure out if farm equipment, and even buildings, have been illegally moved there from the Utah-Arizona border. A former insider says he believes the Nevada operation, known as Atlanta Farms, was launched with the approval and direction of Jeffs. "It's all his doing," said Sterling Harker. Until Jeffs ousted him from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), Harker was president of Harker Farms in Beryl, Utah. After he was kicked out, Harker's close relatives expanded Harker Farms into Nevada. They leased thousands of acres from prominent Las Vegas businessman Harvey Whittemore, and they've been operating it as an alfalfa hay farm for about two years. Read more | |
| Consideration and possible approval of changes to City's standard land sale and purchase agreement as requested by Offeror, Dagrow Truss. | |
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Summary Minutes Mesquite, Nevada City Council Meeting Tuesday, April 11th, 2006 - 4:00 PM | |
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Minutes of a scheduled meeting of the City Council held on April 11, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. In attendance were Mayor Bill Nicholes, City Councilmembers Bubba Smith, David Bennett, Bill Wells, Donna Fairchild, and Susan Holecheck. Also in attendance were City Manager Tim Hacker, City Engineer Allen Bell, City Attorney Christi Thunder, Planning & Redevelopment Manager Catherine Lorbeer, Public Works Director Bill Tanner, other City staff and approximately 75 citizens. Mayor Nicholes called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. (NOTE: This meeting has been tape-recorded and will remain on file in the office of the City Clerk for four years for public examination.)
[7:44 PM] Christi Thunder said she was contacted by Attorney Brian Olson regarding changes to the Dagrow Truss purchase agreement. Attorney Brian Olson, 340 Falcon Ridge Parkway, said his client entered into a lease agreement with the City back in March of 2004. They did not sign a lease agreement until almost two years later. He expressed his opinion that the 10 year restriction needs to be removed entirely. Councilmember Fairchild noted Dagrow was in default of payment approximately a year ago and had to go before the Council for resolution. She said she would be amenable to a 5 year term, but create a pause to completely strike the clause. Brian Olsen said the agreements been made and said the terms were not a part of the agreement. Councilmember Fairchild noted that Dagrow Truss was still subject to the standard purchase agreement. Christi Thunder noted this was all negotiated in the lease, and that there was a dramatic difference from what they did on the previous item and on this item. Councilmember Bennett asked the agreed purchase price. Councilmember Fairchild said it was $9500 an acre. Councilmember Bennett noted Dagrow Truss was to make a deposit to the City by a certain date and that deposit was not paid. Read more | |
| Warren Jeffs' Money May Have Ties to Mesquite | |
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John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL-TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast May 8, 2006 | |
| Mesquite, Nevada authorities deny an Internet rumor they missed an opportunity to catch fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. But they do agree many of Jeffs' followers work in Mesquite. And those jobs may help fuel Jeff's financial empire while he's on the run. Mesquite is one of many places in Southern Nevada and Utah where Jeffs followers work in construction trades. At least one investigator believes Jeffs himself has been here, and possibly even performed marriages while a fugitive. Mesquite is booming. It's doubled in population in the last half decade. And Top Ten Fugitive Warren Jeffs has apparently profited from the boom. Sam Brower/ Private Investigator: "Well, certainly in the millions." Private eye Sam Brower says the Jeffs group has had numerous construction companies for years. Sam Brower/ Private Investigator: "They're everywhere. They're large companies." In Mesquite, Brower has linked several construction companies to key followers of Jeffs. Read more | |
| Mesquite officials say no proof polygamist leader in town | |
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KRNV Channel 4 - Reno, Nevada Originally broadcast May 11, 2006 | |
| Authorities in Mesquite are denying an Internet rumor they missed an opportunity to catch one of America's most wanted fugitives. Federal agents have linked Utah polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs to the town in Northern Clark County, on the Utah state line. Jeffs is on the FBI's ten-most-wanted list. He's wanted for child rape and for running a cult that forced young girls to marry older men. Jeff's has been featured on the television show America's Most Wanted on Sunday. An investigation by NBC news affiliate KSL TV in Salt Lake City found Jeffs has ownership interest or connections to construction companies in Mesquite. But police say there's no proof Jeffs -- or was -- in town. Chief Douglas Law, Mesquite Police Department, "But no one here ever saw him here. It just came from other sources that suspected that." Police do say there are several dozen followers of Jeffs' cult living and working in Mesquite. | |
| Polygamists: Most Talked About Secret in Mesquite | |
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Edward Lawrence, Reporter KLASTV Channel 8 Eyewitness News - Las Vegas Originally broadcast May 22, 2006 | |
