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Here's the latest on what's happening. These news articles are listed in chronological order. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Tragic accident | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opinion The Spectrum Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Any loss of life in a traffic accident is tragic. Such incidents are even more devastating when young people are involved. An accident that happened either late Tuesday or early Wednesday serves as an example of how quickly fun events can turn to tragedy. At some point during that time period, a vehicle carrying five teenagers and an adult overturned at a curve on a dirt road. Four of the teenagers and the adult were killed, and another person was seriously injured. Authorities suspect alcohol may have been involved because of the location of the crash, about 17 miles south of Centennial Park, Ariz., and other factors. That particular location is known to be an area where some residents go to conduct parties. The investigation is ongoing, so there's no way to know yet if alcohol was a factor. But regardless, the mere thought that it could have played a role in the crash should serve as a reminder to parents to have serious discussions with children about the dangers of alcohol and other substances in general and, in particular, how those substances become even more dangerous when a vehicle is involved. While not everything is known about the crash, this much is certain: Families are hurting, facing intense pain over the loss of loved ones who were taken from this world at such young ages - from 15 to 22. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamous town target of Arizona lawmakers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Mike Watkiss 3TV Phoenix Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO CITY, Ariz. -- The police force from the polygamous town of Colorado City, Ariz. was the focus of a group of Arizona lawmakers Tuesday. The House Government Committee heard testimony about Senate Bill 1433, a measure backed by Attorney General Tom Horn that would basically do away with the office of the Colorado City's Town Marshal. Since taking office, Horn said he has made the alleged crimes associated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) community "a top priority." "I assembled a task force," Horn said, and their first recommendation was "decertify the police." Critics have long charged that the cops in Colorado City, all of whom are faithful followers of polygamous prophet Warren Jeff's, uphold Jeffs' directives at the expense of the law. SB 1433 has strong opposition from a large police union and from Colorado City cops. Sgt. Heleman Barlow spoke against the bill Tuesday, saying Jeffs does not control the department. A vote on SB 1433 is expected Thursday. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Horne hopes to dissolve Colorado City police force | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Taylor Summers KTAR - News/Talk 92.3 - Phoenix, Arizona Originally broadcast March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attorney General Tom Horne is pushing a bill at the legislature that would dissolve the Colorado City police force. Horne says the Colorado City Police Department has only one purpose, and that is enforcing the law of polygamist church leader and convicted criminal Warren Jeffs. "Women who try to run away are captured by the local police who they call Marshall's that are under the thumb of the church, and are dragged back," Horne said. He says local police in the town will only prosecute crimes done by a non-church member against a church member. The bill would put power in the hands of the sheriff's office. "We need the sheriff's office there to apply the law objectively without regard to anyone's religion," Horne said. The bill is set for a Senate vote on Thursday. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fundamentalist Mormon church inundates west central Minn. counties with mailings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: Carolyn Lange West Central Tribune - Willmar, Minnesota Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WILLMAR - County officials in west central Minnesota are scratching their heads trying to figure out why they've been receiving large packets of priority and certified mailings from Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeffs is serving a life-sentence in Palestine, Texas, for raping two young girls that he claimed were his "spiritual" wives. The bundles of letters and booklets began arriving a couple months ago to many county commissioners in the region. Some of the envelopes contained a two-page document; others had 43-page booklets; one held large bound books that were 149 pages long. The materials contain proclamations and"revelations that appear to warn government entities around the world of "whirlwind judgments" and certain doom if Jeffs' message isn't heeded. Jeffs, who is president of a group that has been called the "radical" polygamous sect of the Mormon Church, also sends the strong message in the long rambling literature that he should be released from jail. It's a message that's apparently being mailed to elected county officials as well as national and international leaders, according to one of the booklets that warn of a "judgment on all nations." So far the Kandiyohi County Commissioners have received approximately seven separate mailings. One of the last mailings weighed almost three pounds. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| County officials recipients of mass mailing from imprisoned polygamist leader | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Elizabeth Baier Minnesota Public Radio - Saint Paul, Minnesota Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ROCHESTER, Minn. - Officials in several west central Minnesota counties have been flooded with mailings from imprisoned polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. Officials in Kandiyohi, La Qui Parle, Renville and Swift counties say they've received bundles of mail proclaiming Jeffs' teachings and revelations. Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is serving a life sentence plus 20 years for sexually assaulting two young girls he claimed were his wives. La Qui Parle County Auditor Jacob Sieg said the county has received priority mail bundles addressed to individual county commissioners since late January. "It is a little bit curious just because they come in those larger envelopes and it's bundled separately inside the envelop like that," Sieg said. "And the just the quantity of mail that keeps on coming. I don't think it's really been taken too seriously. It's just another piece of junk mail that the commissioners get. Commissioners are tossing the mail in the garbage, Sieg said. Similar mailings have been sent to county and state officials in across the country, including Idaho, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. In January, Jeffs also spent tens of thousands of dollars for large ads in newspapers, including the Star Tribune. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fatal crash details released by Mohave County Sheriff's Office | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Samantha Sadlier The Spectrum Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE – The Mohave County Sheriff's Office has released more information regarding the vehicle rollover that killed four teens and one adult on March 6 indicating that one person who was fatally injured survived for hours before emergency responders arrived on scene. Trish Carter, Mohave County Sheriff's Office Public Information officer, said the individual lived for a few hours prior to help responding. The sixth person involved in the accident, Nakita Timpson, 16, of Colorado City, Ariz., is currently at Dixie Regional Medical Center where she remains in stable condition, Carter said. Because the accident took place between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. on March 6, or early on March 7 about 20 miles South of Centennial Park, Ariz., it took hours before anyone realized the individuals involved in the accident had not arrived home, Carter said. Reports from family and friends of the victims indicate a second vehicle and group of individuals were driving around with the vehicle involved in the accident late Tuesday night, but drove home unaware of the accident, Carter said. The next day the others from the second vehicle were trying to reach out to their friends, but could not get a hold of them, she said. "On Wednesday they started realizing that they hadn't come home, so they went out and retraced their steps until they found the accident and reported it," she said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UPDATE: More Details Revealed in Fatal Rollover Near Arizona-Utah Border | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Morgan Skinner KCSG News KCSG Television Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Centennial Park, AZ) - Mohave County Sheriff's deputies have determined the fatal single vehicle rollover last week that claimed five lives occurred late Tuesday evening, March 6, 2012 between 11:00PM and midnight. The driver of the Chevrolet Suburban was Carl Otto Nathaniel Holm, 22 of Hildale Utah. It is unknown whether any of the occupants were wearing seat belts, according to the sheriff's office. Mohave County corner's office conducted autopsies Monday, March 12 on the victims in the fatal crash that happened on Big Warren Road, approximately 17 miles south of Centennial Park. The accident occurred following a birthday party for the sole survivor, Nakita Timpson, 16, of Colorado City who remains in stable condition at Dixie Regional Medical Center. Toxicology results from the Arizona Department of Public Safety crime lab could take several weeks. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office said the accident remains under investigation and alcohol may have been a factor. Dead in the fatal rollover are Carl Otto Nathaniel Holm, 22, of Hildale, Utah; Monica Joy Bistline, 17, of Apple Valley, Utah; Rachel Anne Kolgrove, 17, of Cane Beds; and Virgel Taylor Roundy, 15, and Jamison Holm Timpson, 19, both of Colorado City, Arizona. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monica Joy Bistline | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Obituaries The Spectrum Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| APPLE VALLEY - Monica Joy Bistline, 17 years old, passed away March 7, 2012. She was born December 19, 1994 in Hildale UT, to Clayton James Bistline and Leannah Joy Pledger Jessop. Monica grew up in the conjoined towns of Hildale, UT and Colorado City, AZ. She attended El Capitan High School; she lived with her mother and step father in Apple Valley, UT. Monica enjoyed hanging with friends, writing poetry, baking, babysitting her nieces and nephews, music, outdoor activities and putting a smile on everyone's faces! Her interests where family, friends and BOYS!!!! Monica was very spirited, so full of life and had a smile that could light up a room. She lived her life to the fullest and lived every moment of her life whole heartedly like every minute was her last. She is survived by her parents, Clayton and Shaunna Bistline, George and Leannah Jessop. Monica is also survived by brothers and sisters, Clayton Jr, Ashlee, Jessica, Joshua, Sean, Kayden, Kyle, Ricky, Michelle, Suzie, Louis, Sarah, Jerry, Ada, Rulon, Tawni, Ryan, Nakita, Maria and Mckayla; and her grandmother, Hannah Pledger. She is preceded in death by her grandparents, Lee Bistline, Elaine Bistline, Naomi Bistline, Leo Pledger and Tana Pledger. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rachel Anne Colgrove | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Obituaries The Spectrum Originally published March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CANE BEDS, Ariz. - Rachel Anne Colgrove, age 17, passed away March 7, 2012. She was born August 7, 1994, in Colorado City, Arizona, to Bradford and Stefanie Williams Colgrove. She is survived by her parents, Bradford and Stefanie of Cane Beds, AZ; siblings, Shad Barlow of Lackland Air Force Base, TX, Savanna Colgrove, Kyle Colgrove, Autumn Colgrove, Wyatt Colgrove and Josie Colgrove all of Cane Beds, AZ; grandparents, Roger and Anna Williams of Colorado City, AZ and Dan and Kathy Colgrove of Pahrump, NV. Funeral services will be held Sunday, March 18, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the Centennial Park Chapel, Centennial Park, AZ. There will be a viewing Saturday, March 17, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. and also Sunday, from 9:00 - 10:45 a.m. prior to services, both held in the Centennial Park Chapel. Interment will take place in the Centennial Park Cemetery. "People think they're in control, but they ain't. The truth is, that which must befall thee must befall thee. And that which must pass thee by must pass thee by." (Homeless man in Ft. Worth, Texas) Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FBI, S.L. County probe alleges fraud, sexual trysts in FLDS 'lost boys' program | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Dennis Romboy Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, March 14 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — Fraud, deceit, sexual trysts and an untimely death make up a sordid tale investigators say they uncovered among those who ran a government-funded shelter for "lost boys" of the polygamous FLDS Church. A yearlong investigation by the FBI and the Salt Lake County Auditor's Office resulted in federal prosecutors going to a grand jury seeking criminal charges against Richard Parks, the county's AmeriCorps program administrator for the past eight years. Parks, 64, of Salt Lake City, was indicted Wednesday on 25 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, making false statements and theft from a program receiving federal funds. The indictment seeks $95,154 in restitution. "It's an incredible story," said Jim Wightman, the county auditor's director of compliance and performance assessment. "It's off the charts. It involves so many aspects of Utah culture." Though the case doesn't involve huge sums of money, its tentacles reach the Utah Legislature, the Utah Attorney General's Office, Salt Lake County and St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson, who is accused of an Internet marketing scam. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read the Indictment of Richard Parks regarding the investigation of AmeriCorps monies paid to run the "Lost Boys'" House Just Off of Bluff, filed in the US District Court of Utah on March 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read the Salt Lake County Auditor's Report to the Citizens of Salt Lake County, the Mayor, and the County Council about the Salt Lake County Community Resources and Development Division's AmeriCorps Program regarding the investigation of the "Lost Boys'" House Just Off Bluff, dated December, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jamison Holm Timpson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Obituaries Spilsbury Mortuary - St. George, Utah Originally published March 15, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jamison Holm Timpson Mar 30, 1992 - Mar 06, 2012 Jamison Holm Timpson passed away March 6, 2012. He was born March 30, 1992 in Hildale, AZ to Dan Barlow Timpson and Florence Jennifer Holm. Funeral services will be Friday March 16 at 2:00 p.m. in the Holm Sunday School Building, Hildale, UT. Viewings will be Thursday March 15 from 6-9 p.m. in the Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, UT and on Friday March 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Holm Sunday School Building. Arrangements are under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, St. George, UT (435) 673-2454. Family and friends are invited to sign his guest book at www.spilsburymortuary.com. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Funeral Listings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Spilsbury Mortuary - St. George, Utah Originally published March 15, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Virgil Roundy
Funeral Services: Thursday, March 15, at 3:00 p.m. at the Alton Town Hall, Alton, Utah. Visitation: Thursday, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. prior to services at the Town Hall. Carl Holm Funeral Services: Friday, March 16, at 12:00 p.m. at the Spilsbury Mortuary Chapel, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, UT. Visitation: Friday, from 9:00 a.m. until time of service at the Mortuary. Jamison Holm Timpson Funeral Services: Friday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. at the Holm Sunday School Building, Hildale, UT. 1st Visitation: Thursday, March 15, from 6-9 p.m. at the Spilsbury Mortuary Chapel, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, UT. 2nd Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 12p.m. to 2:00p.m. at the Holm Sunday School Building, Hildale, UT. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| God Gave Rock & Roll to Her | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 'Electrick Children' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Josh Rosenblatt The Austin Chronicle - Austin, Texas Originally published Fri., March 16, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last month, Electrick Children had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Which is pretty remarkable when you consider that the film's writer/director, Rebecca Thomas, is still in film school and Electrick Children is her first feature. Even more remarkable is that Thomas didn't even start writing the script until last April, which means barely 11 months passed between the moment she first put pen to paper (or finger to iPad) and when her movie opened at one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. If Thomas weren't so nice, I would hate her with great enthusiasm. Electrick Children is a modern-day retelling of the Virgin Mary story set in a small fundamentalist Mormon colony in rural Utah. Thomas' story follows Rachel (the brilliant Julia Garner), a 15-year-old innocent who believes God has caused her to immaculately conceive a child by way of a rock song she hears on a forbidden cassette tape. Convinced that the voice on the tape is the father of the child, Rachel sneaks off to Las Vegas in search of love and religious revelation. "I was raised in Las Vegas, in a normal Mormon upbringing," Thomas says. "But my grandparents lived in southern Utah, and we would visit them and see the FLDS [Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]. I was intrigued by it because I had seen it my whole life and wondered about the places where Mormonism and fundamentalism overlapped. I really wanted to adapt the Virgin Mary story, and I thought if there was ever a girl who thought she had gotten pregnant by God or by some force, it would probably be someone from one of these sheltered places." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hildale police | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opinion The Spectrum Originally published March 16, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A bill that would have dissolved the police department in the border town of Hildale failed to pass during the recently completed legislative session, meaning residents there still may not have access to the justice they deserve. Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, sponsored the bill at the behest of Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. After years of accusations about a lack of enforcement of laws because of ties to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the legislation would have removed the police force and turned over public safety duties to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The bill was needed because of similar legislation in Arizona to disband police in Colorado City, Ariz. Without bills being passed on both sides of the state line, there is too great of risk of illegal activity moving from one state to the other by simply driving or walking a short distance. There also is a very real concern that officers who are members of the FLDS church won't enforce laws equitably for people who aren't members of their faith. In response, the two states' legislatures have been considering bills that would have disbanded a police agency if more than 50 percent of its officers have been disciplined by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board within a set time frame - four years under Utah's bill and eight under Arizona's bill. It's not clear how effective Arizona's legislation would be if Utah can't pass a similar bill. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judge increases visitation rights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published March 16, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - During a Thursday hearing, a 5th District Court judge increased the amount of time an exiled member of a polygamous church can spend visiting with his children, who are still within the polygamous community. Colorado City resident Lorin Holm was granted temporary visitation rights last month to see the children of his two "spiritual wives," who have shunned Holm since he was told Jan. 9, 2011, by leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints he was being cast out of the church for an undeclared sin. After receiving information from court-appointed guardian ad litem Nadine Hansen, an attorney directed to investigate the welfare and interests of the children, Judge James Shumate ordered that the two youngest children will have extra time for visits without their older siblings present, and that all the children will extend their visitation time on weekends to seven hours. The visits will take place at the home Holm shares with his third wife, to whom he is legally married. That wife and her children took Holm back into her home three months after his exile, after she learned about evidence gathered in Texas that led to the conviction last year of FLDS church prophet-leader Warren Jeffs on child sexual abuse charges, Holm said. Hansen said she was present during Holm's six visits with the FLDS children during the past three weeks and found the youths' reactions toward their father to be mixed. "The two younger children are doing very well," Hansen said. "The others vary from resisting to tolerating (the visits)." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS member's conviction affirmed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Keate's child sex assault ruling stands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 17, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas - A Texas appeals court has upheld the child sexual assault conviction of a member of a polygamist sect. The Texas Third Court of Appeals issued a ruling Friday affirming the conviction of Allan Eugene Keate, 60, a member of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who was charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 2004 when Keate was 53. Keate was sentenced to 33 years in prison in December 2009. His case was appealed in February 2010. A major point of the appellate case was that there wasn't enough evidence that the girl became impregnated through sexual assault. "He complains that the state's evidence is largely circumstantial and failed to eliminate the possibility that (the victim) could have become pregnant by artificial insemination," the opinion states. The court said that, to the contrary, "The state is not required to present direct evidence to establish guilt." Keate also argued in his appeal that there wasn't enough evidence to conclude that the assault happened in Texas, which is an element of the crime that the state is required to prove. "The evidence is sufficient to prove that Texas has territorial jurisdiction," the court opinion states. Keate complained that FLDS church records that were used shouldn't have been admitted for constitutional reasons, but the court believed the documents had been properly authenticated and didn't violate any constitutional rights. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| News of the Weird for March 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Latest religious messages | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Utah Lifestyles and living Provo Daily Herald Originally published March 18, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prophet Warren Jeffs, of a breakaway polygamous cult, is serving life (plus 20 years) in a Texas prison for raping two underage parishioners, but insists that his power has not been diminished. He was disciplined in December for making a phone call to his congregation announcing several decrees, including barring marriages from taking place until he can return to "seal" them and prohibiting everyone from having sex. (Since Jeffs retains his "messiah" status among many church members, and since life-plus-20 is a long time to wait, and since the cult is reclusive, it is difficult for outsiders to assess the level of sexual frustration in the compound.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New site, judge for bigamy trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen case sent to Midland as Walther removes herself | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 19, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas - The trial of a former polygamist leader is to begin Wednesday with a new location and, for unspecified reasons, a new judge. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will go to trial in Midland on three counts of third-degree bigamy, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. He allegedly married two women on the same day, the indictments state. Bigamy cases going to trial are a rarity, said Patrick Metze, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at the Texas Tech University School of Law. Unlike the previous trials of FLDS members, Nielsen's case will not be heard by 51st District Judge Barbara Walther. Walther initiated both the venue change and her removal. She declined to comment about why she was not going to hear the case. Judge assignment papers obtained by the Standard-Times show that Walther marked "Other" for reasons why she requested the assignment of another judge. The option includes a request for explanation, but no reason for the judge's request was made. The trial, originally scheduled for Jan. 24, is expected to last two weeks, according to 51st District court staff. Judge Robert Moore of the 118th District will hear the case. