Nevada Attorney General Sends Loud Message to Polygamists
 
Mark Sayre, I-Team Reporter
KLAS TV Channel 8 - Las Vegas
Nevada Attorney General Chanos

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."

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.

He also says Nevada laws on the subject are already up to date.

The State of Nevada already outlaws bigamy, which is the practice of marrying somebody who is already married.

Chanos says there are no solid numbers on the number of polygamists possibly living in Nevada.

Send feedback to I-Team reporter Mark Sayre at msayre@klastv.com
 
KLASTV.com
Originally broadcast August 31, 2006
 
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