| The FBI is on the hunt for a polygamist leader. Warren Jeffs is accused of sexually assaulting young women. Jeffs has followers around the west including some who have moved into Southern Nevada. Just who the polygamists are in Mesquite is the most talked about secret in town. Residents Eyewitness News talked with say polygamists started showing up as construction in the area started to take off. As Mesquite rapidly grows, all types of people are moving in. One group has the entire community talking. Cassie Workman grew up in Mesquite. She is now married with two children. Workman says polygamists started to show up about a year ago. "How can you tell who is who? The way they dress -- the long dresses, the long sleeves, hair in the buns." Workman says it is interesting to see the wives around town. For others it has become an attraction. Read more | |
| Polygamy Possible in One Las Vegas Neighborhood | |
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George Knapp, Investigative Reporter KLASTV Channel 8 Eyewitness News - Las Vegas Originally broadcast May 23, 2006 | |
| The fundamentalist practice of polygamy may be much closer than you know. For one Las Vegas neighborhood, it's as close as the house next door. "There are approximately 14 children, one head of the household, and three to four wives," said Jason Randall, neighbor. When residents on Gilbert Lane in the northwest part of the valley got a look at the sheer size of the new family on the block, they wondered about polygamy, especially when they saw the kids' clothing. "You know, pastel Easter outfit type wear," Randall said. "They run around fully clothed in the sprinklers, hot, 110-degree weather. The neighbors all bring it up every time we have a conversation," said Mark Stertz. The newcomers were more of a curiosity than an issue, that is, until three housing structures appeared in the backyard of the two-acre parcel almost overnight. In addition, a recreational vehicle in the back was someone's living quarters. The structures were installed without building permits, without approval for water hookups, and with no consideration for zoning or other ordinances. Read more | |
| Polygamist leader linked to LV | |
| Construction company with admitted ties to Jeffs has done $7.5 million in jobs for Water District | |
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By Abigail Goldman Las Vegas Sun Originally published May 26, 2006 | |
| A construction company with ties to fugitive polygamist church leader Warren Jeffs has worked on nine projects for the Las Vegas Valley Water District since 2004, earning about $7.5 million from the work. Asked Thursday morning at a job site about the company's ties to Jeffs, Terrell Dutson, a project manager for JNJ Engineering Construction Inc., said: "I am going to say yes and leave it at that." He later said that increased attention on Jeffs - recently placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for charges of sexual misconduct with a minor - and on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that Jeffs leads, is worrisome to company employees as it brings more scrutiny of firms with church ties. "It just means we have to be on the up," Dutson said. "And we are." In addition to the Water District projects, JNJ received one contract this year from Las Vegas and two from Clark County. Read more | |
| Jeffs Likely Funded in Large Part by Nevada Government Projects | |
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John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL TV Channel 5 Originally broadcast May 26, 2006 | |
| "The total of which is over 7.5 million dollars. That's over a two year period." That's big money, even in Las Vegas, and some of it may be going to fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. There are new revelations today that help explain where the money comes from that fuels Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. A sizeable chunk may be coming from public agencies in Las Vegas. A wetlands revegetation project, a walking trail, a historic trail -- these are among numerous projects of JNJ Construction under contract to various Las Vegas area governments. JNJ is a Utah company closely linked to fugitive polygamist Warren Jeffs. The Las Vegas Valley Water District alone granted JNJ nine contracts through competitive bidding in the last two years. Bronson Mack, Las Vegas Valley Water District: "Of nine contracts, JNJ was the lowest and responsible bidder." We couldn't find any JNJ officials to talk to and closed gates kept us a long way from JNJ workers, but according to the Las Vegas Sun, a JNJ official admitted ties to Jeffs, and Utah investigators confirmed it. Read more | |
| Consideration and possible approval of changes to City's standard land sale and purchase agreement as requested by Offeror, Dagrow Truss. | |
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Summary Minutes Mesquite, Nevada City Council Meeting Tuesday, June 13th, 2006 - 4:00 PM | |
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Minutes of a scheduled meeting of the City Council held on June 13, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. In attendance were Mayor Bill Nicholes, City Councilmembers Robert "Bubba" Smith, David Bennett, Bill Wells, Donna Fairchild, and Susan Holecheck. Also in attendance were City Manager Tim Hacker, City Attorney Christi Thunder, City Engineer/Economic Development Director Allen Bell, Zoning Redevelopment Manager Catherine Lorbeer, Public Works Director Bill Tanner, other City staff and approximately 50 citizens.