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS leader to go on trial for bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Houston Chronicle Originally published Wednesday, March 21, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas (AP) - Jurors have been selected in the bigamy trial of a former lieutenant to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. Wendell Loy Nielsen's trial in West Texas will begin with opening arguments Thursday. Nielsen and 11 other members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were indicted after a 2008 raid on the church's remote compound in West Texas. Nielsen could get up to 10 years in prison. He reportedly refused to plead no contest and be sentenced to probation because he thought the proposed conditions were too restrictive. Nielsen once served as FLDS president and counselor to Jeffs, now serving a life sentence. FLDS teachings hold that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. The mainstream Mormon church abandoned polygamy more than a century ago. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jury selected in bigamy case in Midland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen said to have married 35 women | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 21, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - It took seven hours to seat a jury. People sat reading books, using smartphones and grading written exams to pass the time in the Midland County Courthouse during the first day of the bigamy trial of former polygamist sect leader Wendell Loy Nielsen. The judge told them to be patient during day, which started at 9 a.m. After questioning from the defense and prosecution, by 4 p.m. a jury was sworn in: five women, seven men for the jurors, and one male and one female alternate. Nielsen, 71, looked out unconcerned in his blue sweater vest at the potential jurors. The former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been charged with three counts of third-degree felony bigamy, each count punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Nielsen was a president of the FLDS corporation in Utah, but he stepped down so supreme FLDS leader and "prophet" Warren Jeffs could assume the presidency early in 2011. Judge Robert Moore, of the 118th Judicial District in Big Spring, is presiding over the trial, replacing 51st District Judge Barbara Walther, who has presided over all the previous trials involving FLDS men. "I don't know anything about this case, to be honest," Moore told potential jurors. According to documents filed in 2010, the state alleges that Nielsen "married" 34 women in addition to Linda Black, his legal wife. That information may be presented to jurors by the prosecution during the punishment phase of the trial if Nielsen is found guilty. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trial of sect leader shines rare spotlight on bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller MIDLAND, Texas Reuters Originally published Wed Mar 21, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Reuters) - The former leader of a polygamist sect charged with marrying two women on the same day will go on trial in Texas on Wednesday, putting a spotlight on the rarely prosecuted crime of bigamy. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is charged with three counts of bigamy. Patrick Metze, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at the Texas Tech University School of Law, said he did not know of a bigamy case going to trial in recent memory. "It isn't a crime committed and prosecuted very often," said George Dix, a criminal law professor with the University of Texas. Most bigamy cases involve people from other countries married in the United States who said they did not know that their marriage to a person in another country was still valid, or where a divorce did not go through before another marriage took place. Nielsen's situation is also unusual because there are questions whether the marriages performed by the sect he once headed were valid under Texas law. Prosecutors charge Nielsen married two women on the same day in February 2006. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Award-winning journalist, author Moore-Emmett to address polygamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jessica Smith The Oracle - Tennessee Tech University - Cookeville, Tennessee Originally published Thursday, March 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author and award-winning journalist Andrea Moore-Emmett presents at 7 p.m., March 27 in Derryberry Auditorium. Moore-Emmett is the author of "God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who Escaped," as well as several articles on polygamy, and was the researcher for A&E's documentary, "Inside Polygamy," which aired on BBC. She will present on these topics and will discuss the history of polygamy in America. Moore-Emmett has served as Utah National Organization for Women president and on a Salt Lake City mayor's commission. She has received five awards from the Utah Headliner's Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists, including the Don Baker Investigative Journalism Award. She has also received a Women in Communications Leading Changes Award and the Leadership Council on Abuse and Interpersonal Violence and the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma 2008 Award for Distinguished Service and Excellence in Journalism. The event is free and open to the public, no tickets necessary, and is co-sponsored by Center Stage and Tech's Women's Center. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS leader Wendell Loy Nielsen's trial on bigamy charges starts in West Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Republic - Columbus, Indiana Originally published March 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas - The bigamy trial of a former lieutenant to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs is set to begin in West Texas. Wendell Loy Nielsen is charged with three counts of bigamy. Opening arguments are scheduled for Thursday morning in Midland. Nielsen was one of 12 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who were indicted after a 2008 raid on their West Texas compound. Nielsen faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Nielsen was once FLDS president and counselor to Jeffs, who is now serving a life sentence after being convicted last year of sexual assault. FLDS teachings hold that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. The mainstream Mormon church abandoned the practice of taking multiple wives more than a century ago. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Breakaway Mormon sect ex-leader begins Texas bigamy trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller MIDLAND, Texas Reuters Originally published Thu Mar 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Reuters) - The former leader of a breakaway Mormon sect charged with being married to more than one woman at the same time went on trial in Texas on Wednesday, putting a spotlight on the rarely prosecuted crime of bigamy. A jury of five women and seven men was chosen to hear testimony in the trial of Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, a former president of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who is charged with three counts of bigamy. The sect, which teaches that for a man to be among the select in heaven he must have at least three wives, is estimated to have 10,000 followers in North America. Nielsen, wearing a blue sweater vest and shirt, looked on from the front of the courtroom during jury selection. Patrick Metze, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at the Texas Tech University School of Law, said he did not know of a bigamy case going to trial in recent memory. "It isn't a crime committed and prosecuted very often," added George Dix, a criminal law professor with the University of Texas. Most bigamy cases involve people from other countries married in the United States who said they did not know that their marriage to a person in another country was still valid, or when a divorce did not go through before another marriage took place. Nielsen's situation was also unusual because questions remain over whether the marriages performed by the sect he once headed were valid under Texas law. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jury chosen in trial of former Mormon sect leader Wendell Loy Nielsen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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GlobalPost - Boston, MA Originally published March 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A jury has been chosen in the trial of Texas bigamist and former Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints president Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71. Nielsen was one of 12 men indicted for crimes including child sexual assault, bigamy and performing an illegal marriage, the Associated Press reported. They were arrested after an April 2008 raid on the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch in Texas. Ten have been convicted, including Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) "prophet" Warren Jeffs, found guilty last year of sexually assaulting two underage girls he wed as spiritual brides, the younger of them just 12. Jeffs is serving a sentence of life plus 20 years in prison in Palestine. Prosecutors believe Nielsen "married" 34 women in addition to his legal wife, however have charged him with only three counts of bigamy, Reuters reported. It is alleged Nielson married two women on the same day in February 2006. The FLDS, which teaches that for a man to be among the select in heaven he must have at least three wives, is estimated to have 10,000 followers in North America. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bigamy trial against former FLDS president begins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Audrie Palmer Midland Reporter-Telegram - Midland, Texas Originally published Thursday, March 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opening arguments took place Thursday in the bigamy trial against a former lieutenant to polygamy sect leader Warren Jeffs. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, faces three counts of third-degree felony bigamy charges which, if convicted, is punishable to two to 10 years in prison. Judge Robert Moore, of Big Spring, is presiding over the case in the 142nd District Court. Nielsen once served as a counselor to Jeffs and as a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Associated Press reported. FLDS teachings believe taking multiple wives brings glorification in heaven. The mainstream Mormon church rejected bigamy more than a century ago. A remote West Texas compound, Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado, was the site of a 2008 raid that led to indictments against Nielsen and 11 others. Jeffs, the spiritual head of the church's roughly 10,000 followers, was convicted last year of sexual assault and sentenced to life in prison. Others indicted after the raid have received lengthy prison sentences. This is the first of the bigamy cases to go to trial, officials said. Prosecutors Thursday named three women Nielsen allegedly married in 2005 in addition to his legal wife. He was married to Linda Black in 1965 in Las Vegas, according to court testimony. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS TRIALS: Defense: 'Celestial' marriages not bigamous | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - A Midland jury could decide if "celestial" marriages practiced by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are marriages as defined by Texas bigamy laws. But whether Wendell Loy Nielsen took part in celestial marriage ceremonies or not wasn't part of Austin defense attorney David Botsford's opening statements during the second day of the bigamy trial of his client, a former president of the polygamous sect. "You will hear evidence of celestial or spiritual marriage," Botsford said. "At the end of this trial, I believe you will conclude that the state has not proven that Mr. Nielsen was part of a marriage that would constitute a marriage" under the bigamy statute. Special Prosecutor Eric Nichols disagreed: Religious documents would show Nielsen was living with people and claiming to be married, as written in the Texas bigamy laws, he said. Jurors will see "documents showing that they became a part of the family unit. They were held out by the parties as being married," Nichols said. The FLDS practices "spiritual" or "celestial" marriages to sanction polygamy, which is an integral part of its religious beliefs. Nielsen, 71, has been charged with three counts of third-degree bigamy, punishable by two to 10 years and up to a $10,000 fine. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS Leader on Trial in Midland for Bigamy Charges | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jen Kastner NewsWest 9 - KWES - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast Mar 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - Opening arguments began Thursday in the bigamy trial of Wendell Nielsen. He's the former lieutenant to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. Nielsen is accused of three counts of bigamy. Each count is punishable by anywhere between two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Nielsen has reportedly been married a total of 35 times. He is the 11th member of the FLDS to go on trial, but the first one to solely face counts of bigamy. The others have faced counts of child sexual assault. On Thursday, the prosecution gave jurors a virtual tour of the Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado, which is the compound that was raided back in 2008 due to allegations that bigamy and sexual assault were taking place on site. Then, much of the day was spent questioning the law enforcement officers that searched the facilities and gathered evidence on the ranch. At least two of Nielsen's sons were in the courtroom to support their father. The trial continues Friday with witnesses responsible for gathering evidence from the temple annex where the religious documentation was kept, such as marriage certificates. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas trial to focus on whether sect marriages broke bigamy law | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller MIDLAND, Texas Reuters Originally published Thu Mar 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Reuters) - Were the "spiritual" marriages of a former leader of a breakaway Mormon sect to multiple women true marriages under Texas law? That's the question that a jury of five women and seven men will have to answer in the bigamy trial that started this week of a former president of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, is charged with three counts of bigamy, a rarely prosecuted crime. Prosecutors said in opening arguments on Thursday in Midland, Texas that religious documents will show that Nielsen was living with women and claiming to be married, in violation of Texas bigamy laws. "You will see documents showing that they became a part of the family unit. They were held out by the parties as being married," prosecutor Eric Nichols said. But defense lawyer David Botsford said the evidence would show that the marriages by church members were not the kind of marriage covered in the bigamy law. The defense did not say in what way they did not consider spiritual marriages to be legal marriages and is likely detail the stance later in the trial. "The state cannot prove that celestial marriage or spiritual marriage violates the bigamy statute," Botsford said. "Apply the law and the facts that the judge gives you. Those marriages are spiritual unions." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS leader's trial starts in West Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Longview News-Journal - Longview, Texas Originally published Friday, March 23, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND (AP) — A former lieutenant to polygamist sect prophet Warren Jeffs illegally took multiple wives on a remote West Texas compound that was raided by authorities, prosecutors alleged Thursday. Wendell Loy Nielsen's trial on three counts of bigamy began Thursday in Midland, Texas, the Standard-Times of San Angelo reported. Nielsen, 71, was a counselor to Jeffs and former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted after rejecting a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time. FLDS teachings hold that taking multiple wives brings glorification in heaven. The mainstream Mormon church rejected bigamy more than a century ago. Prosecutors showed photos of the FLDS church's Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado, Texas - site of a 2008 raid that led to indictments against Nielsen and 11 others. They also named three women Nielsen allegedly married in 2005 in addition to his legal wife. Nielsen's attorney, David Botsford, argued that 'celestial marriages' weren't illegal. 'The state cannot prove that celestial marriage or spiritual marriage violates the bigamy statute,' Botsford said, according to the newspaper. Handwritten family records seized during the raid suggest Nielsen may have taken as many as 21 wives. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bigamy Trial Continues in Midland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Staff Report NewsWest 9 - KWES - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast Mar 23, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - The bigamy trial of a former polygamist church leader continued on Friday in Midland. The trial for 71-year-old Wendell Nielsen is expected to last for a few weeks. He's accused of marrying three other women after his first wife. But prosecutors say he's reportedly been married a total of 35 times. Nielsen is a former lieutenant in the Polygamist Church headed by Warren Jeffs. He was charged with bigamy after the state raided the church's compound outside of Eldorado. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trial for Warren Jeffs' Former Lieutenant Underway in Midland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: Dylan Brooks, PermianBasin360.com KTAB - Abilene, Texas Originally published March 23, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Testimony got underway Thursday in the bigamy trial of one of Warren Jeffs' former lieutenants. Wendell Loy Nielsen pleaded not guilty to three counts of bigamy at the Midland County Courthouse Thursday morning. Nielsen, 73, is accused of marrying 3 women on the Yearning For Zion Ranch near Eldorado in 2005. He reportedly married 2 of the women on one day. Nielsen was a lieutenant for F.L.D.S. leader Warren Jeffs. His trial was moved from San Angelo to Midland after concerns about finding an impartial jury pool arose. Judge Robert Moore also replaced Barbara Walther on the bench for the trial. Prosecutors showed slides of the Y.F.Z. Ranch compound in Schleicher County Thursday. Texas Rangers Nick Hanna and John Vance, Tom Green County Chief Deputy David Jones, Department of Public Safety Sergeant Tim Leggett and Kelly Walker with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services all took the stand Thursday as well. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS TRIALS: Jury to see YFZ Ranch evidence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prosecution to try to prove cohabitation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 23, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - The Texas Ranger had to squeeze through a hole in the wall to get into the vault, grasping a gun and flashlight. Inside the locked precinct sacred to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Texas Ranger Lt. Jesse Valdez found rows of cabinets laden with boxes of records. It was April 2008 when he first entered the vault within the Temple Annex on the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, and now those records are being used as evidence against former FLDS President Wendell Loy Nielsen. Nielsen, 71, a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is charged with three counts of third-degree bigamy, each count punishable by two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Friday was the third day of the trial, and the day began with testimony from Valdez. Prosecutor Eric Nichols asked Valdez about gaining entrance to the building, the gleaming white Temple Annex, which housed the vault. "Were law enforcement officers forced to make a forced entry into the building?" Nichols asked. "Yes," Valdez said. He was one of the officers involved in the April 2008 raid on the ranch, triggered by a phone call that alleged to a women's shelter hotline that sexual abuse was occurring on the FLDS compound. Twelve men were indicted from evidence seized during the raid, and 10 of them have been convicted of charges such as sexual assault and bigamy. Nielsen's case is the first bigamy charge to go to trial; others have pleaded no contest to the bigamy charges. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Celestial marriages detailed in Wendell Loy Nielsen's trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19th wife of 'prophet' explains records | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - Former polygamist sect member Rebecca Musser said she was the 19th wife of the "prophet" Rulon Jeffs in 1995. That prophet would eventually have 65 wives, she said. Musser, once a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, saw her own records of that marriage on the fourth day of the bigamy trial of former FLDS President Wendell Loy Nielsen on Monday. Nielsen, 71, faces three counts of third-degree bigamy, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Musser was there to authenticate FLDS documents. She described their importance. "Within the culture, it is required for them to have certain ordinances and blessings. They had to be recorded. If there was no record, then it would not be acknowledged in the heavens," Musser said. "Without that record you could not gain your eternal salvation." Musser described the marriage ceremony, and Special Prosecutor Eric Nichols had her focus on the verbiage of the ceremony calling the marriages "legal and lawful." Musser demonstrated a marriage handshake for jurors with a legal assistant, holding the index finger extended down the other person's forearm. She explained that marriage and complete submission to her husband were necessary for a woman's salvation. "Does that require physical submission?" Nichols asked. "Yes," she said. "Mental submission?" "Yes." "Emotional submission?" "Yes," Musser said. Musser said she knew the women Nielsen is accused of having married in bigamy, one from helping with musical numbers for children, another by being a "mother" to her, even though Musser was younger, because Musser was married to the woman's father, then-prophet Rulon Jeffs. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B.C. government gives special prosecutor power to charge in polygamy case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Tamsyn Burgmann The Canadian Press The Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News Originally published Mon, 26 Mar, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER - The widespread practice of multiple marriage in the isolated community of Bountiful, B.C., is once again under threat of criminality after the provincial government empowered a special prosecutor to lay charges linked to an recent RCMP investigation. Peter Wilson has been directed to add polygamy and other sexual exploitation offences to his examination of teen bride trafficking, Attorney General Shirley Bond said Monday as she announced the government won't seek further review of a landmark case that upheld a law banning the multiple unions. Last fall, a B.C. Supreme Court judge found the harm polygamy causes to women and children outweighs the law's violation of the right to religious freedom. But whether the expanded mandate would eliminate polygamy as its opponents hope or simply single out a couple of its most notorious advocates may yet depend on the Crown's tact, say observers. Kasari Govender, a lawyer and the executive director for West Coast LEAF, said she's pleased the special prosecutor has new powers, but is disappointed the government won't shoot for an ironclad ruling by referring the decision to a higher court. "We lose that record and we now move to the context of an individual prosecution," said Govender, for the organization that uses the law to further women's equality. She said that means the systemic problems of polygamy, which became clear during the constitutional reference case, may once again get pushed to the background. Another possibility is that a charge based on the constitutional question could re-open the question, but the issue would have to be examined from scratch. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Special prosecutor gets go-ahead to weigh polygamy charges | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wendy Stueck The Globe and Mail - Toronto, Ontario Originally published Monday, Mar. 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER - The Canadian Press - A special prosecutor looking into potential crimes linked to the community of Bountiful now has the mandate to weigh polygamy charges after the province decided a recent court ruling is strong enough to make them stick. "I asked our team to take a very thorough look at the ruling – because we wanted to make sure we felt we had enough strength in that ruling to proceed with potential polygamy charges," Attorney General Shirley Bond said on Monday in Victoria. "I'm very pleased to say today that our team believes that in and of itself the ruling was strong enough that we can move forward potentially with polygamy charges." In a landmark decision last year, Supreme Court of B.C. Chief Justice Robert Bauman said Canada's criminal prohibition against polygamy should be upheld, citing harms to women, children and society that result from the practice. On Monday, Ms. Bond said the province would not refer the decision to a higher court because the government's lawyers have deemed Judge Bauman's decision allows prosecutors to pursue potential polygamy charges. Vancouver lawyer Peter Wilson was appointed in January to look into possible offences involving people linked to Bountiful, a settlement in southeastern B.C. that is home to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The FLDS, an offshoot Mormon sect, considers polygamy a tenet of its faith even though the mainstream Mormon church renounced the practice more than a century ago. At the time he was appointed, Mr. Wilson's mandate did not include polygamy, but focused on potential offences against minors, including sexual assault, sexual interference, and parents or guardians procuring sexual activity. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New mandate allows B.C. prosecutor to go after polygamists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Keith Fraser Postmedia News Vancouver Sun Originally published March 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER - A special prosecutor has been given expanded powers to lay charges against polygamists in British Columbia, the Attorney General announced Monday. The move came as the provincial government announced it would not refer a B.C. Supreme Court ruling upholding the polygamy law to the Supreme Court of Canada. In January, Vancouver lawyer Peter Wilson was appointed special prosecutor to look into the possible prosecution of sexual exploitation and other alleged offences against minors in Bountiful, the polygamist enclave of fundamentalist Mormons in southeastern B.C. At the time, the ministry said Wilson's mandate did not include consideration of polygamy-related offences. But Wilson's mandate has now been broadened to conduct an "independent charge assessment review" of any information brought forward from the ongoing RCMP investigation that might result in polygamy charges, says a government press release. Last year the RCMP announced it was investigating allegations raised at a polygamy trial that underage girls from Bountiful were being smuggled across the border to marry men in the U.S. In a lengthy ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman had upheld the ban on polygamy, finding there were inherent harms to children and women associated with multiple marriages. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B.C. won't seek more definitive ruling on polygamy ban | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jeff Lee Vancouver Sun Originally published March 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The provincial government won't appeal a recent ruling on polygamy to the Supreme Court of Canada. In a statement Monday, Justice Minister and Attorney-General Shirley Bond said the province believes the current laws banning polygamy are strong enough, based on a ruling in November by Chief Justice Robert Bauman of the B.C. Supreme Court who upheld the constitutionality of the polygamy section of the Criminal Code. After the ruling the province considered appealing the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada in the hopes of obtaining a stronger ruling that would apply across the country. But Bond said that after reviewing Bauman's "comprehensive and compelling" decision, the government has decided against referring it to the higher court. "Legal counsel have advised me they are satisfied his decision will enable police and prosecutors to act with authority in investigating and prosecuting criminally polygamous relationships," Bond said in a statement. "While the opinion of a higher court may be more persuasive in case law, the government does not believe a referral decision is necessary. The true victims of polygamy are the women and children this trial court decision protects. Ultimately, the province has weighed these considerations against the impact of further court proceedings on people who have experienced polygamy first-hand and - even though the referral would be based only on the existing record and not further testimony - decided not to go forward." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New power to prosecute polygamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Erica Bulman QMI Agency CNews Canoe Originally published March 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER -- The B.C. government has given a special Crown prosecutor the power to lay possible polygamy charges in the RCMP's ongoing investigation into the closed fundamentalist Mormon community of Bountiful, B.C. The move goes hand in hand with the province's decision not to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada to strengthen current anti-polygamy laws. Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond announced Monday that Peter Wilson's mandate has been expanded to include polygamy prosecutions. He was appointed in January to look into allegations of sexual exploitation and other offences by religious leaders against minors in an east Kootenay community, dating back to the early 1980s. Wilson was originally directed to consider charges related to the trafficking of children into the United States - especially young girls sent to marry older men - but not charges related to polygamy. Bond, however, said the province was now satisfied with Chief Justice Robert Bauman's "comprehensive and compelling" decision in November to uphold the constitutionality of Canada's 121-year-old anti-polygamy law, citing its harm to women, children and society. "Legal counsel have advised me they are satisfied his decision will enable police and prosecutors to act with authority in investigating and prosecuting criminally polygamous relationships," Bond said in a statement. Winston Blackmore and James Oler, both leaders of separate factions in Bountiful, were arrested in January 2009 and each charged with practicing polygamy. The charges were thrown out after the men's lawyers successfully argued in court that the decision of a previous special prosecutor not to lay charges was final. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prosecutor gets go-ahead on polygamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: Staff Writer Winnipeg Free Press - Winnipeg, Manitoba Originally published March 27, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER -- The British Columbia government has cleared the way for a special prosecutor to lay polygamy charges linked to the RCMP investigation in the southeastern B.C. community of Bountiful. Peter Wilson was appointed by the province's criminal justice branch earlier this year to examine possible charges related to the movement of teen brides across the U.S. border to marry much older men. He was not given a mandate to consider polygamy charges, despite a landmark B.C. Supreme Court decision last November that concluded the anti-polygamy law is constitutional. The government is now expanding Wilson's powers, Attorney General Shirley Bond said Monday as she announced the province has elected not to ask a higher court to review last year's court decision. The move allows Wilson to look into further charges. The court found the harm polygamy causes to women and children outweighs the law's violation of the right to religious freedom. Provincial lawyers say the lower court ruling is powerful enough to support criminal charges against those in polygamous relationships without getting the opinion of a higher court, Bond said. The province considered an appeal but weighed it against the impact of more court proceedings involving people who have experienced polygamy first-hand, she said. Wilson will now independently review information brought forward from the ongoing RCMP investigation to determine whether the evidence warrants polygamy or other charges, Bond said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bigamy trial's jury deliberating | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS leader accused of 3 felonies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 27, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - The jury is out in the bigamy trial of a former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On Tuesday, the fifth day of the trial of Wendell Loy Nielsen, jurors were allowed to go home for the evening after about 45 minutes of deliberation. Nielsen, 71, was a leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is accused of three counts of felony bigamy, allegedly having married three women, two of them on the same day, in addition to his legal wife. David Botsford, Nielsen's Austin defense attorney, did not challenge the premise that "celestial marriages" did occur, but he told the jury those marriages cannot count as the kind of marriage required to violate Texas bigamy statutes. "There has been no evidence that the sealing would constitute a marriage under Texas law," Botsford said in final arguments. The FLDS practices polygamy by sanctioning multiple "spiritual" or "celestial" marriages in a ceremonial procedure known to the polygamists as "sealing." Jurors have learned from documents that the three women whom Nielsen is accused of illegally marrying are Ilene Jeffs, who would have been 43 at the time of the "marriage," Margaret Lucille Jessop Johnson, who would have been 58 at the time of her "marriage" and Veda Barlow Johnson, who would've been 65 at the time of her "marriage." Linda Black, whom he married in 1965, was Nielsen's legal wife. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bigamy Case of Former FLDS Leader Now in Hands of Midland Jury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jen Kastner NewsWest 9 - KWES - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast Mar 27, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - The bigamy case of a former polygamist church leader is now in the hands of a jury. Wendell Nielsen's trial started last week at the Midland District Courthouse and is moving faster than anticipated. On Tuesday, attorneys wrapped up closing arguments and the case went to the jury. The prosecution argued that, through consistent pieces of legal documentation and paperwork, Nielsen was legally married to three women at once. They stated the act of bigamy is considered a crime against the family and a violation of Texas state law. The defense argued that these marriages where celestial and spiritual in nature. They claimed the FLDS practice believes a woman gets to heaven by partaking in celestial marriage. So, they said, these women were simply trying to get to heaven. The jury deliberated for about an hour on Tuesday afternoon before deciding to reconvene on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B.C. Attorney General gives prosecutor mandate to go after polygamists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Peter Baklinski LifeSiteNews.com - Toronto, Ontario Originally published Wed Mar 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VICTORIA, British Columbia, March 28, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After B.C.'s supreme court upheld Canada's 121-year-old ban on polygamy in November, calling the practice "harm[ful] to women, to children, to society and to the institution of monogamous marriage," the province has decided that the ruling was "strong enough" to bring polygamists to justice. "I'm very pleased to say today that our team believes that in and of itself the ruling was strong enough that we can move forward potentially with polygamy charges," said Attorney General Shirley Bond on Monday. Last November, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman heard 42 days of testimony and legal arguments relating to Canada's prohibition against polygamy. The case revolved around the Mormon community in Bountiful, B.C., where Winston Blackmore and James Oler were charged under Section 293 of Canada's Criminal Code for entering into "conjugal union with more than one person at the same time." At the time, Blackmore claimed to have had 26 wives who gave him 108 children. "I asked our team to take a very thorough look at the ruling - because we wanted to make sure we felt we had enough strength in that ruling to proceed with potential polygamy charges," said Bond. "Legal counsel have advised me they are satisfied his decision will enable police and prosecutors to act with authority in investigating and prosecuting criminally polygamous relationships." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jury finds ex-polygamist leader guilty of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Associated Press The Seattle Times Originally published Wednesday, March 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas - A West Texas jury has found a former lieutenant to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs guilty of bigamy. Prosecutors had accused Wendell Loy Nielsen of unlawfully marrying three women besides his legal wife. His defense attorney had argued that "celestial marriages" weren't a violation of state bigamy laws. The 71-year-old Nielsen was found guilty of three counts of bigamy. Nielsen is the former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was one of 12 people indicted after a 2008 raid on the polygamist sect's West Texas ranch. The San Angelo Standard-Times reports that Nielsen showed no immediate reaction to the verdict. He faces up to 10 years in prison after rejecting a plea deal last year that would have allowed him to avoid jail. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs' lieutenant found guilty of three counts of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By msnbc.com staff and news services U.S.News MSNBC Originally published March 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| After a deliberating for less than an hour, a Texas jury found Wendell Loy Nielsen, a lieutenant of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, guilty of three counts of bigamy. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each count. Nielsen was accused of marrying three women in 2006 when they were 43, 58 and 65. Nielsen, 71, is one of a dozen men with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints charged with bigamy after the 2008 raid of the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. The sect, which has about 10,000 followers, broke off with the Mormon church in the 1880s over whether to ban polygamy. Prosecutors said in opening arguments that Nielsen violated Texas bigamy laws because he lived with more than one woman and claimed to be married to them all. He allegedly had 35 wives, although he was charged with just three counts of bigamy. The issue put to the jury of five women and seven men was whether "spiritual" or "celestial" marriages are true marriages under Texas law. Bigamy, rarely charged in the United States, is illegal in most western countries. Most cases involve someone marrying someone in the U.S., unaware that their marriage in a previous country was still valid. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Verdict In for Former FLDS Member on Trial in Midland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jen Kastner NewsWest 9 - KWES - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast Mar 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - A former leader in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has found out his fate. Wendell Nielsen has been on trial in Midland for three counts of bigamy. On Wednesday, the jury found Nielsen guilty on all charges. The 71-year-old didn't show much emotion as the judge read the verdict to the courtroom. On Wednesday afternoon, the second phase of the trial began. Prosecuting Attorney, Eric Nichols, tells NewsWest 9, "The trial is starting the punishment phase of the case and any further comment at this point we'll refrain from making until the jury hears the evidence on punishment and makes its decision on punishment in the case." Nielsen is facing up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each count. In the second phase of the trial, the prosecution told jurors they'll prove Nielsen abused his authority and allowed countless women and children within FLDS to become victims. They proceeded to show various documents proving Nielsen was married 35 times and fathered dozens of kids. One of his marriages, they report, was to an 18 year-old, when he was 60 years-old. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas jury convicts former polygamist sect leader of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller MIDLAND, Texas Reuters Originally published Wed Mar 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Reuters) - A Texas jury found a former leader of a breakaway Mormon polygamist sect guilty of being married to at least three women at the same time, including marrying two of them on the same day. After about an hour and a half of deliberations, the jury in a Midland, Texas, trial convicted Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, of three counts of the rarely-prosecuted crime of bigamy. Nielsen is a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a breakaway sect of the Mormon church. He was accused of marrying three women when they were 43, 58 and 65 years old. Defense attorney David Botsford argued that Texas bigamy laws do not apply to the marriages practiced by the sect, which teaches that for a man to be among the select in heaven, he must have at least three wives. The Mormon church has condemned the sect, which has an estimated 10,000 followers in North America. He said that the women were placed with Nielsen in order to secure their salvation and that the unions were never intended to be legal. "Without a head of the household, she cannot go to heaven," Botsford said. But special prosecutor Eric Nichols said the unions were common-law marriages. "What you're dealing with here are multiple marriages that look like marriage, talk like marriage, walk like marriages," Nichols said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas jury convicts Warren Jeffs follower of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Molly Hennessy-Fiske Los Angeles Times Originally published March 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOUSTON -- A West Texas jury has found a former associate of polygamist religious leader Warren Jeffs guilty of bigamy. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, stood trial for marrying three women in addition to his legal wife, two of whom he married on the same day in 2006. At trial this month, his attorney had argued that the sect's "celestial marriages" did not violate state bigamy laws. The jury in Midland, about 330 miles west of Dallas, deliberated for about an hour and a half before finding Nielsen guilty Wednesday of three counts of bigamy, court clerks told The Times. Nielsen is the former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon offshoot sect. He was among the dozen people indicted after a 2008 raid on the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, about 150 miles southeast of Midland. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not recognize the fundamentalist sect and renounced polygamy more than a century ago. Jeffs is serving a life sentence in Texas state prison after he was convicted last year of sexually assaulting two girls, ages 12 and 15. He still maintains control of the sect from behind bars, releasing prophetic messages to public officials and taking out advertisements in newspapers. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jury finds ex-polygamist leader guilty of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published March 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - A former lieutenant to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs was convicted Wednesday of illegally taking three wives besides his own, despite his attorney's argument that "celestial marriages" weren't forbidden by state law. A West Texas jury found Wendell Loy Nielsen guilty of three counts of bigamy. He faces up to 10 years in prison. The San Angelo Standard-Times reported that Nielsen had no immediate reaction as the verdict was read. The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Nielsen is the former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon sect that believes polygamy leads to exaltation in heaven. The mainstream Mormon church disavowed polygamy more than a century ago. Nielsen was one of 12 people indicted after a 2008 raid on the polygamist sect's compound in West Texas known as the Yearning for Zion ranch. Prosecutors showed photos of the YDZ ranch in Eldorado, Texas. They also named the three women they believed Nielsen had married in 2005 besides his legal wife. Handwritten family records seized during the 2008 raid suggest Nielsen may have taken as many as 21 wives. The compound had a gleaming white temple, a school and a guard tower. Prosecutors also showed photos of the home where Nielsen allegedly lived. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Guilty Verdict For Nielson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: KLST News - San Angelo, Texas Originally broadcast March 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A guilty verdict for former FLDS president Wendell Nielsen. And today in Midland jury members heard evidence in the punishment phase of the trial. Jurors found the 71-year-old Nielsen guilty on all three counts of bigamy -- for being married to three women -- other than his legal wife -- at the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County -- in 2006. Today in Midland the same five women and seven men on the jury are hearing testimony from officers involved in the investigation. Prosecutors say Nielsen was spiritually married to more than 30 women -- and is accused of conducting a ceremony marrying a 12-year-old girl to prophet Warren Jeffs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS leader found guilty of bigamy in Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Mike Watkiss AZ Family Originally broadcast March 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas -- A 71-year-old man named Wendell Nielsen was found guilty Wednesday of the crime of bigamy by a jury in Midland, Texas. For years Nielsen has been a power player in the closed and secretive community led by polygamous prophet Warren Jeffs. The jury of five women and seven men took only 90 minutes to find that Nielsen had taken three middle-aged women as "plural brides" when he was already legally married. Defense lawyers argued that Nielsen's marriages were "celestial" or "spiritual" and not a violation of Texas law. The jury didn't buy it. Nielsen, who is believed to have about 34 wives, was once one of the most trusted supporters and allies of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. The conviction keeps Texas prosecutors' winning streak intact. Following the controversial raid on Warren Jeffs' YFZ Ranch, a dozen FLDS men including Jeffs, were indicted on various charges ranging for sexual assault to bigamy. With Nielsen's conviction today, 11 of those 12 men have now been found guilty or pleaded no contest to criminal charges. Neilsen could get up to ten years in prison. The aggressive approach of Texas authorities continues to create a stark and dramatic contrast with what many perceive as the inaction and inattention of officials in Arizona where a bill that would decertify the corrupt police department of Colorado City now seems to have stalled in the legislature as the session approaches its end. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Texas Polygamist Trials Draw National Attention | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nick Lawton NewsWest 9 - KWES - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast Mar 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - Warren Jeffs and Wendell Nielsen. Both affiliated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, both polygamists, both tried and sentenced in West Texas. Court documents accuse Nielsen of being married 35 times. The trial of Jeffs revealed he took underage girls as wives, even fathering children with them. "This background is very fascinating for people," Historical Author, Bridget Cook, said. Cook is currently writing a book on Nielsen's trial. "They don't understand everything that goes on behind the scenes," she said. Marfa Public Radio reporter, Steve Anderson, who is also writing a book on the Nielsen trial, has been following the last six FLDS trials from Eldorado to San Angelo and he said polygamy's drastically different culture draws us in. "These folks separated themselves from mainstream society starting back in 1890," Anderson said. "It's almost as if time stopped for these folks. From my exposure to them and my reading of them, it's almost as if we're time-traveling." "It's not accepted around the country and so it's definitely a different culture and a different situation," Cook said. But in the end, the authors covering Nielsen's trial said just because polygamists hide from our culture, it doesn't excuse them from the law. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen found guilty of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Punishment phase of trial continues today | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 28, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - Midland jurors found the former leader of a polygamist sect guilty Wednesday morning of marrying three women in bigamy. Then the state put up a list of more than 30 additional bigamous marriages. The jurors spent most of the remainder of the day in the punishment phase of the bigamy trial of Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. "We intend to put on in summary fashion evidence of conduct that spans decades - the victimization of women, children, young women, men," Special Prosecutor Eric Nichols said. Nielsen faces two to 10 years of prison and up to a $10,000 fine for the third-degree bigamy. Prosecutors said Wednesday outside the jury's presence that Nielsen was involved in one way or another in 327 unlawful marriages. "We're trying to punish this man for upholding the religious beliefs of the FLDS," defense attorney David Botsford said to the judge. The FLDS practice multiple "spiritual" or "celestial" marriages. The defense argued that those marriages didn't count as marriages under the bigamy laws because they weren't intended to be legal marriages. The jurors didn't agree, and after deliberating for about 45 minutes Tuesday night and 45 minutes Wednesday morning, they found Nielsen guilty on all counts. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS leader to be sentenced for bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Houston Chronicle Originally published Thursday, March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas (AP) - A former counselor to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs faces up to 10 years in prison after his conviction for bigamy. Wendell Loy Nielsen was found guilty Wednesday of three counts of bigamy. A jury will continue hearing testimony Thursday before deciding on a sentence. Nielsen is a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. FLDS teachings hold that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. The mainstream Mormon church long ago disavowed polygamy. He was accused of taking three wives outside his marriage. He is one of 12 men indicted after a 2008 raid on the sect's remote Texas compound. Nielsen turned down a plea deal before trial that would have allowed him to avoid jail time but imposed conditions of probation that he believed were too restrictive. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex-FLDS leader convicted of bigamy awaits sentence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Associated Press Fort Worth Star Telegram Originally published Thursday, Mar. 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas — A Texas jury that found a former polygamist leader guilty of bigamy is expected to begin deciding his punishment. Wendell Loy Nielsen could be sentenced early as Friday. He is the former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was once a top lieutenant to Warren Jeffs in the polygamist sect. Nielsen was found guilty Wednesday of having multiple marriages, and testimony in the trial's sentencing phase ended Thursday. The 71-year-old faces up to 10 years in prison. Nielsen could have avoided jail altogether. But he renounced his original plea deal with prosecutors last year because he felt the probation conditions were too restrictive. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielson Trial Continues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: KSAN News - San Angelo, Texas Originally broadcast March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Today, jurors heard testimony from FBI agents and saw multiple priesthood records during the sentencing phase of former FLDS president Wendell Nielsen. He was found guilty yesterday on three counts of bigamy - for being married to three women other than his legal wife - while at the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher county in 2008. Today in the Midland County court house - the same jury that convicted him heard testimony concerning his sentencing. Both state and defense rested today and they'll convene tomorrow morning at nine for closing statements on punishment. Much of today's talk in court was about how sick Nielsen is. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Justice is overdue for Bountiful children | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Calgary Herald Originally published March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The B.C. Attorney General's office has wisely concluded that polygamy charges should be part of the mandate of a special prosecutor looking into crimes linked to the community of Bountiful. For years, we have heard of the harm polygamy - which proponents consider a tenet of their faith - causes women, children and society in general. Yet, for decades we have seen successive B.C. governments fail to proceed with polygamy prosecutions against individuals in the southeast B.C. settlement for fear they wouldn't stand up to a constitutional challenge. Finally, that's changing. Attorney General Shirley Bond says a review of a recent court ruling that upheld Canada's ban on polygamy is strong enough to proceed with polygamy charges. "I asked our team to take a very thorough look at the ruling - because we wanted to make sure we felt we had enough strength in that ruling to proceed with potential polygamy charges," she told media earlier this week. Bring them on. What's happening in Bountiful isn't about religion, it is about sexual exploitation, including that of minors. It is often pedophilia disguised as marriage. These children and women need to be protected and their rights defended, for their basic human rights do trump the socalled religious rights of the men in their community. Marriage in Canada is clearly defined as something that is reserved for two consenting adults. Criminal charges need to be brought forward, prosecuted and made to stick. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas court dismisses appeal of FLDS leader Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KABB FOX 29 - San Antonio, Texas Originally broadcast March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A Texas court has dismissed the appeal of Warren Jeffs after the convicted polygamist sect leader made almost no progress on his case. The 3rd District Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday wrote in a two-page order that Jeffs has failed to meet filing deadlines and has altogether not responded to notices from the court. Jeffs is the head of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is serving a life sentence after being convicted last year of sexually assaulting two of his underage brides at the remote West Texas ranch built by his followers. Jeffs has represented himself since firing the last of a revolving door of lawyers during his criminal trial. He also refused to acknowledge the judge then and often sat outside the courtroom. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs appeal dismissed by Texas court | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Ben Winslow FOX 13 News KSTU TV Originally published March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AUSTIN - An appeal filed by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has been dismissed by a Texas court, who ruled he did nothing to advance the case. Jeffs was convicted of child sex assault, accused of taking underage girls as polygamous wives. He was convicted of marrying a 12-year-old, as well as fathering a child with a 15-year-old. Jeffs was sentenced to life, plus 20 years in prison. The Fundamentalist LDS Church leader appealed his conviction, but in a ruling released on Thursday, the Third Court of Appeals in Texas ruled that he did not respond to requests for more information. "We informed Jeffs that his appeal may be dismissed for want of prosecution if he did not make arrangements for payment of the record and submit a status report regarding this appeal on or before January 23, 2012. To date, Jeffs has not responded to this Court's notice, and the clerk's record has not been filed," the ruling stated. Court records show that Jeffs sent a number of "revelations" to the justices but no actual legal appeal. FLDS faithful have flooded politicians nationwide with his predictions of apocalyptic doom unless he is released from prison. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appeals court rejects Jeffs' appeal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS leader failed to file by deadline | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas - Polygamist sect leader and "prophet" Warren Jeffs did not send in the necessary documents and fees for the appeal of his child sexual assault conviction, but he did send in revelations from Jesus Christ, appellate court staff said. The Texas Third Court of Appeals in Austin released an opinion Thursday dismissing the appeal lodged by Jeffs, the "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The opinion states that Jeffs did not send in the appropriate materials or payments for the appeals process. "We dismiss the appeal for want of prosecution," the opinion states, noting that Jeffs failed to meet two deadlines. Jeffs was convicted in San Angelo in 2011 of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and fathering a child after sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. He is serving a sentence of life plus 20 years in the state prison at Palestine, isolated from other inmates in protective custody. He still faces a bigamy charge, and a pretrial hearing for that case is set for May 21. Jeffs continues to control the sect through his brothers and those still loyal to him in the sect, which has about 10,000 members in North America. Jeffs placed ads in newspapers throughout North America and exercised his authority by expelling members from the sect and imposing strict controls on those who remain. A notice of appeal for the sexual assault charges was filed in September 2011. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs' appeal denied; another sect leader is convicted of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Greg Botelho CNN Originally published Thu March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (CNN) -- A Texas judge denied the appeal of fundamentalist sect leader Warren Jeffs on Thursday, the same day a jury considered testimony to determine how to sentence a key figure in his church after his own bigamy conviction. The leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jeffs is serving a life-plus-20-year term in Texas for sexual assault. He was convicted in August of the aggravated sexual assaults of a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, who Jeffs had claimed were his "spiritual wives." On Thursday, Chief Justice J. Woodfin Jones of Texas' Third District Court of Appeals ruled against Jeffs' appeal of that conviction. In his ruling, Jones noted Jeffs, who represented himself during part of his trial, missed several deadlines related to his appeal. Specifically, he did not file "a written designation specifying the matters to be included in the clerk's record nor (make) arrangements for payment of the record with the clerk's office." "We informed Jeffs that his appeal may be dismissed for want of prosecution if he did not make arrangements for payment of the record and submit a status report regarding this appeal on or before January 23, 2012," Jones wrote. "To date, Jeffs has not responded." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appeal denied for Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Never paid for records | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KXAN 36 Austin Originally published Thursday, 29 Mar 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Texas Court of Appeals in the Third District Thursday denied the appeal of former polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence plus 20 years for sexually assaulting two of his underage brides, ages 12 and 15. The imprisoned head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was convicted in August of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sexual assault of another child in a national story that brought before the public the practices of the church that taking multiple, young brides is acceptable. According to the court document, records for the appeal and payment to the court were due by Dec. 7, and neither was done. Jeffs was notified on Jan. 12 that failure to comply with such meant his appeal may be dismissed for want of prosecution if he did not make arrangements for payment of the record and submit a status report regarding his appeal on or before Jan. 23. According to the court, Jeffs did not respond to the notice, and on Thursday, his appeal was dismissed for want of prosecution. Jeffs is being held in the Powledge Unit, located west of Palestine. See mug shot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read the Texas Third District Court of Appeals' Memorandum Opinion dismissing the appeal by Warren Jeffs, filed March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| More marriages alleged in Nielsen case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Punishment phase prompts union evidence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - Illegal marriage abetting, fugitive hiding, and breaking up families - the allegations rained down heavily in the courtroom against the former leader of a polygamist sect. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, was found guilty of three counts of bigamy on Wednesday morning, and the trial is in the punishment phase. Nielsen faces a maximum sentence of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. By Wednesday afternoon, jurors had been told about 30 bigamous wives Nielsen is alleged to have had in addition to the three he was convicted of having. The jury was shown a document listing 326 other marriages with which Nielsen was connected either by officiating or being a witness. Most of them were bigamous and 50 of which involved girls 12 to 18 years old, performed in locations from Texas to Canada. The young brides started after FLDS "prophet" Warren Jeffs took control of the sect from his father in 1998, according to testimony at the trial. "The ages of marriages became younger and younger," former FLDS member Ezra Draper testified on the witness stand. Warren Jeffs is serving a sentence at the state prison in Palestine of life plus 20 years after being convicted last year for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, but Jeffs still retains control of the FLDS through his brothers. Documents showed that Nielsen was part of the sect's leadership as the move to younger brides was happening. The prosecution also accused Nielsen of being part of kicking young men out of the church. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former Warren Jeffs' lieutenant guilty of bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By HLNtv staff Turner Broadcasting System HLNtv.com Originally broadcast Thu March 29, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nielsen given maximum sentence on all counts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - A Midland jury has sentenced Wendell Loy Nielsen, a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and close associate of its imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, to the maximum 10 years and $10,000 fine on each of three counts of felony bigamy. This is a breaking news story. More details will be posted as they become available. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS Leader Given Maximum Sentence by Texas Jury on Bigamy Counts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller KCSG Television - St. George, Utah Originally published March 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Midland, TX) - A Midland jury has sentenced Wendell Loy Nielsen, a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and close associate of its imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, to the maximum 10 years and $10,000 fine on each of three counts of felony bigamy. The jury had found the former leader of the sect guity of marrying three women in bigamy on Wednesday. The penalty phase of the trial end Friday with the maximum allowed under Texas law. The defense said the FLDS practice of multiple "spiritual" or "celestial" marriages and argued that those marriages didn't count as marriages under the bigamy laws because they were not intended to be legal marriages. The jurors didn't agree, and after deliberating for about 45 minutes Tuesday night and 45 minutes Wednesday morning, they found Nielsen guilty on all counts. Nielsen was charged with marrying three women in 2006 when they were 43, 58 and 65, marrying two on the same day. He was an FLDS president, also named a "bodyguard" of the prophet Rulon Jeffs, the father of Warren Jeffs. FLDS supreme leader Warren Jeffs assumed the position of the president in early 2011, although Rulon Jeffs had been the "prophet" throughout Nielsen's presidency. Jeffs is serving a sentence in the state prison at Palestine of life plus 20 years after being convicted last year for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, but Jeffs still retains control of the FLDS organization through his brothers. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielson Goes To Prison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: KLST News - San Angelo, Texas Originally broadcast March 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS president Wendell Nielsen will go to prison. A Midland County jury today sentenced Nielsen to ten years for his bigamy conviction. The jury members sentenced the 71-year-old Nielsen to ten years in prison for each of the three counts of bigamy at the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County. Nielsen will serve the sentences concurrently -- which means they'll be served together. Earlier this year -- Nielsen backed out of a plea deal that would have given him ten years probation because he would not have been allowed to live in Colorado with family members. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex-FLDS leader sentenced to 10 years in prison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published March 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas - A former polygamist leader found guilty of bigamy has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. A Midland County jury sentenced Wendell Loy Nielsen on Friday, two days after he was convicted on three counts of bigamy. He will serve the three sentences concurrently. The 71-year-old Nielsen is the former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was once a top lieutenant to Warren Jeffs in the polygamist group. He also was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 for each of the counts. Testimony in the trial's sentencing phase ended Thursday. Nielsen could have avoided jail but renounced his original plea deal with prosecutors because he felt the probation conditions were too restrictive. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas bigamist, a Warren Jeffs follower, gets 10 years in prison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Dalina Castellanos Los Angeles Times Originally published March 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A West Texas polygamist who authorities said had multiple "celestial marriages" was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, was given a 10-year term on each of the three counts of bigamy for which he convicted and will serve them concurrently. He was also ordered to pay $30,000 in fines. Nielsen, a former associate of polygamist religious leader Warren Jeffs, was found guilty Wednesday of marrying three women in addition to his legal wife. He married two of the three on the same day in 2006, prosecutors said. Nielsen is the former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon offshoot sect. He was one of a dozen people indicted after a 2008 raid on the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, about 150 miles southeast of Midland. According to the Texas attorney general's office, 11 defendants connected to the ranch faced indictments on counts of sexual assault of a child, bigamy or other charges; all have been convicted on felony charges and sentenced to prison. Nielsen had rejected a plea deal last year that would have allowed him to avoid jail. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen gets max sentence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sect member to serve 2-10 years for bigamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published March 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - Neither Wendell Loy Nielsen nor men identified as his sons seemed surprised Friday when the former president of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints received the maximum sentence on each of three counts of felony bigamy. Nielsen showed no reaction as he stood and received the sentence from a jury in Midland district court, and the 71-year-old was escorted out of the courtroom without handcuffs to the elevators of the Midland County Courthouse. The bigamy charges were third-degree felonies, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The sentences are to be served concurrently, meaning Nielsen will spend no more than 10 years behind bars. In October, Nielsen had accepted a sentence of 10 years probation as part of a plea agreement. But in November he withdrew his acceptance because the terms of the probation wouldn't allow him to live in Colorado, where he has family. Special Prosecutor Eric Nichols told jurors in final arguments that the case wasn't about religion. It was about "the system he used to exploit those" under him, Nichols said. During the punishment phase, jurors heard that, in addition to having 34 wives in total, Nielsen was a witness or officiant for 326 other marriages, 50 of them involving girls younger than 18 and down to age 12. The jurors had found Nielsen guilty of bigamy Wednesday morning. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS Member Sentenced | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Staff Report NewsWest 9 - KWES - Midland, Texas Originally broadcast Mar 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND - A former leader in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has learned his sentence after being found guilty on Wednesday. A Midland jury came back with a sentence of 10 years for each charge of bigamy for Wendell Nielsen. Nielsen was found guilty of three charges of bigamy. The sentences will be served concurrently meaning Nielsen will only serve 10 years in prison. Nielsen was also ordered to pay a fine of $30,000. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former Warren Jeffs associate gets 10 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Friday, Mar. 30, 201 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND -- A former associate of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for bigamy. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, was given 10 years on each of the three counts on which he was convicted by a Midland County jury. The judge ordered him to serve the terms concurrently. He was also ordered to pay $30,000 in fines. Nielsen, a former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was found guilty Wednesday of marrying three women in addition to his legal wife. He married two of the three on the same day in 2006, prosecutors said. Nielsen was one of a dozen people indicted after a 2008 raid on the sect's Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado, about 150 miles southeast of Midland. According to the Texas attorney general's office, 11 defendants connected to the ranch were indicted on counts of sexual assault of a child, bigamy and other charges. All have been convicted on felony charges and sentenced to prison. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas polygamist sect leader given 10-year bigamy sentence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller Reuters KFOR - NewsChannel 4 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Originally published March 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MIDLAND, Texas (Reuters) - A jury handed a former leader of a breakaway Mormon polygamist sect a 10-year prison sentence on Friday for three counts of the rarely prosecuted crime of bigamy, though prosecutors said he had 34 wives in all. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints led by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, showed little reaction when Texas District Judge Robert Moore read the sentence. Moore did not comment on the sentence, and Nielsen was marched out of the courtroom by sheriff's deputies. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. The same West Texas jury heard eight days of testimony and deliberated less than two hours before convicting Nielsen on Wednesday of felony bigamy, a crime that legal scholars say is rarely prosecuted in the United States. Prosecutor Eric Nichols said Nielsen had 34 wives of his own, and officiated at or witnessed 326 unlawful marriages. Fifty of those marriages were to girls under age 18 and included 12- and 13-year-old girls. The sect Nielsen belongs to teaches that for a man to be among the select in heaven, he must have at least three wives. The Mormon church has renounced its polygamist past and condemned the sect, which has an estimated 10,000 followers in North America. The prosecution also presented evidence that Nielsen played a part in breaking up families, did not seek medical help for an underage teenager's pregnancy complications, and hid sect leader Jeffs from police while Jeffs was on the FBI's most wanted list. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas polygamist sect leader 'with 34 wives' receives 10-year bigamy sentence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Daily Mail Reporter Daily Mail - London, England Originally published 30 March 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A former leader of a breakaway Mormon polygamist sect received a 10-year prison sentence Friday for three counts of the rarely prosecuted crime of bigamy, though prosecutors said he had 34 wives in all. Wendell Loy Nielsen, 71, of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints led by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, showed little reaction when Texas District Judge Robert Moore read the sentence. Mr Moore did not comment on the sentence, and Nielsen was marched out of the courtroom by sheriff's deputies. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. The same West Texas jury heard eight days of testimony and deliberated less than two hours before convicting Nielsen on Wednesday of felony bigamy, a crime that legal scholars say is rarely prosecuted in the United States. Prosecutor Eric Nichols said Nielsen had 34 wives of his own, and officiated at or witnessed 326 unlawful marriages. Fifty of those marriages were to girls under age 18 and included 12- and 13-year-old girls. The sect Nielsen belongs to teaches that for a man to be among the select in heaven, he must have at least three wives. The Mormon church has renounced its polygamist past and condemned the sect, which has an estimated 10,000 followers in North America. The prosecution also presented evidence that Nielsen played a part in breaking up families, did not seek medical help for an underage teenager's pregnancy complications, and hid sect leader Jeffs from police while Jeffs was on the FBI's most wanted list. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Changing the Mormon image: Behind the scenes of LDS Church media efforts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Michael De Groote Deseret News Originally published Friday, March 30 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This is one of two articles from Utah Valley Universitys "Mormons and the Internet" conference held March 29-30. Read the other article, on "The Mormon Internet battleground."