Mayor Nicholes called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. (NOTE: This meeting has been tape-recorded and will remain on file in the office of the City Clerk for four years for public examination.) [6:03 PM] Christi Thunder noted this item was first heard April 11th of this year. She advised she put together a timeline of Council’s action relative to this issue and that she and Dagrow’s attorney still disagree on issues at this time. Attorney Brian Olson on behalf of Dagrow Truss said they continue to disagree on this issue. He said when his client negotiated this issue it was with the understanding the standard agreement applied. He said he recently found that the standard agreement didn’t exist at that time. Christi Thunder said she received information from Finance stating the most recent payment from Dagrow is late. She noted when she was hired in July 2005 the standard agreement was in place. Mayor Nicholes asked why Guy Allred was not in attendance at the meeting as he had requested. Mr. Olson advised Mr. Allred was not available. Read more | |
| Wanted fugitive polygamist has valley ties, raking in valley tax dollars | |
| Part 1 - A wanted polygamist with ties to Las Vegas | |
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By Darcy Spears KVBC News 3 - Las Vegas Originally broadcast July 26, 2006 | |
| Two and a half hours north of Las Vegas lie two sleepy towns that exist as one: Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has long dominated the twin towns. This religious sect practices polygamy, believing the more wives and children you have, the better off you are when you reach heaven. It's also home base for FBI Fugitive Warren Jeffs. News 3 Investigator Darcy Spears traveled to the border towns to talk with residents about their lifestyle, their leader, and their link to Las Vegas. Warren Jeffs is wanted by the FBI for having sex with a minor and as an accomplice to rape. He took over the FLDS in 2002 after his father died. Although he's on the run, his followers continue to practice his preachings, except for those who have been exiled or escaped. "You're not allowed to watch television. You're not allowed to have the internet in your home here. You're not allowed to read the newspaper. Warren wants them totally ignorant of what's going on in the outside world." That's how 40-year-old Isaac Wyler says the FLDS leader Warren Jeffs has gained absolute power. Read more | |
| Wanted fugitive polygamist has valley ties, raking in valley tax dollars | |
| Part 2 - Your tax dollars could be funding a wanted fugitive | |
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By Darcy Spears KVBC News 3 - Las Vegas Originally published July 26, 2006 | |
| A number of construction companies affiliated with a controversial polygamous sect operate in southern Nevada. None of them wants to talk about who they are and where their money goes, and one of them is raking in millions of our tax dollars. News 3 Investigator Darcy Spears has been following the money trail from Las Vegas construction sites to the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. She's tells us how our tax dollars may be funding an oppressive culture and a federal fugitive's flight from the law. Members of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints are followers of fugitive prophet Warren Jeffs. He's responsible for arranging marriages between underage girls and older men. He's on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List for having sex with a minor and being an accomplice to rape. He counts on his loyal followers to make money to fund his flight from the law, and much of that money is coming from Las Vegas government contracts. From government construction sites like one at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve to one at the Clark County Wetlands Park, a river is running. But it's not water that flows from these places. It's money, taxpayers' money. Read more | |
| Firm with polygamist ties moves to valley | |
| Members of fugitive's church hired by shop | |
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By Abigail Goldman Las Vegas Sun Originally published August 2, 2006 | |
| A Utah machine shop that authorities say has ties to one of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted fugitives is changing its name and moving to Las Vegas. Western Precision Inc. is among the biggest employers of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. The border towns are home to 5,000-8,000 followers of fugitive church prophet Warren Jeffs, who was placed on the FBI's Top Ten list in May on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Attorneys for Western Precision filed court documents in early June stating that the company would move to Las Vegas by August. Days after the filing, Western Precision changed its name to Newera Manufacturing Inc., according to the Utah Division of Corporations. On July 3, Newera Manufacturing was registered in Nevada as a foreign corporation, according to the secretary of state's office. Newera would not be the first company with ties to Jeffs operating in Las Vegas. In May, a project manager for JNJ Engineering told the Sun that the construction company had ties to Jeffs. JNJ has earned about $7.5 million on projects for the Las Vegas Valley Water District. Where Newera Manufacturing will set up shop in Las Vegas is unknown. Read more | |