OREM — The calls were strange, Buddy Blankenfeld said. The 2008 raid on the FLDS compound in Eldorado, Texas had many in the media confusing the LDS Church with the fundamentalist polygamist group. "Members of the media identified them as Mormon, LDS or as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," said Blankenfeld, an LDS Church Public Affairs Department manager. Journalists called the department and asked questions that showed they didn't know there was a difference between the two churches. One even wanted photographs of the interior of the Salt Lake Temple — confusing it with the FLDS temple in Texas. "We saw a need to provide the media with information that presented a clear distinction between our church and Warren Jeffs' group," Blankenfeld said, adding that the church wanted to make the distinction without disparaging the FLDS church. Videos were made showing ordinary Texas Mormons living their lives of faith. "Show who we were instead of who we were not," Blankenfeld said. An Associated Press article came out on June 26, 2008 talking about the church's PR campaign. "Nearly overnight journalists began accurately reporting and making the distinction between Warren Jeffs' polygamist sect and our faith," Blankenfeld said. "And those strange calls stopped." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RCMP investigating polygamy allegations in Bountiful, B.C. — again | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Canadian Press Toronto Star Originally published Fri Mar 30 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER - RCMP investigators have added allegations of polygamy to their investigation of a religious sect in Bountiful, B.C. The Mounties launched an investigation targeting Bountiful last year after a constitutional court case uncovered allegations that teen girls had been moved to the U.S. to marry older men. But that investigation was not looking at the Criminal Code section banning polygamy because of questions around the constitutionality of the law. RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says that changed this week after the province's attorney general said there would be no further reviews of the law and that polygamy had been added to the mandate of a special prosecutor. Moskaluk says investigators, which have already been visiting Bountiful in southeastern B.C., will now be actively investigating allegations of multiple marriage. Moskaluk says special prosecutor Peter Wilson has also been given material collected in previous investigations of Bountiful, which led to charges against two community leaders in 2009, which were later thrown out. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RCMP renews polygamy investigation into Bountiful | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JAMES KELLER The Canadian Press The Globe and Mail - Toronto, Ontario Originally published Friday, Mar. 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamous marriages in the religious commune of Bountiful, B.C. are once again under the scrutiny of the RCMP, following two decades of similar investigations that have so far failed to lead to a single conviction. The Mounties have investigated plural marriages in Bountiful since the early 1990s, but persistent questions about the constitutionality of the law and a successful legal challenge three years ago have meant only two people have ever been charged and no one has been convicted. The RCMP launched an investigation last year focusing on allegations that dozens of teen brides were spirited across the U.S. border to marry older men, but officers weren't actively considering charges of polygamy because of an ongoing constitutional reference case examining the law. That changed this week after the province's attorney-general – buoyed by a court ruling last November that upheld the law – instructed a special prosecutor to consider polygamy charges. "There's a renewed focus on it now," RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said Friday. "The special prosecutor is in possession of some of our previous findings, and if we uncover further information that shows what we believe to be elements of this offence [of polygamy], we would forward that, as well." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Man gets year in jail in attempted molestation case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Dave Hawkins SPECIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL Las Vegas Review-Journal Originally published March 31, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Colorado City, Ariz., man who fondled his young niece was sentenced Friday to a year in jail. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle also sentenced 23-year-old Garth Warner to probation and required him to register as a sex offender for life. Under a plea agreement, Warner was convicted of two counts of attempted child molestation. Prosecutor Doug Camacho said Warner fondled the 7-year-old victim on separate occasions while living at her parent's home in Colorado City last October. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Child-custody case involving Warren Jeffs' brother denied | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Samantha Sadlier The Spectrum Originally published April 2, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE — A 5th District Court judge on Monday dismissed a child-custody case involving the half-brother of former polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs. Wallace Jeffs is trying to gain custody of his children after being excommunicated from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is based in the border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. But Judge Pamela Heffernan dismissed the case, saying it would be more appropriate to allow the custody arrangement to be made in conjunction with the divorce case between Wallace Jeffs and his wife, Amy Jeffs. Amy Jeffs filed for the dismissal in an attempt to protect her custody rights. Heffernan advised Wallace Jeffs' attorney to consider filing with the juvenile courts over the matter, particularly if Wallace Jeffs is worried about the safety and welfare of his children remaining in the polygamous sect. Wallace Jeffs' attorney, Roger Hoole, said his client was told to leave the polygamous group in 2004 for unknown reasons by church leaders and was told to divorce a previous wife. Wallace Jeffs was awarded primary custody of the couple's children at that time, Hoole said. When Jeffs was allowed to return to the religious community, he legally married his wife, Amy, in 2005. He was asked to leave the community again shortly thereafter and was forbidden to make contact with his wife and children. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| APNewsBreak: $4.5M spent on Texas FLDS prosecution | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press Associated Press via Yahoo! News Originally published April 4, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANTONIO (AP) — In the four years since Texas authorities swarmed the polygamist ranch of sect leader Warren Jeffs, state prosecutors have spent more than $4.5 million racking up swift convictions against him and 10 loyal followers on child sex and bigamy charges, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Combined with other state agency costs surrounding the April 3, 2008 raid, documents show the price tag is approaching $20 million for what began as a chaotic roundup of nearly 400 children and grew into one of the largest criminal cases in recent Texas history. The saga is now all but over. Last week, state prosecutors convicted the last of 11 men arrested at the Yearning for Zion Ranch. All received prison time, including a life sentence for Jeffs. "This was never about validation," said Jerry Strickland, spokesman for the Texas attorney general's office. "... It was always about, first and foremost, protecting children. There were a lot of people who wanted to make this about something it was not." Jeffs, 56, is the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is still considered God's spokesman by his followers despite being in prison. He and several of his convicted followers still face separate charges of bigamy. Strickland said Tuesday his office has not yet decided whether to also prosecute the bigamy allegations. When asked whether spending more taxpayer dollars would factor in that decision, Strickland said he did not know. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs' phone privileges restored | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 90-day revocation ended on Good Friday | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 6, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — Phone privileges for imprisoned Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs were restored on Good Friday after a 90-day revocation instituted by prison authorities, who concluded Jeffs broke rules concerning prison phone use. An investigation by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice determined that Jeffs participated in a telephone conference directed at multiple people on Christmas Day. Prison rules dictate that inmate calls are allowed only to one person at a time, TDCJ spokeswoman Michelle Lyons has said. Prison officials have said they didn't have specifics on what was said in the calls, which were each 15 minutes long, the maximum time allowed for a single phone call. Prisoners get 240 phone call minutes each month. Two people were stricken from the list of people Jeffs was allowed to call, Lyons said. Their identities are not public record, she said. Jeffs is serving his time in the Palestine unit of the Texas prison system. Prison spokesman Jason Clark said he can't release information about whether Jeffs has been making calls again. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs issues new revelation, gets prison phone privileges back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Ben Winslow FOX 13 News KSTU TV Originally published April 6, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PALESTINE, Texas — Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs issued a revelation calling for "all peoples" to celebrate Jesus Christ's birthday, by bowing and praying on April 6 at 7:18 a.m. It came the same day that Jeffs was given his privileges to make phone calls once again from prison. In another revelation mass mailed to political leaders, including Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, the imprisoned Fundamentalist LDS Church leader demanded world leaders mark the occasion or face the wrath of God. "Let all peoples bow the knee, confessing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Jehovah Christ Ahman Holy Lord over all peoples. Amen," he wrote. The revelation, dated March 17, promised floods, winds, earthquakes, disease and other destruction if people refused to repent. April 6 is a significant date in the history of Mormonism: it is the date that Joseph Smith founded the Mormon faith. The FLDS Church is a fundamentalist splinter group of Mormonism. The mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints no longer practices polygamy and excommunicates those who do. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read Warren Jeffs' March 17, 2012 Revelations from prison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DSC students to present research to community | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published April 8, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - Dixie State College students from a variety of undergraduate disciplines will present the results of their research projects to the public Monday during the second annual Student Research Day. The school will host a keynote address by Lisa Berreau, a chemistry professor and associate dean of research at Utah State University, followed by an afternoon filled with discussion of topics including polygamy as experienced by former members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, frogs in Zion National Park, the effects of texting on language skills and dying with dignity. "We have 26 presenters. They come from different departments - mostly English, but also the physical sciences, medical fields, psychology, communications and biology," said Theda Wrede, an associate professor of English at DSC. Wrede helped launch the event last year after searching for a way to make research projects part of the undergraduate experience at Dixie State, she said. "The world is becoming much more competitive. ... As Dixie State College moves toward university status, academic excellence takes on a greater importance," Wrede said. "The students need to have a venue for their research to appreciate it." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Student researchers share work | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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David DeMille The Spectrum Originally published April 10, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - Dixie State College students put their academic skills on display Monday, exhibiting what they've learned and sparking an intellectual discussion with members of the community during the second annual DSC Student Research Day. Twenty-six students, pulled from a number of disciplines, gave presentations on everything from the Lake Powell pipeline to polygamy, explaining and sometimes defending their findings to a large audience of student peers, professors and interested visitors from the public. It was an exercise that students said allowed them to demonstrate their understanding while provoking new questions and ideas for future projects. "To me, it's invaluable to my education. If I can explain it, it means I understand it," said Tony Rhodes, a biology major presenting on the tendencies for certain parts of the body to collect bacteria. Rhodes said he previously attended Salt Lake Community College, where student research has been heavily emphasized for years, and he was glad that DSC is expanding and improving its efforts. People who attend the research day come away feeling that DSC has the faculty, resources and students of a strong academic institution, he said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key witness in FLDS trials spoke out 'for those who have no voice' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former sister wife details 'constant state of fear' at FLDS ranch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Ladd Brubaker Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, April 11 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — A key witness in Texas and Utah trials that dealt blows to Warren Jeffs and many of his followers in the Fundamentalist LDS Church has not spoken publicly outside of court — until now. But Rebecca Musser, the 19th of 65 wives of Jeffs' predecessor, Rulon Jeffs, did not talk Wednesday about the behind-the-scenes details of the prosecutions related to the raid of the FLDS Church's YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, that led to 11 convictions. Instead, she sought to deliver a message of inspiration and personal empowerment to the audience of mostly women at an event called Women Overcoming Obstacles. Musser said she has chosen not to speak publicly until now, because she felt her voice would be more powerful testifying over 20 times in court against the men and the sect that once owned her, "body and soul." At age 19, Musser was forced into an arranged marriage with Rulon Jeffs, who was 85 at the time. "My father sold my innocence," Musser said. "My life there was a constant state of fear, unknown ... silence." The FLDS consider women the property of men, Musser said, with their sole duty to obey their husband perfectly, just as the men must obey the prophet perfectly. She said no one ever told her that she had the right to refuse sexual relations with the then-FLDS prophet. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Candidates named for Hildale court vacancy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published April 12, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - Three Washington County residents have been named candidates to fill a judicial vacancy in the Hildale Justice Court. K. Jake Graff of Washington City, Karlin S. Myers of Ivins and Manuel M. Palma of St. George were named as the selections Tuesday by the nominating commission responsible for replacing Judge Richard Carr, a retired judge who has presided over the court for the past six years. Utah State Courts Public Information Officer Nancy Volmer said Carr has been serving on a temporary basis in the court located on the Utah state line southeast of Hurricane, and the court system was seeking a more permanent replacement. Graff is an attorney with the legal firm Bingham Snow and Caldwell and a former attorney at the Dunn Law Firm in St. George, practicing commercial litigation, construction law and domestic relations and family law. Myers is the judge presiding over Hurricane's Justice Court. He has served there since July 2005 and previously maintained a private law firm with an emphasis on criminal defense. Palma is a retired inspector with the Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration's field office in Boulder City, Nev. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex-S.L. County administrator of FLDS 'lost boys' program pleads not guilty to fraud | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Dennis Romboy Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 12 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — A former Salt Lake County administrator charged with fraud in connection with a program for "lost boys" of the polygamous FLDS Church pleaded not guilty in federal court Thursday. A grand jury last month indicted Richard M. Parks on 25 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, making false statements and theft from a program receiving federal funds. The indictment seeks $95,154 in restitution. U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells scheduled a seven-day jury trial to begin June 18. Prosecutors did not seek to place Parks in custody, but Wells ordered him to surrender his passport. He has no prior criminal convictions. Parks, who turns 64 next week, is accused of falsifying time cards, overpaying workers and reimbursing himself for non-business trips while he worked as the county's AmeriCorps program administrator. AmeriCorps, a national service organization, provided volunteers at a St. George safe house for young men fleeing the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. Volunteers receive stipends for fulfilling the terms of their contracts. Salt Lake County ran the program because Washington County did not have an AmeriCorps grant. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 'I was in a constant state of fear': Woman reveals 'seven years of sexual abuse' as young bride married to Warren Jeffs' 85-year-old sect leader FATHER | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Daily Mail Reporter Daily Mail - London, England Originally published 12 April 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At age 19, Rebecca Musser was 'given away' by her father and married to Rulon Jeffs, the 85-year-old leader of an extremist polygamist Mormon sect later led by his notorious son Warren. For seven years, she was 'sexually violated' by the elderly man, who had 64 other wives - terrified to resist his physical advances. When he died in 2002, age 92, she escaped the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and began helping authorities prosecute members of the church. She testified 20 times and helped federal prosecutors win 11 convictions. Among those sent to prison with the help of her testimony was Warren Jeffs, who took over leadership of the FLDS church after his father's death. But before she broke free, her husband owned her -- 'body and soul.' Miss Musser, now 36, opened up publicly for the first time about her 26-year ordeal inside the close-knit extremist organization. 'My father sold my innocence,' she told an audience, the Deseret News reported. 'My life there was a constant state of fear, unknown... silence. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebecca Musser, former polygamist sect wife, speaks out | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Musser played a major role in putting Jeffs and other FLDS leaders behind bars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Nina Mandell NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Originally published Friday, April 13, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A former polygamist sect wife who played a major role in putting Fundamentalist LDS leader Warren Jeffs behind bars spoke outside of the courtroom this week for the first time. Rebecca Musser, who became one of Rulon Jeffs' 65 wives at the age of 19, said she lived in a constant state of fear and misery from the time she was given away to the 85-year-old man by her father until the time she escaped after his death. "My father sold my innocence," Musser told a group of women at an event in Salt Lake City called Overcoming Obstacles, the Deseret News reported. "My life there was a constant state of fear, unknown ... silence." She said she had been told to always obey her husband and was never given the option of saying no to his sexual advances, despite the enormous age difference. In 2002, seven years after they were married, Rulon Jeffs died and Musser made a decision to run away. "After seven years of continual sexual violations, I'd had enough," she said, according to the report. Though she had been taught to be obedient for her entire life, she said: "Give me hell, because I don't want this heaven." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah town sets risky dissolution vote | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PAUL FOY Associated Press San Antonio Express-News - San Antonio, Texas Originally published Saturday, April 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — For tiny, picturesque Apple Valley, a vote to dissolve town government could bring an unwanted suitor: the neighboring polygamous town. Officials in Apple Valley, tucked under the red rock mountains of Zion National Park, fear a disincorporation effort fanned by internal strife and anti-government sentiment could backfire and lead to annexation by Hildale, a neighboring town largely comprised of members of the polygamous sect run by its jailed leader leader Warren Jeffs. "I would say the majority of Apple Valley residents don't want to have anything to do with that," Mayor Richard Moser told The Associated Press. "There's a lot of — how do you put it nicely — stigma." Still, a town vote for disincorporation is set for June 19, a date authorized by a state judge last week based on petitions signed by 111 of 701 residents, enough to force the issue. Apple Valley was first incorporated in 2004 "because of fear" that polygamists would seize an opportunity to widen their municipal borders and "swallow us up," said longtime resident Marie McGowan. "We were scared the fundamentalists were going to incorporate Apple Valley," she said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Human trafficking in Utah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cathy Wentz The Spectrum Originally published April 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CEDAR CITY - After anti-human trafficking activist Anuradha Koirala spoke Thursday about human trafficking in Nepal and India as part of a two-day conference at Southern Utah University, Friday's portion of the conference included discussions that brought the issue closer to home, focusing on human trafficking in Utah. The SUU conference was entitled Human Trafficking: People, Places and Voices. It was hosted by the university's Sargon Heinrich Global Engagement Center in conjunction with the Women and Gender Studies Program. The conference provided a morning breakout session Friday with a three-person panel during which local efforts to stop human trafficking were discussed. The panelists were Andrea Donovan, who represented the Canyon Creek Women's Crisis Center; Sarah Webber, an SUU student working on a minor in women and gender studies; and Sam Brower, a private investigator and the author of "Prophet's Prey," a book about his investigation into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and sect leader Warren Jeffs. Brower said the practices of the FLDS Church are a prime example of human trafficking in Utah. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High court hears arguments on payment of FLDS trust | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AG's office faces order to pay more than $5.5M to managers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Emiley Morgan Deseret News Originally published Monday, April 16 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — The issue of who will be paid what, when and by whom when it comes to management of the Fundamentalist LDS Church's United Effort Plan Trust went before the Utah Supreme Court Monday. Third District Court Judge Denise Lindberg has ordered that the Utah Attorney General's Office pay more than $5.5 million owed to those appointed by the state to manage the communal land trust — valued at $114 million. The trust includes the land and homes of FLDS members in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., and in Bountiful, British Columbia. Utah seized control of the trust in 2005 amid allegations of mismanagement by Warren Jeffs and other FLDS leaders. Salt Lake City accountant Bruce Wisan, attorneys to represent Wisan and other firms were hired to assist in management of the trust, but they have gone largely unpaid since 2008. "It is difficult to go forward without being paid, but we feel like we have a duty," Wisan's attorney, Jeff Shields, told the justices of the high court Monday. "It's really odd to be appointed by the court and then go four years without being paid." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House OKs Ariz. bill protecting licensed workers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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New England Cable News - Newton, Massachusetts Originally published April 16, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PHOENIX (AP) — In what supporters describe as a pre-emptive and protective measure, Arizona House lawmakers on Monday advanced legal protections for workers who deny services to potential clients on religious grounds. Proponents acknowledge that there were no known incidents of faith-based discipline in Arizona but say the bill is a reaction to cases in states such as Michigan — where a student counselor was disciplined after refusing to work with a gay client, saying she did so because of her religious beliefs. Republican Sen. Steve Yarbrough, introduced the legislation, saying it's "fundamentally wrong" that if "you don't affirm the particular lifestyle, then your license is going to be at risk." Critics say the bill endangers public safety. Stuart Goodman, a lobbyist who represents several health-related state boards, says the measure allows "a licensee to commit unprofessional conduct simply because they can play a religious freedom component that may or may not exist." The measure ensures Arizona workers would not lose their professional licenses for denying services on religious grounds. The bill is a broader version of the so-called conscience clause, which many states — including Arizona — have recognized for pharmacists, physicians or other health care workers who decline to perform abortions or prescribe emergency contraceptives. The measure now heads to the state Senate, where it is expected to pass. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed similar legislation last year, saying she feared it could protect misconduct by Arizona police who are followers of polygamous-sect leader Warren Jeffs and have been accused of refusing to enforce the law. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs Biography | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Biography Channel A+E Television Networks, LLC Originally broadcast April 16, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Synopsis
Warren Jeffs was born on December 3, 1955, in Sacramento, California. He is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist sect based in Utah and Arizona. Jeffs first gained notoriety in 2006, when the FBI placed him on its Ten Most Wanted List for arranging marriages between his followers and under-age girls. In 2006, he was arrested, and in 2007, he was convicted, but the sentence was later overturned. A 2008 raid on the FLDS compound in Texas resulted in evidence of the assault of underage girls, which later led to Jeffs' conviction in 2011. Early Life One of the 21st century's most infamous religious leaders, Warren Jeffs grew up within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community. This religious sect is an offshoot from Mormonism, but it is not recognized by or affiliated with the mainstream Mormon church. The FLDS carries on one tradition that the Mormons abandoned in the 1890s: polygamy, or plural marriage. The practice of polygamy goes back for generations in Jeffs' family. His father, Rulon, had at least 50 wives and dozens of children during his lifetime. Warren was his 14th child. He was born more than two months prematurely, and his survival led him to be seen as a golden child. From the beginning, he had a special relationship with his father. He grew up outside Salt Lake City, UT, and for more than 20 years, Warren Jeffs served as the principal of Alta Academy, an FLDS private school in the area. He was known for being a stickler for the rules and for discipline. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS member's conviction upheld | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Court: Evidence in Jessop case sufficient | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 19, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — The Texas Third Court of Appeals on Thursday issued an opinion upholding the conviction of a member of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Raymond Merril Jessop, 40, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and an $8,000 fine for a second-degree felony of sexual assault of a child in November 2009. His notice of appeal was filed February 2010, and an appeal brief was filed February 2011. Oral arguments were heard in October. The court wrote in its 64-page opinion that there had been sufficient evidence for the conviction, that testimony of certain expert witnesses was allowable, and that the indictments didn't need to be quashed or evidence suppressed, all points raised in the appeal. According to the opinion, the defense said the state had failed to eliminate the possibility of artificial insemination, meaning that proof of penetration was less than conclusive. DNA evidence during the trial demonstrated with more than 99 percent certainty that Jessop fathered a child with a girl who was 16 at the time of the baby's birth. Jessop had been "sealed" to the girl in 2004, when he was 32 and the victim was 15. The appeals court stated "it is not incumbent on the state to exclude 'every reasonable hypothesis other than guilt' for the evidence to be considered sufficient." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas court upholds child sex conviction of FLDS member | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU TV Originally published April 19, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AUSTIN — Texas' 3rd Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a member of the Fundamentalist LDS Church convicted of child sex assault. In a 64-page ruling handed down Thursday, the court upheld Raymond Merrill Jessop's conviction for marrying a 15-year-old girl as a polygamous wife. She gave birth to a child a year later. Jessop challenged his conviction over the DNA evidence as well as witness testimony, including from ex-FLDS members. The court denied both claims. "We hold the evidence is sufficient to support appellant's conviction for sexual assault of a child," the court wrote. "In addition, we hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the DNA paternity evidence, the church and family records recovered from the YFZ Ranch, or the testimony of Carolyn Jessop, Rebecca Musser, and Dr. Lawrence Beall during the punishment phase of trial." Jessop was the first member of the FLDS Church to be tried in the aftermath of the 2008 raid on the Utah-based polygamous sect's Yearning For Zion Ranch. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In total, 11 FLDS men, including leader Warren Jeffs, were convicted. Jeffs is serving life, plus 20 years, for child sex assault. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exiled FLDS father granted more time with estranged children | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holm gets increased visitation rights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published April 21, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - An exiled former member of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was granted increased visitation rights with his estranged children, including overnight custody, Friday during a 5th District Court hearing. Colorado City resident Lorin Holm was granted temporary visitation rights in February to see the children of his two "spiritual wives," who have shunned Holm since FLDS Church leaders cast him out of the community Jan. 9, 2011, for an undeclared sin. The amount of weekly time Holm has spent visiting his children has gradually increased since the February court order and Judge James Shumate declared Friday that beginning next week Holm will be allowed to keep the children in his home overnight and take them out of state on a vacation this summer, possibly to Disneyland. Shumate used a courtroom telephone conference to speak with Holm, the mothers of his children, their attorneys and one of Holm's adult sons who has been taking care of Holm's FLDS families since Holm's exile. Holm lives with a third wife to whom he is legally married, who has withdrawn from the FLDS Church. Court-appointed guardian ad litem attorney Nadine Hansen told Shumate that Holm's youngest three children are "doing really well" with the court-ordered visitation, but some of the oldest six children are still resisting efforts at reunification. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Courts, law enforcement work to protect victims of family discord | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published April 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - Toward the end of a recent set of St. George court hearings for couples who were working through divorce petitions and requests for protective orders, a Hispanic man and woman worked through the details of how their property would be divided, when the father would be able to have visitation with his children and how child support would be paid. As the 5th District Court judge waited patiently, the attorneys for both parties conferred with each other, then with their clients through the assistance of court-appointed interpreters, and then with each other again, ensuring the details were understood and fulfilled the clients' expectations. Because the husband works an irregular schedule at a dairy in central Utah, the court's order granting him visitation with his children was designed to be flexible according to the circumstances of his job. The wife's request that a police officer escort the husband if he needed to retrieve anything from the man's former residence was dropped once the terms were agreed upon, and the man and woman went their separate ways. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana governor defends 'polygamy' remarks regarding Romney's heritage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CNN Political Ticker CNN Originally published April 22, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (CNN) - Montana's Democratic governor defended himself from criticism Monday over remarks he made last week that appeared to tie Mitt Romney, the likely Republican presidential nominee, to the practice of polygamy within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer said on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" he was trying to point out Romney struggles in connecting with Latino voters when he claimed Romney's "family came from a polygamy commune in Mexico" in an interview with The Daily Beast. "People are taking this far away from where I was discussing," Schweitzer said. "I was saying that Mitt Romney currently has a problem with Latino voters. And it is ironic that his father had come from Mexico. You could think he could embrace his Latino roots." Some Mormon families moved to Mexico in the 19th century to escape religious persecution in the United States, and many men who moved had multiple wives. The LDS church outlawed polygamy in 1890, but men with multiple wives were able to escape prosecution by moving across the border. Romney's ancestors settled in an area 180 miles south of the Mexico-United States border. The candidate's father, George, who served as governor of Michigan and ran for president in the 1960s, was born in 1907 in the Mexican town of Colonia Dublan, in the state of Chihuahua. Neither Romney's father nor his grandfather were involved in polygamous marriages. There are still about 40 members of the Romney family living in Colonia Juarez, some of whom are the presidential candidate's first and second cousins. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CNN: Mexico was a 'polygamy haven' for the Romneys | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Charlie Spiering Campaign 2012 Washington Examiner - Washington DC Originally published April 24, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last night, CNN featured an in-depth news report on Mitt Romney's great-grandfather who moved to Mexico from America to escape Mormon persecution. "Many of the men came with multiple wives," reports CNN correspondent Gary Tuchman from Mexico. "So while there was also concern about persecution, there was also concern of prosecution." "There was no such concern in Mexico," adds Tuchman, reminding the audience that the Mormon church in America got rid of polygamy in 1890. "Mexico at that time remained a polygamy haven," he added. "He had four wives, he moved here, and he basically started this family tree that exists to this day," Tuchman remarks to Kelly Romney, one of Mitt's second-cousins, about their great-grandfather. "Yes," answered Romney shortly. My question to you, "Is there any polygamy still here?" asks Tuchman. "No, there is no polygamy in this area at all, no." responds Kelly Romney. Romney supporters are easily angered by media attention dedicated to the history of polygamy in Romney's family. "I think that it ought to be off limits," Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition noted last night to CNN's Anderson Cooper, reminding Cooper of the history of polygamy in President Obama's family as well. "I personally as a person of faith, as well as a civic participant just think that we shouldn't be talking about this," Reed said. If polygamy is important to CNN, why haven't they sent correspondents to Indonesia to talk with Obama's second-cousins about the history of polygamy in their family? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Democrat defends comments on Mitt Romney and polygamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Justin Sink Campaign 2012 The Hill - Washington DC Originally published April 24, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) said Monday that his comments about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's father being "born on a polygamy commune in Mexico" were being manipulated unfairly. Schweitzer said he was merely trying to convey the irony that Romney has a problem with Latino voters when his father is from Mexico. "People are taking this far away from where I was discussing," Schweitzer told CNN. "I was saying that Mitt Romney currently has a problem with Latino voters. And it is ironic that his father had come from Mexico," he said. "You could think he could embrace his Latino roots. I wasn't talking about anybody's religion. In fact, in my comments I simply said that Mitt Romney is not a polygamist, doesn't support polygamy and neither does the Mormon church." Republicans have criticized Schweitzer's comments, which came in the middle of a discussion on presidential swing states. The Montana governor argued Romney would have a "tall order to position Hispanics to vote for him." When Ben Jacobs of the Daily Beast noted that was ironic because Romney's father had been born in Mexico, Schweitzer said Romney couldn't mention his heritage because it carried political liability. "[It is] kinda ironic given that his family came from a polygamy commune in Mexico, but then he'd have to talk about his family coming from a polygamy commune in Mexico, given the gender discrepancy," Schweitzer said. The Montana governor went on to say the issue of polygamy could hurt Romney with female voters. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona House rejects bill on Colorado City police | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published April 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PHOENIX — A sharply divided Arizona House has rejected a bill to allow Mohave County officials to abolish the police department in a northern Arizona community with a polygamist enclave. The House vote Wednesday was 28-25 against the bill, which was previously approved by the Senate. State Attorney General Tom Horne urged lawmakers to pass the bill, saying Colorado City officers who are followers of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs flout the law. The bill would have set up a process for a local police agency to be replaced by the county sheriff's department if at least half of its officers have lost their law enforcement certifications in an eight-year period. Opponents argued that the bill is unfair because it is based on unproven allegations and that it unconstitutionally targeted a single community. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bill on Colorado City police dies in House | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Mary Jo Pitzl The Arizona Republic Originally published April 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The House of Representatives on Wednesday killed a bill that would have replaced Colorado City's local police force with Mohave County sheriff's deputies. The prolonged debate cut across partisan, ideological and religious divides and resulted in a 25-28 defeat for Senate Bill 1433. Attorney General Tom Horne lobbied for the bill, which he said was necessary to ensure local police follow the law and not the dictates of Warren Jeffs, former president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jeffs is now in a Texas prison, serving a life sentence for sexual assault on underage girls. But the two lawmakers who represent the area, representatives Doris Goodale, R-Kingman, and Nancy McLain, R-Bullhead City, successfully led opposition to the bill, which was sponsored by their Senate seatmate, Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City. McLain said the bill seeks to punish current law-enforcement officers for offenses committed by previous officers. The bill says if a town has had at least half of its police officers' certifications revoked by the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board in the past eight years, the town no longer can authorize its police force. That's been the case for Colorado City. But McLain argued that the town has a new set of officers, who are called marshals in the isolated community along the Arizona-Utah border. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bill Allowing Law-Enforcement Takeover Defeated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Andrea Kelly Arizona Public Media - Tucson, Arizona Originally broadcast April 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Arizona House of Representatives rejected a bill Wednesday that would have allowed a county to take over law enforcement in a city. The bill was written for Mojave County, where officials wanted to get rid of the police department in the polygamist community of Colorado City. It would have given the state attorney general the ability to turn over city law enforcement to a county if more than 50 percent of the officers in a city or town police force have their state certification revoked. Supporters say the bill is necessary to solve problems in the city known for polygamy, while opponents say it's unnecessary and unfairly targets a specific city. The bill passed the Senate, but failed in the House Wednesday on a vote of 28-25. A similar bill was introduced this year in Utah to apply the state border community of Hildale, but the Utah proposal failed to get a hearing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listen to the broadcast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona House rejects bill on Colorado City police | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press San Antonio Express-News - San Antonio, Texas Originally published April 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PHOENIX (AP) — A sharply divided Arizona House on Wednesday rejected a bill to allow Mohave County officials to abolish the police department in a northern Arizona community with a polygamist enclave. The House voted 28-25 against the bill as a lawmaker who represents the remote area on the Arizona-Utah line called Colorado City "a different type of community" while acknowledging that some residents practice a form of polygamy. "These are not multiple married individuals. They are married to one individual and the others are celestial, spiritual wives," said Rep. Doris Goodale, R-Kingman. State Attorney General Tom Horne had championed the bill, saying Colorado City officers who are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day flout the law and are simply replaced by other followers of imprisoned FLDS leader Warren Jeffs if removed individually. Jeffs is serving a prison sentence of life and 20 years in Texas, where he was convicted of sexually assaulting two underage sect girls he took as plural wives at a remote ranch built by followers. The FLDS practices polygamy, a legacy of early Mormon church teachings that held plural marriage brought exaltation in heaven. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs appeals conviction, threatens God's wrath if he’s not freed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU TV Originally published April 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AUSTIN, Texas — Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has filed a new appeal of his child sex assault conviction, threatening God's wrath if he is not freed from prison. In revelations filed with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader claims Jesus Christ is asking the Texas Supreme Court to free him. "My people have endured persecution by government powers since Joseph Smith's day on earth; and this nation is ripened for my full judgments, living in corruption," Jeffs writes. "Let my servant and his brethren of my Church in Texas prisons be released, for they are prosecuted for abiding my law of Celestial Eternal Marriage of Plural Marriage Celestial; my most holy pure law of salvation, necessary for them and all others to receive full salvation." Jeffs was convicted of child sex assault, accused of taking as polygamous brides a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, whom he fathered a child with. In another revelation, the polygamist leader warns of God's punishment if he and other FLDS members convicted of charges related to underage marriages are not freed. "Let it be evidence to you, even to know I shall cleanse all nations who seek to destroy innocence," he wrote. Jeffs is serving life, plus 20 years, in prison. His previous appeal was dismissed by Texas' Third Court of Appeals because he did not respond to deadlines required by the courts. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Police Forces Remain Intact Despite Claims Of FLDS Favoritism | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KUTV 2News Originally published Thursday, April 26 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (KUTV) Efforts to dissolve the police department in the polygamous towns of Hilldale, Utah and Colorado City in Arizona have officially died on both sides of the Utah-Arizona border. On Wednesday, the Arizona legislature failed to pass a law that would dismantle the police department. Utah's effort failed earlier this year. Both Utah and Arizona have had concerns about the police in the polygamous towns. Both Attorneys General have said that the police officers aren't doing their job so they want to scrap the police departments. That has been easier said than done. Video from 2010 of a scuffle between a non FLDS person and police who patrol both border towns of Hilldale and Colorado City show some of the tension. Police leaders in both states have said officers in the polygamous community should lose their badges. "In my opinion, if they're violating the laws of the state of Utah, then they're in violation of the code of ethics," said Val Shupe, South Ogden Police Chief. Utah Senator Curtis Bramble says the Utah Attorney General has received credible stories from people in the polygamous twin towns, that officers there don't respond to child abuse, domestic violence and property rights violations -- because of their jailed religious leader Warren Jeffs. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs Wanting to Appeal to Supreme Court, Says Jesus Commands His Release | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gary Hinterlong CBS7 News KOSA - Odessa, Texas Originally published April 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS Leader Warren Jeffs has filed an appeal with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in hopes of asking the Texas Supreme Court to free him, but in an unusual move, he says Jesus Christ is speaking to the justices on his behalf. Jeffs has been convicted of sexual assault of a child after taking a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl as polygamous brides. He fathered a child with one of them. In the filing, Jeffs warns of God's punishment if he and other members of the FLDS are not freed from prison. Jeffs is current serving life in prison plus 20 years. His previous appeal has been dismissed because he didn't respond to court deadlines. This petition appears to say that Warren Jeffs is wanting to skip judicial procedure and go directly to the high court. You can read the petition for yourself by clicking here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs sends mandates to criminal court | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Documents include threat of judgment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published April 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — The imprisoned leader of a polygamist sect has appealed to Texas' highest criminal court using purported revelations from Jesus Christ. Warren Jeffs, the leader and "prophet" of the breakaway Mormon sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sent what he claims to be divine mandates to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The message instructs the justices to release him and other FLDS members from prison, under threat of "whirlwind judgments." Jeffs is representing himself. "I, Jesus Christ, even Son Ahman, speak to Supreme Court of Texas, my own will even concerning 51st Judicial District Court Cause Numbers 990, 997, 1017, 1061, and Court of Appeals Court Case Number 03-11-00568-CR, as pertaining to legal prosecution against my servant Warren Jeffs," an introduction to the revelations states. Jeffs is in prison for sexually assaulting two girls, ages 12 and 15, and is serving a life-plus-20 year sentence in Palestine. He is among 11 FLDS men who have been convicted of crimes such as child sexual assault, bigamy and performing illegal marriage ceremonies. The men were prosecuted with evidence from a raid on the FLDS Yearning for Zion Ranch in April 2008, which law enforcement conducted based on allegations of sexual assault. The document specifies that Fredrick Merril Jessop should be released as well. He received a 10-year prison sentence for performing an illegal marriage ceremony. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brother-in-law says Jeffs seems to have 'lost his mind' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Andrew Adams KSL NewsRadio Originally broadcast April 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY -- A brother-in-law to Warren Jeffs says it appears the deposed polygamist leader "has lost his mind." It's in reaction to the latest legal filing in Texas from Jeffs, where three purported revelations from Jesus Christ call on Texas courts to free Jeffs and several other FLDS polygamists. "I'm absolutely appalled at the lack of coherent expressions," said Dan Wayman, who was booted from the sect 8 years ago. "It appears that he has just totally lost all judgment and reasoning." The revelations are in a petition for discretionary review filed Tuesday before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. "I, Jesus Christ, even son Ahman, speak to Supreme Court of Texas," one revelation begins. Another reads, "If you do well, reverse ruling of lower courts, and let my servant Warren Jeffs go free. Amen." Jeffs was convicted and sentenced last year to life in prison plus 20 years for sexually assaulting two underage girls. The revelations call Texas judge Barbara Walther "unjust" and claim she tried to "destroy the family relationship of pure children." The filing also calls on the state to free Merril Jessop, among other Jeffs contemporaries. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read Warren Jeffs' Revelations from prison filed in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on April 24, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. George auto dealer faces fraud charges | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published April 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE – A St. George auto dealer is scheduled to make his first appearance today in 5th District Court on fraud charges. Todd L. Vowell, 44, one of the owners of Executive Car Sales Inc. on Bluff Street, was charged with two counts of communications fraud in February. Court documents filed in conjunction with the charges do not explain the basis for the prosecution's decision to file charges against Vowell, however communications fraud is generally defined as a scheme to obtain money or anything else of value from another person by false pretenses, and then to try to conceal the scheme with another person's assistance. Vowell is charged with second-degree felonies, which according to the criminal statute means the value of the alleged fraud exceeds $5,000 or that the alleged fraud was to obtain sensitive personal identification information. Deputy County Attorney Jerry Jaeger did not provide specifics about the reason for filing the fraud charges, but said the basis of the charges is similar in nature to a complaint filed in a 5th District Court lawsuit two years ago in which a woman claimed Vowell and other Executive Car Sales officers enticed her to invest $600,000 in the auto dealership in 2008, then failed to abide by the promised terms of repayment. The woman, Karen Grounds, named Vowell and dealership co-owners Jason Vowell and Rabbit Downward as defendants in the lawsuit, but Todd Vowell is the only one of the three facing criminal charges. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. George auto dealer faces fraud charges | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published April 26, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE – A St. George auto dealer made his first appearance on fraud charges Thursday in 5th District Court. Todd L. Vowell, 44, appeared with attorney Mica McKinney of Salt Lake City law firm Ray Quinney & Nebeker to acknowledge they had been informed of the charges and that Vowell has legal representation. Vowell was charged with two counts of communications fraud in February. On Thursday, Judge G. Rand Beacham scheduled a follow-up hearing for May 14 to ensure Vowell is getting access to the evidence against him and that his attorneys are prepared to proceed toward trial. Court documents filed in the case do not explain the specific basis for the charges, however communications fraud is generally defined as a scheme to obtain money or anything else of value from another person by false pretenses, and then to try to conceal the scheme with another person's assistance. Vowell is charged with second-degree felonies, which according to the criminal statute means the value of the alleged fraud exceeds $5,000 or that the alleged fraud was to obtain sensitive personal identification information. Deputy County Attorney Jerry Jaeger said the alleged victim is a woman who filed a 5th District Court lawsuit two years ago against Vowell and other Executive Car Sales officers, and that the allegations in the criminal case are similar to those in the lawsuit. In that lawsuit, a woman named Karen Grounds claimed Vowell and his brother Jason, as well as Executive Car Sales Manager Rabbit Downward, enticed her to invest $600,000 in the auto dealership in 2008, then failed to abide by the promised terms of repayment. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lawmakers wrong on Colorado City bill | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Linda Valdez, columnist Opinions The Arizona Republic Originally published April 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attorney General Tom Horne gets credit for continuing the quest to bring law and order to Warren Jeffs' polygamous sect in Colorado City. Jeffs is doing life in a Texas prison for sexual assault of underage girls, but his beliefs still hold sway in Arizona. Horne pushed a bill to replace Colorado City's police department, which has long been an arm of the Jeffs' sect. The House rejected the bill. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| State Reps ignore common sense bill for votes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Today's News-Herald - Lake Havasu City, Arizona Originally published Monday, April 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maybe it's something in the water. There has to be some rational explanation why some of the elected leaders from Mohave County make... unusual decisions. The latest example comes from the two state representatives from the county – Doris Gooddale of Kingman and Nancy McLain from Bullhead City. The two Republicans not only voted against abolition of the Colorado City Police Department, in favor of the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, they led the opposition. According to Associated Press reports, Gooddale explained her no vote by talking about the polygamous lifestyle practiced by members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Which has nothing to do with the bill. McLain, however, said she sees progress being made in the community and said she believes dissolution of the police department would be a step "backward." It's important to note a few key things. First, the bill, sponsored by Sen. Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City, said only that if a police force had more than half its officers decertified by the Arizona Police Officers Standards and Training Board, then a city or town may no longer authorize a department. Which has happened in Colorado City There was nothing about polygamy or the FLDS in the bill and Gooddale's comments sought to introduce religion into an issue where it didn't belong. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New investigations into FLDS Church members, prosecutor says | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU TV Originally broadcast April 30, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — The Washington County Attorney has a series of criminal investigations under way into members of Warren Jeffs' polygamous church on the Utah-Arizona border. "Law enforcement is interested in, and is investigating allegations of wrongdoing by members of the community out there," Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap said in an interview with FOX 13. While confirming he has a number of criminal investigations under way into members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church, Belnap would not reveal what those investigations were for. However, he said he is not likely to pursue another case against Jeffs. "The focus of my attention right now is not with Warren Jeffs," Belnap told FOX 13. "And the reason for that is because there are plenty of other things to be focused on while he is sitting in prison on a life, plus 20 year sentence. It's not the (best) use of our resources." Jeffs is serving prison time in Texas after being convicted of child sex assault, for taking underage girls as plural wives. He is the last of 11 FLDS men to be convicted of charges related to underage marriages, stemming from a 2008 raid on the Utah-based polygamous church's YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. His initial conviction of rape as an accomplice in Utah, for performing a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin, was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court. Belnap said authorities in Texas have begun sharing some of the billions of pages of evidence seized in the raid. FOX 13 reported last year on a spreadsheet that outlined hundreds of polygamous marriages — including some involving children — between FLDS members in Utah and Arizona. "We have received a great deal of the evidence from Texas," Belnap said. "They've been very helpful." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The problem with Bountiful | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A renegade Mormon sect in rural British Columbia has long flouted Canada's polygamy ban, citing religious freedom. Prosecutors have been stymied - until now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Brian Platt Features The United Church Observer - Toronto, Ontario Originally published May 1, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By all accounts, Bountiful is a beautiful place. Nestled in the Creston Valley of southeast British Columbia, just north of the Idaho border, it is home to about 1,000 people. Aside from the nearby town of Creston, Bountiful is isolated — and that's how the residents prefer it. It may be the most controversial community in Canada. Bountiful's inhabitants belong to two feuding Mormon fundamentalist sects, both of which practise polygamy. In 1990, the RCMP began to investigate allegations from former residents of incest, sexual abuse and trafficking of teenage brides. Despite the openly polygamous nature of the community, officials hesitated to press charges. Legal experts warned that any attempts to enforce Canada's century-old polygamy ban would be struck down as a violation of the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But in 2008, Wally Oppal, the B.C. attorney general at the time, resolved to charge two Bountiful men, Winston Blackmore and Jim Oler, with polygamy, the first such charges in Canada in over half a century. However, the special prosecutor Oppal appointed to handle the file recommended against charging the men until it could be proven that the polygamy ban, section 293 of Canada's Criminal Code, didn't violate the Charter. A second appointee recommended the same. Oppal then found a third special prosecutor, who agreed to press charges. But in September 2009, the B.C. Supreme Court threw out the case on the grounds that Oppal was not allowed to cycle through prosecutors in such a manner. By this time, the province had a new attorney general, Michael de Jong, who decided to determine the polygamy ban's constitutionality once and for all. He asked the B.C. Supreme Court to hold a reference hearing. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alcohol cited in Arizona accident that killed five people | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Dave Hawkins SPECIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL Las Vegas Review-Journal Originally published May 3, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alcohol was a factor in the March 6 traffic accident that claimed five lives in northern Arizona, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Agency spokeswoman Trish Carter said toxicology test results indicate that the driver, 22-year-old Carl O. Holm, of Hildale, Utah, was impaired when the Chevrolet Suburban he was driving rolled on its top off a dirt road about 20 miles south of the Utah border. Carter said his blood-alcohol level was 0.186 percent, a little more than twice the legal limit for driving a vehicle in Arizona. Holm was dead at the scene of the accident as was 17-year-old Joy Bistline, of Apple Valley, Utah. Arizona residents dead at the scene included Rachel Anne Kolgrove, 16, of Cane Beds; and Taylor Roundy, 15, and Jamison Holm Timpson, 19, both of Colorado City. The only survivor of the single-vehicle accident, Nakita Timpson, 16, of Colorado City, was treated for her injuries at a hospital in St. George. Sheriff's Deputy Jim McCabe said investigators believe the victims had been celebrating Timpson's birthday before the crash. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Driver in Arizona crash that killed 5 youths was drunk, officials say | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Cassondra Strande The Arizona Republic Originally published May 3, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The driver of an SUV that rolled over near Colorado City and killed five youths in March was intoxicated, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Carl Otto Nathaniel Holm, 22, of Hilldale, Utah, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.186 percent at the time of the incident, according to the Sheriff's Office. The vehicle rolled over at 11 p.m. March 6. Five people were ejected from the vehicle, and one was trapped inside, according to MCSO. Monica Joy Bistline, 17, of Apple Valley, Utah; Carl Otto Nathaniel Holm, 22, of Hilldale, Utah; Rachel Anne Kolgrove, 17, of Cane Beds; Virgel Taylor Roundy, 15, of Colorado City; and Jamison Holm Timpson, 19, of Colorado City died at the scene, according to Sheriff's Office. Nakita Timpson, 18, of Colorado City, was the only one who survived. She was trapped inside of the vehicle when Mohave County Sheriff's deputies found the SUV the next afternoon, according to the Sheriff's Office. Beer cans were found around the vehicle, according to MCSO. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona Sheriff: Driver in crash that killed 5 drunk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Associated Press Deseret News Originally published Thursday, May 3 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KINGMAN, Ariz. — Authorities say a 22-year-old Hildale, Utah, man was driving drunk when his SUV crashed in a remote part of northern Arizona in March, killing the driver and 4 teens. The Mohave County, Ariz., sheriff's office said Thursday that an autopsy showed 22-year-old Carl Otto Nathaniel Holm had a blood alcohol level of nearly .19 percent. That's more than twice the legal limit in Arizona. The five were speeding in a Chevrolet Suburban when Holm failed to negotiate a turn on a dirt road. Two teenage boys and two teen girls also died in the crash. They were from Colorado City and Cane Beds, Ariz., and Apple Valley, Utah. An 18-year-old Colorado City woman survived. Sheriff's officials say the five may have been out celebrating a birthday when the crash happened. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read the Mohave County Sheriff's Office Press Release on the fatal accident | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Failed polygamy charges did not prompt Blackmore's tax case, lawyer tells court | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TERRI THEODORE The Canadian Press The Globe and Mail - Toronto, Ontario Originally published Thursday, May. 03, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER — Polygamous leader Winston Blackmore is no Al Capone. And a federal government lawyer dismissed suggestions Canada's taxman is out to get Mr. Blackmore in the same way U.S. prosecutors worked to convict the famous 1920s mobster. In her final arguments Thursday in Mr. Blackmore's tax case, Lynn Burch told a Federal Tax Court that the religious leader's taxes weren't reassessed because he faced polygamy charges, but because he is a taxpayer. "It would be inappropriate to consider that the taxman is the hammer coming in behind the [B.C.] Attorney-General. There's simply no evidence of that," she said, referring to the failed polygamy prosecution. "Mr. Blackmore is not Al Capone. Any suggestion of overlap between the activities of the Attorney-General and the Minister of National Revenue is not only unfounded, but quite inappropriate." Frustrated U.S. prosecutors could not convict Mr. Capone – the leader of a Prohibition-era crime gang – on criminal charges and instead a judge convicted him on tax-evasion charges. Mr. Blackmore and James Oler were charged with practising polygamy in 2009, but the allegations were thrown out. The men each lead factions of a sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the southeast B.C. community of Bountiful. The dropped charges prompted the provincial government to launch a constitutional-reference trial on the issue of multiple marriages in which a judge later upheld the law forbidding polygamy. In this case, the federal government alleges Mr. Blackmore owes $1.5-million in taxes over five years starting in 2000. His personal income tax during that time rarely went past $30,000. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs may still be in control of Colorado City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By JIM SECKLER Mohave Daily News Originally published Thursday, May 3, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KINGMAN — A bill that would have allowed the Mohave County Sheriff's Office to take control of the Colorado City law enforcement duties was rejected last week. The Arizona House voted against SB-1433 by a 28-25 margin. It would have allowed Mohave County officials to abolish the Colorado City Police Department. Colorado City is home to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church, a polygamist sect of the Mormon Church. The bill would have allowed a county's board of supervisors to remove a police department if 50 percent or more of its officers were decertified in the last eight years. Arizona Rep. Nancy McLain, R-Bullhead City, admits that there have been problems in Colorado City but with Warren Jeffs now in prison, things are changing in the northern Mohave County community. Of the six town officers currently serving, four have been investigated by the Arizona Police Officer Standards and Training Board and have been cleared. The other two are new and no complaints have been filed against them. Gary Engels, the investigator for the county attorney's office, said Jeffs is still in charge of the FLDS, leading the church sermons held in the community from his jail cell in Texas. His phone privileges have been reinstated after prison officials took them away. Several complaints from a Utah district court judge have been lodged against the current officers for not enforcing laws. Everyone in the Colorado City police or fire department is in good standing with the FLDS, he added. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| From the journal Ethics: 'Is polygamy inherently unequal?' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Public release date: 3-May-2012 Contact: Kevin Stacey kstacey@press.uchicago.edu 401-284-3878 University of Chicago Press Journals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Recent raids of religious compounds in Texas and British Columbia make clear that polygamy is, to say the least, frowned upon by western governments. But legal questions aside, can polygamy ever be morally permissible?