| I-Team: Warren Jeffs' Las Vegas Ties | |
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George Knapp, I-Team Reporter KLAS TV Channel 8 - Las Vegas Originally broadcast August 29, 2006 | |
| What might have brought Warren Jeffs to Southern Nevada? Authorities are still trying to answer that question, but the polygamous sect he heads has established several beachheads here. It seems like every major story has a Las Vegas angle and this one is no exception. But there are solid reasons why the capture of Warren Jeffs here in Southern Nevada should come as no surprise. Our backyard has become a lucrative safety valve for Jeffs and his polygamist faithful. Las Vegas resident Jason Randall said, "There are approximately fourteen children, one head of the household, and three to four wives." Jason Randall and his northwest Las Vegas neighbors knew something was odd this past spring when a new family moved into a million dollar compound on Gilbert Lane. Not only because the passel of kids wore what he describes as "Little House on The Prairie" outfits, but also because the new owner installed three new housing structures in the backyard, almost overnight. Complaints were filed with the county, which issued a cease and desist order to the owner, a man whose name certainly rang a bell. Read more | |
| Nevada Attorney General Sends Loud Message to Polygamists | |
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Mark Sayre, I-Team Reporter KLAS TV Channel 8 - Las Vegas Originally broadcast August 31, 2006 | |
| Authorities in Utah and Arizona have tried and failed for years to prosecute polygamist groups. But now, the arrest of Warren Jeffs is sparking questions about polygamist groups who call Nevada home. The Nevada attorney general says -- as far as he knows -- there is no "official" information on how much potential polygamist activity may be in Nevada. But residents of Mesquite, which is about 80 miles from Las Vegas, say they believe there are polygamists there. One law enforcement source told Eyewitness News there might be as many as 200 polygamists in the Mesquite community. Wednesday, Attorney General George Chanos said he is assigning an investigator to begin tracking the issue. He wants to make sure the message about polygamy is loud and clear. Chanos said, "And I think we need to be proactive and send a very clear signal that Nevada is not a hospitable environment to polygamy and/or to child labor, and so anything we can do to send that signal. And I am sending that signal right now. I think it's important that we do that." The attorney general is asking anyone with any knowledge of polygamist activity, or child labor, in Nevada to call authorities and says any information provided will be taken seriously. Read more | |
| Nevada to investigate possible abuses by the FLDS Church | |
| Attorney general fears for welfare of minors | |
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By Linda Thomson Deseret Morning News Originally published Saturday, September 2, 2006 | |
| The exodus of many polygamists from Utah and Arizona into Nevada — combined with reports of abused children and the arrest of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs — has prompted Nevada Attorney General George Chanos to designate a special investigator to look into possible child-abuse allegations. The investigator's name was not released after the appointment this week. Nicole Moon, the attorney general's public information officer, said the investigator would scrutinize the Fundamentalist LDS Church, which Jeffs heads. "We're focusing on underage brides and violations of child-labor laws, and we have assigned one of our investigators to look into the issue," she said. "We understand there may be a group acting in southern Nevada" associated with the FLDS Church. "We're asking the public to come forward with any information about minors." Chanos said he is not picking on the FLDS Church or singling out any religious group, but he is concerned about violations of the law, especially when there are child victims. Read more | |
| Warren Jeffs' Performed Nevada Marriages | |
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Edward Lawrence, Reporter KLAS TV Eyewitness News Channel 8 - Las Vegas Originally broadcast September 7, 2006 | |
| Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist LDS, allegedly performed marriages between older men and underage girls. Eyewitness News has learned that some of those marriages, including the one that resulted in rape as accomplice charges, took place in Nevada. Jeffs may have chosen to perform marriages in Nevada because it is easy to do. Warren Jeffs' followers would get a marriage license for one marriage then Jeffs would perform the other unions as spiritual marriages. In the eyes of the law, the spiritual marriage would not be legal but the Fundamentalist LDS church would recognize the union. Getting a marriage license in Nevada is easy and quick. "They will check your passport or your government issued ID to make sure the age is correct and you are who you say you are," said Kevin Streit, A Special Memory Wedding Chapel. A Nevada marriage bureau will not do any kind of search to look for previous marriages. In the marriage which prompted the charges, both the underage girl and older man were from Hildale, Utah. The girl met Jeffs in Utah and expressed concern about the marriage. She told prosecutors that Jeffs told her it was her duty to submit to the marriage and the arrangement came from God. Read more | |
| Consideration and possible rescission of acceptance of unsolicited offer to purchase land by Dagrow Truss | |
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Summary Minutes Mesquite, Nevada City Council Meeting Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - Regular Meeting 4:00 P.M. | |
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Minutes of a scheduled meeting of the City Council held on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at 4:00 PM at City Hall. In attendance were Mayor Bill Nicholes, City Councilmembers Robert "Bubba" Smith, David Bennett, Donna Fairchild, Bill Wells, and Susan Holecheck. Also in attendance were City Manager Tim Hacker, City Attorney Christi Kindel, City Engineer Allen Bell, Planning and Redevelopment Division Manager Catherine Lorbeer, other City staff and approximately 75 citizens.
Mayor Nicholes called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. (NOTE: This meeting has been tape-recorded and will remain on file in the office of the City Clerk for four years for public examination.) [6:54 PM] Minutes: Christi Kindel noted Dagrow Truss was last before the Council June 13th. She noted at that time they were seeking to get the no flip clause out of the contract. Mrs. Kindel advised Tim and Allen met with representatives from Dagrow and a month went by with no contact from Dagrow. Staff feels because of the late date, and little change in Dagrow's postion, that it would be brought before the Council. She noted Dagrow has paid $29,906.00 and have $790.79 in late fees. She further noted they owe $16,500 in late fees on the lease property. Read more | |
| IN DEPTH: Motel offered privacy for sect's secretive weddings | |
| Group also raises crops two hours north on its farm | |
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By Brian Haynes and Glenn Puit Las Vegas Review Journal Originally published September 16, 2007 | |
| For most tourists headed to the Caliente Hot Springs Motel and Spa, the main draw is the hot mineral water piped into the rooms. But Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of a polygamous sect, was drawn to the motel for a different reason: privacy. For years he conducted weddings between teenage girls, some as young as 14, and older men in Room 15 at the motel 150 miles north of Las Vegas, investigators, former members and others said. "Warren's really quite paranoid. He just doesn't want anyone to witness anything that would get him in trouble," said Carolyn Jessop, a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who ran the motel for a year. Jeffs now stands trial in St. George, Utah, on charges he married off a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin in Caliente and ordered her to have sex with the teen. Rumors swirled that he continued performing marriages at the motel while he was on the run. Jessop's husband, Merrill Jessop, and her father, Nathan Jessop, bought the motel in late 1997. For the next seven years it was the site of many secretive nuptials, said Carolyn Jessop, who escaped the sect with her eight children in 2003. "We didn't know who was marrying whom," said Carolyn Jessop, 39, who was forbidden to witness the ceremonies. Read more | |
| IN DEPTH: LEAVING COLORADO CITY FOR LAS VEGAS | |
| Southern Nevada offers economic opportunities for followers of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, who is charged in Utah as an accomplice to rape | |
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By Brian Haynes and Glenn Puit Las Vegas Review Journal Originally published September 16, 2007 | |
| A new family moved onto Gilbert Lane early last year, a family unlike any other on the quiet street in the northwest valley. The women and girls wore long dresses and bonnets, the boys overalls. "It looked like 'Little House on the Prairie,'" said Lukey Corral, who lives next door. "We were back in the 1800s." When a neighbor talked to one of the women at the house, the woman said: "We are just Mormons. Well, we are different Mormons," neighbor Judy Donahue recalled. The neighborhood eventually learned the new inhabitants were members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of the Mormon church that believes polygamy is the key to the celestial kingdom of heaven. For decades, FLDS members had hunkered in their isolated enclave on the Utah-Arizona border, insulated from the outside world and allowed to practice polygamy without government interference. That has changed in recent years as authorities have prosecuted several FLDS members, including the sect's self-proclaimed prophet, Warren Steed Jeffs, on charges related to sexual abuse of teenage brides. Amid the scrutiny, dozens if not hundreds of FLDS members have left their homes in the twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., some 160 miles northeast of Las Vegas, for the anonymity and booming economy of Southern Nevada. They have made millions of dollars through their companies in Las Vegas, Henderson and Mesquite, much of it in the construction industry. Read more | |
| I-Team Exclusive: County Claims $500,000 in Losses by Contractor with Ties to Warren Jeffs | |
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George Knapp, Chief Investigative Reporter KLAS-TV Channel 8 - Las Vegas Originally broadcast September 18, 2007 | |
| Clark County says it has lost about $500,000 because of shoddy work done by a contractor with ties to polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. Last year, the Channel 8 I-Team first reported that polygamists had moved into Las Vegas and had secured several government contracts worth millions of dollars. Now, at least one of those contracts has come back to haunt the county. Jacob Jessop, owner of JNJ Engineering Construction, moved his family and his company to Las Vegas from the polygamist stronghold of Colorado City, Arizona for a simple reason. "We have a lot of work to do here," Jessop told the I-Team. Jessop's company has been awarded more than $11 million in contracts from the county, city, and water district over the past four years. How is he so successful in bidding for contracts? Polygamy critic Flora Jessop, Jacob's cousin, says it's simple. "Because they don't have to pay any labor because they use their children. It ensures they will be the winner of that contract. They work day in and day out and they get their pay check and they sign it over and turn is straight back over to their boss," Flora Jessup said. One of the most recent contracts awarded to JNJ for restoring habitat at Clark County's Wetlands Park area. JNJ was to remove invasive tamarisk trees and replace them with native trees and shrubs in what is an ecologically fragile park on the east side of the valley. However, instead of improving habitat, the county says JNJ killed hundreds of expensive trees that were raised just for this project. One estimate of the damage is more than $500,000 Read more | |
| Las Vegas offers economic outlet for polygamous sect followers | |
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By Brian Haynes and Glenn Puit Las Vegas Sun Originally published September 22, 2007 | |
| LAS VEGAS (AP) - A new family moved to Gilbert Lane early last year, a family unlike any other on the quiet street in northwest Las Vegas. The women and girls wore long dresses and bonnets. The boys wore overalls. "It looked like 'Little House on the Prairie,'" said Lukey Corral, who lives next door. "We were back in the 1800s." When a neighbor talked to one of the women at the house, the woman said: "We are just Mormons. Well, we are different Mormons," neighbor Judy Donahue recalled. The neighborhood eventually learned the new inhabitants were members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of the Mormon church that believes polygamy is the key to the celestial kingdom of heaven. For decades, FLDS members have lived in an isolated enclave on the Utah-Arizona border, insulated from the outside world and able to practice polygamy without government interference. That has changed in recent years as authorities have prosecuted several FLDS members, including the sect's self-proclaimed prophet, Warren Steed Jeffs, on charges related to sexual abuse of teenage brides. Amid the scrutiny FLDS members have left their homes in the twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., about 160 miles northeast of Las Vegas, for anonymity and the booming economy of southern Nevada. Many work in the construction industry for companies in Las Vegas, Henderson and Mesquite. "They have made a lot of money down there," said Gary Engels, an investigator for the Mohave County, Ariz., attorney's office who has probed allegations of underage marriages and rape within the FLDS community. Read more | |
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