An article in the latest issue of the journal Ethics makes the case that traditional forms of polygamy are inherently unequal and therefore morally objectionable. "In traditional polygamy, only one person may marry multiple spouses. This central spouse divides him or herself among multiple spouses, but each peripheral spouse remains exclusively devoted to the central spouse," writes Gregg Strauss, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. "With this hub-and-spoke structure, even a perfectly virtuous central spouse has more rights and fewer obligations than each peripheral spouse. Moreover, a central spouse has more control over the family than each peripheral spouse." Significant modifications to traditional polygamy would be necessary, Strauss argues, to alleviate these inherent inequalities. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ariz. lawmakers revive Colorado City police bill | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Associated Press Standard-Examiner - Ogden, Utah Originally published Thursday, May 3, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona lawmakers are reviving a proposal to allow Mohave County officials to abolish the police department in a northern Arizona community with a polygamist enclave. The House recently defeated the bill championed by Attorney General Tom Horne, but it's alive again. That's after the Senate on Thursday inserted it into another law enforcement bill already approved by the House. The maneuver is being attempted as legislators try to end their annual session. Horne says Colorado City officers who are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day flout the law and are simply replaced by other followers of imprisoned FLDS leader Warren Jeffs if removed individually. Critics say the bill unfairly targets Colorado City and that current officers haven't done anything wrong. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona Legislature OKs worker bill, tax cut in late flurry | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| News from The Arizona Republic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Mary Jo Pitzl and Alia Beard Rau Arizona Republic News Tuscon Citizen Originally published May 03, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Arizona Legislature wrapped up its session Thursday by approving a wide-ranging business and capital-gains tax-cut package and passing a bill to make it easier to fire some state employees. The personnel measure had been one of Gov. Jan Brewer's top priorities. The 50th regular session adjourned at 8:25 p.m., ending 116 days of ethics investigations, statehood centennial celebrations and heated debates on guns, women's health care and political redistricting, some of which took place in the national spotlight. On Thursday, legislative leaders gave a quick makeover to a long-lingering tax-cut bill, House Bill 2815, and pushed through an amended version despite protests that it was too complex to absorb in the final hours of the session. They paired it with another tax bill, Senate Bill 1442, designed to benefit large manufacturing plants, ignoring complaints from city and town officials that last-minute changes would reduce their state-shared revenue. Together, the two tax measures pick up where last year's $538 million jobs bill left off. This year's package cuts individual- and corporate-income taxes, reduces the business equipment tax, and pours a share of state construction sales tax into local infrastructure projects to benefit large manufacturing projects. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richardson: Thanks to those working to make Arizona safer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Guest Commentary by Bill Richardson East Valley Tribune - Tempe, Arizona Originally published Thursday, May 3, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I want to thank David Gonzales, the U. S. Marshal for Arizona, for once again leading the effort to identify, locate and arrest wanted felons who have fled from justice. During the week of April 16, Gonzales and his deputies — with the cooperation of local police, the sheriff, state police and probation officers — led efforts to arrest more than 200 wanted felons. The number of wanted felons in Maricopa County has dropped from more than 40,000 to approximately 30,000 over the last few years due in large part to the Gonzales' leadership and energy. Getting law enforcement agencies in Arizona to work together, even on common issues that impact the safety of everyone, has been described as being easier than herding cats. Gonzales, who was appointed U. S. Marshal by President George W. Bush in 2002, was reappointed in 2008 by President Barack Obama. That in itself exemplifies his unique ability to get get things done across party lines and to bring everyone to the table and to get them to work together and towards solving common problems. Gonzales has demonstrated over and over during his 35-plus year career in Arizona law enforcement that things can get done when people work together. Hats off to Gonzales, the U.S. Marshals Service and the local, county and state police who took 200 wanted felons off of our streets last month. Another thank you is for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who threw his full support behind Gonzales' efforts. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorities say driver drunk in fatal accident | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Erin Taylor Kingman Daily Miner Originally published May 4, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KINGMAN - Authorities said this week that the driver of the car that rolled over in March killing five young people in the Colorado City area had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office handled investigation of the fatal accident, which occurred overnight March 6 while the six youths were reportedly celebrating the 18th birthday of Nakita Timpson. Timpson was the only person to survive the accident. Sheriff's Spokeswoman Trish Carter said the driver, 22-year-old Nathaniel Holm, of Hilldale, Utah, had a blood alcohol level of .186 percent. The Colorado City/Hilldale area is home to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which was led by Warren Jeffs until he was incarcerated in 2006 for the sexual abuse of underage girls. The six youths involved in the accident were reportedly a mix of former and non-members of the church. Footage from the accident showed beer cans scattered around the scene. Authorities believe the Chevrolet Suburban failed to negotiate a turn, went airborne and rolled at least once, throwing many of the victims from the car. High winds, which would have reduced visibility in the desert that night, are also said to have contributed to the accident. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lawmakers reject proposal to abolish Colorado City Police Department | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mohave Daily News Originally published Friday, May 4, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona lawmakers have rejected a revived proposal to allow Mohave County officials to abolish the police department in a northern Arizona community with a polygamist enclave. The House had defeated the proposal recently but the Senate created a new version Thursday. However, the House upheld Speaker Andy Tobin's ruling that the new version violates a rule against combining unrelated legislation. Attorney General Tom Horne had championed the bill. He said Colorado City officers who are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints flout the law and are simply replaced by other followers of imprisoned FLDS leader Warren Jeffs if removed individually. Critics say the bill unfairly targets Colorado City and that current officers haven't done anything wrong. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado City police bill fails in Arizona House | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Mike Watkiss 3TV - Phoenix AZFamily.com Originally published May 4, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO CITY, Ariz. -- Arizona lawmakers have shot down a bill that would have abolished the police department in Colorado City. On Thursday, the House of Representatives upheld Speaker Andy Tobin's ruling that Senate Bill 1433 violated a rule against combining unrelated legislation. The bill would have removed Colorado City's police force and placed the Mohave County Sheriff's Office in charge. The House of Representatives had previously rejected the bill, but the Senate created a new version on Thursday. Attorney General Tom Horne was a supporter of Senate Bill 1433. . He explained that members of the Colorado City police force who are also members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints defy the law. Horne added that officers who are removed from the force individually are replaced by other supporters of imprisoned FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan also supported Senate Bill 1433. "It's a bill that is long overdue, and will help us do our job and bring competent law enforcement to the city of Colorado City," Sheahan stated. Rep. Nancy McLain of Mohave County voted against the bill, claiming it targets one specific group. "It's a blatantly unconstitutional bill. It is strictly special legislation," McLain remarked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House refuses approval of Arizona version of 'Caylee's Law' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services Arizona Daily Sun - Flagstaff, Arizona Originally published Friday, May 4, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PHOENIX -- Arizona is not going to get its own version of what's been dubbed "Caylee's Law," at least not this year, because of a fight over who gets to run the police force in the polygamous community of Colorado City. The House on Thursday refused to give final approval to legislation which would make it a crime if a parent or guardian does not tell police about a child who has been missing for at least 24 hours. Violators could have ended end up in state prison for 18 months. There actually was broad support for the concept in the House. In fact, lawmakers there had approved a similar version earlier this session. But the issue became complicated after the state Senate agreed to a plea by Attorney General Tom Horne to tack on a last-minute amendment. It would allow county supervisors to have the sheriff's department take over law enforcement in any city where at least half of the local police officers over an eight-year period have had their peace officer certification revoked. That measure is aimed at the polygamous community of Colorado City on the Arizona-Utah border. Many of its officers are followers of Warren Jeffs who is considered the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. More than half have lost their certification, some for misconduct with minors and others after declaring their loyalty to Jeffs is more important than state law. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tom Horne's Effort to Get Rid of FLDS-Lovin' Cops in Colorado City Killed in Legislature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Hendley Valley Fever Phoenix New Times Originally published Fri., May 4 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attorney General Tom Horne's efforts to replace the police force in Colorado City with deputies from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office was killed in the state House yesterday, which turned out to be the last day of the legislative session. Colorado City, for those joining late, is the city on the Utah/Arizona border that child rapist Warren Jeffs used to call home, and remains the home to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Horne pushed the bill to legislators, contending that the cops there -- often referred to as the "Marshalls" -- were way too sympathetic to polygamists and friends of Jeffs. "Numerous cases have been documented where the 'Marshalls' refuse to investigate serious crimes against the property and persons of 'apostates' or other non followers of Warren Jeffs, when the perpetrators were followers of Mr. Jeffs," the AG's office said in February. "The 'Marshalls' have also prevented enforcement of court orders with respect who can occupy land. When a court appointed official came to Colorado City to enforce court orders, the Chief of Police pulled him over and threatened to arrest him for criminal trespass if he attempted to enforce court orders, as opposed to the desires of the FLDS Church." The House had previously killed the bill to replace the cops in Colorado City, but it was tacked on to another bill as an amendment in a last-ditch effort to get it passed. House members didn't accept that either, saying the language wasn't germane to the actual bill. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Twin Sisters and Cousin Married to Same Man | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Weird News JD Journal - Pasadena, California Originally published Friday, May 4 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Three women and one man have entered into a polygamous marriage. The really odd thing about this marriage is the fact that two of the women are twins and the third woman is a cousin. The twins are Vicki and Valerie and they are married to Joe Darger. The cousin is Alina. The family practices fundamentalist Mormonism and they are from Salt Lake City, Utah. They all live together with their 24 children. Vicki was married for 22 years to Joe when her twin sister decided to join the family as Joe's third wife in 2000. "The fact that Joe was married to Vicki didn't bother me at all. I took it as a sign he would be a good husband for me as well," Vicki said. "As teenagers, Vicki and I liked some of the same guys. I thought it might even be good if we married the same man. I know that some people are uncomfortable at the thought of two sisters sharing a husband. But there's a good chance if a husband is compatible with one sister, he'll be well matched with another." Joe owns a construction company and he started dating Vicki and Alina at the same time. Joe married the two women at a joint ceremony in 1990. "Even in our community joint courtships are rare," Vicki said. "We knew we were taking on a huge challenge and responsibility. The accepted pattern in our culture is for a couple to prove themselves first in a monogamous marriage, before taking on the challenges of a second wife." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamous leader's family shouldn't have special tax status: lawyer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: The Canadian Press Winnipeg Free Press Originally published May 4, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER - Polygamous leader Winston Blackmore's organization is nothing more than a big, polygamous family which isn't worthy of special tax status, a federal government lawyer told his tax trial. Lynn Burch told a Federal Tax Court Judge Diane Campbell on Friday that Blackmore hasn't been able to prove his community belongs to any church — one of the mandatory elements allowing him to claim income as a group. In her closing argument at his tax trial, Burch said Blackmore can't claim he's a Mormon because that religion disavowed polygamy many years ago. "The appellant is a polygamist, he's admitted to having 22 wives," she pointed out to the court. Blackmore was excommunicated from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, in 2002, dividing Blackmore's community of Bountiful, B.C., in half. About 400 of the 1,000-person congregation decided to follow Blackmore, the others stayed with James Oler, who was deemed the new leader by the head of the FLDS in the United States. Burch said there is no evidence that Blackmore has been part of any structured organization since then. "The appellant is twice removed from (religious) authority," she said. Blackmore testified on his own behalf during the trial, but under subpoena so his testimony couldn't be used in a criminal trial. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamous family deemed unworthy of special tax status | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government claims $1.5M in income went unreported | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Canadian Press CBC News Originally published May 4, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It's now up to a federal tax judge to decide whether the leader of the polygamous community of Bountiful, B.C., is the head of a religious group that deserves special tax status, or whether he's simply the head of an unconventional and very large family without any such protection. The federal government has been battling Winston Blackmore in court, claiming he underestimated his earnings by $1.5 million over a five-year period between 2000 and 2006. But in his final submission before the case is handed over to the judge for a ruling, Blackmore's lawyer, David Davies, told the Federal Tax Court Friday that Bountiful is a closed society and deserves the same special tax status afforded to other communities, like Hutterite colonies. Davies said the proof of that closed society comes in the actions of the community in everything from educating their own children to bride swapping. "As for the allegations about trafficking in brides, first of all in a closed society, it's apparent that this has to be done, because to draw within one's own ranks continually results in, obviously, consanguinity issues and the Hutterites apparently do the same." The Canadian Oxford dictionary defines consanguinity as a relationship with a common ancestor or blood relation. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What Peace There May Be" by Susanna Barlow Susanna Barlow's book is available for sale from The HOPE Organization Order it now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Read the Texas Third District Court of Appeals' Memorandum Opinion upholding the child sexual assault conviction of Abram Harker Jeffs, issued on May 10, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' April 9, 2012 and April 24, 2012 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on May 8, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Revelations from prison filed in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on April 24, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Assortment of January and February 2012 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on April 24, 2012 | |
| Read the Texas Third District Court of Appeals' Opinion affirming the conviction of Raymond Jessop, filed April 19, 2012 | |
| Read the Tax Court of Canada's Order in the tax case of Winston Blackmore v. Her Majesty The Queen, released April 9, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' March 6, 2012 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on April 16, 2012 | |
| Read the Texas Third District Court of Appeals' Memorandum Opinion dismissing the appeal by Warren Jeffs, filed March 29, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' February 9, 12 & 19, 2012 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on March 20, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' March 17, 2012 Revelations from prison | |
| Read the Texas Third District Court of Appeals' Memorandum Opinion affirming the conviction of Allan Keate, filed March 16, 2012 | |
| Read Arizona Senators Gray's and Gould's Arizona SB 1433 regarding the Colorado City Police, dated March 15, 2012 | |
| Read the Indictment of Richard Parks regarding the investigation of AmeriCorps monies paid to run the "Lost Boys'" House Just Off of Bluff, filed in the US District Court of Utah on March 14, 2012 | |
| Read the Mohave County Sheriff's Office Press Release regarding the death of 4 teenagers and one adult in a vehicle rollover accident near Centennial Park, dated March 8, 2012 | |
| Read Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff's Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Petition for Extraordinary Writ and Expedited Relief regarding payment of $5 million for the UEP Trust debt, filed in the Utah Supreme Court on March 6, 2012 | |
| Read the State of Utah 2012 General Session's S.B.291 regarding the Hildale Police Officers, introduced on March 2, 2012 | |
| Read the Federal Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals' Order Certifying State Law Questions regarding the United Effort Plan Trust, issued on March 2, 2012 | |
| Read the Texas Third District Court of Appeals' Memorandum Opinion upholding the child sexual assault conviction of Lehi Barlow Jeffs, issued on February 24, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' January 27 & 30, 2012 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on February 24, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' January 16 & 17, 2012 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on February 21, 2012 | |
| Read Arizona Senators Gray's and Gould's Arizona SB 1433 regarding the Colorado City Police, dated February 8, 2012 | |
| Read Judge Clark Waddoups' Memorandum Decision and Order regarding the "Sister Wives" lawsuit, dated February 3, 2012 | |
| Read FTC receiver Robb Evans' Report of Receiver's Financial Reconstruction Activities as of January 31, 2012 regarding Jeremy Johnson, filed February 3, 2012 | |
| Read FTC receiver Robb Evans' Report of Receiver's Financial Reconstruction Activities as of January 31, 2012 - Volume 1 of Exhibits (Tabs) 1 through 33 regarding Jeremy Johnson, filed February 3, 2012 | |
| Read FTC receiver Robb Evans' Report of Receiver's Financial Reconstruction Activities as of January 31, 2012 - Volume 2 of Exhibits (Tabs) 34 through 59 regarding Jeremy Johnson, filed February 3, 2012 | |
| Read FTC receiver Robb Evans' Report of Receiver's Financial Reconstruction Activities as of January 31, 2012 - Volume 3 of Exhibits (Tabs) 60 through 85 regarding Jeremy Johnson, filed February 3, 2012 | |
| Read FTC receiver Robb Evans' Report of Receiver's Financial Reconstruction Activities as of January 31, 2012 - Volume 4 of Exhibits (Tabs) 86 through 105 regarding Jeremy Johnson, filed February 3, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' "Revelation" newspaper ad printed in the Washington Post on Sunday, January 22, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' January 1, 2012 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on January 17, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' December 2011 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on January 10, 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' December 2011 Revelations from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on January 4, 2012 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's UEP Trust Beneficiary Update newsletter regarding the status of property taxes, dated January 2012 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' October 2, 2011 Revelation from prison received by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff on December 27, 2011 | |
| Read Judge Denise Lindberg's Ruling and Order regarding Bruce Wisan's Motion for Guidance on Resolution of Property Tax Crisis, filed in the Utah Third District Court December 14, 2011 | |
| Read the Salt Lake County Auditor's Report to the Citizens of Salt Lake County, the Mayor, and the County Council about the Salt Lake County Community Resources and Development Division's AmeriCorps Program regarding the investigation of the "Lost Boys'" House Just Off Bluff, dated December, 2011 | |
| Read Richard Holm's Motion for Temporary Restraining Order regarding the FLDS taking over the Holm School, filed in the Utah Third District Court December 22, 2011 | |
| Read Richard Holm's Complaint regarding the FLDS taking over the Holm School, filed in the Utah Third District Court December 21, 2011 | |
| Read Richard Holm's Complaint Exhibits regarding the FLDS taking over the Holm School, filed in the Utah Third District Court December 21, 2011 | |
| Read Washington County Attorney Brock Belnaps's letter to Marshal Jonathan Roundy regarding enforcing the Occupancy Agreements issued by UEP fiduciary Bruce Wisan, dated December 20, 2011 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' "Revelations" from prison warning of the destruction of the United States, received in Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff's office December 12, 2011 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' "Revelations" from prison warning of the destruction of the United States, sent to some Texas Commissioners' offices in early December, 2011 | |
| Read the Supreme Court of British Columbia's Citation: Reference re: Section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada, 2011 BCSC 1588 regarding the decision on the Canadian Polygamy Reference Case released November 23, 2011 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' "Revelations" from prison warning of the destruction of the United States, sent to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff's office November 14, 2011 | |
| Follow the TEXAS case on charges that Warren personally "spiritually married" little girls ranging in age from 12 to 14 and read the Court filings for and against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Follow the ARIZONA trial on charges of incest and charges of sexual contact with a minor and read the Court filings for and against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Follow the UTAH "Rape as an Accomplice" trial and read the Court filings for and against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Follow the numerous Texas cases of the YFZ men indicted for molesting little girls and read the Court filings regarding these men | |
| Below are some interesting items that are not "Current Events", but are included here because they are significant to current events. | |
| FLDS documentary 3 years in the making - Banking on Heaven | |
| Watch the Banking on Heaven trailer | |
| Watch the documentary Damned to Heaven | |
| Watch the documentary Banished: The Lost Boys of Polygamy | |
| Listen to Warren Jeffs speak about the black race | |
| Listen to Warren Jeffs speak about the "Seed of Cain" and "pingy pangy" music from the black race | |
| See the Texas court exhibit 992 containing 55 pages listing 550 bigamous "marriages" Warren Jeffs participated in either as "Mouth" or "Witness" | |
| Read Warren Jeffs's Warning to the Nation sent to President Obama, many Cabinet members and members of Congress February 28, 2011 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs's Warning to the Nation signature pages (part 1) sent to President Obama, many Cabinet members and members of Congress February 28, 2011 - THIS IS A VERY LARGE FILE | |
| Read Warren Jeffs's Warning to the Nation signature pages (part 2) sent to President Obama, many Cabinet members and members of Congress February 28, 2011 - THIS IS A VERY LARGE FILE | |
| See the KSTU-TV Fox 13 Utah Photo Gallery Polygamist Fashions | |
| Watch the November 18, 2010 KSL story on Warren Jeffs' fight against being extradited to Texas Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |
| Watch the November 15, 2010 KSL story on Warren Jeffs' fight against being extradited to Texas Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |
| Read the FLDS church's Proclamation to the Government Officials of the United States of America and to the Government Officials of Canada written by Warren Jeffs while he was in jail in Kingman, Arizona | |
| Watch FOX 13's Katy Carlyle's February 22, 2010 story about Heber Holm's Polygamy Tour of Short Creek | |
| Read the flyer for The Polygamy Experience Tour | |
| Read the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the United Order of Texas (creating ANOTHER new FLDS Church and religious Trust) filed in Schleicher County, Texas October 30, 2009 | |
| Read Sam Brower's memo comparing the FLDS to the Mafia written October, 2009 | |
| Read Special Warranty Deed (transferring the YFZ Ranch from the Texas Heritage Trust to the new Texas Stake of Zion Trust) filed in Schleicher County, Texas September 30, 2009 | |
| Read the December 31, 2008 Declaration of Trust of the Texas Stake of Zion (creating a new FLDS Church and religious Trust) filed in Schleicher County, Texas September 30, 2009 | |
| Read the Court Transcript of the Testimony of Merril Jessop regarding Carolyn Jessop's Petition for Child Support discussing the YFZ Ranch property and the Texas Heritage Trust, given in Schleicher County, Texas September 28, 2009 | |
Watch some of Willie Jessop's testimony at the April 14, 2009 Texas House Human Services Committee hearing on the YFZ raid courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman | |
| Video Courtesy of KSL.com Watch the KSL Video Last FLDS youth in custody could soon return to family broadcast on March 13, 2009 | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One item was a budget from the Short Creek Stake reporting their tithings paid and how these monies were being spent to support the other FLDS compounds | |
| Read the Budget Estimates from the Short Creek Stake and see where their hard-earned money was going | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One collection was Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record from January 16, 2007 - June 6, 2007. Excerpts of this included the "History of events of Warren Steed Jeffs while in prison (Purgatory Jail) in Washington County, Utah." Below are some of these Personal Priesthood Records | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 1 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 2 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 3 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 4 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 5 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 6 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One collection was Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations Below are some of these Personal Dictations fom 2005 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 1 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 2 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 3 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 4 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 5 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One item was Warren Jeffs' directive to his brother Lyle Jeffs to notify faithful followers they no longer held the Priesthood | |
| Read the bad news given to some FLDS members who were told that they had to repent from afar (leave UEP property) and their families were "released" from them in the Short Creek Assignment from July 12, 2005 | |
| Read the FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop's deposition court transcript recorded January 26, 2009 | |
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MR. SCHAFFER: At this time Mr. Jessop will refuse to answer that question based upon his Fifth Amendment privilege as well — under the federal constitution as well as the state constitution. As counsel propounding these questions knows there are federal investigations involving money laundering, mail fraud, wire fraud, Mann Act violations in federal court, in addition to any allegations being investigated by the state authorities.
MS. MALONIS: For the record, this counsel is not aware of that. MR. SCHAFFER: You are now. | |
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Watch a video of Willie Jessop taken during his deposition January 26, 2009 | |
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Watch more of the video of Willie Jessop taken during his deposition January 26, 2009 | |
| Read YFZ Ranch leader Merril Jessop's deposition court transcript recorded January 23, 2009 | |
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Watch a video of Merril Jessop taken during his deposition January 23, 2009 | |
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Watch more of the video of Merril Jessop taken during his deposition January 23, 2009 | |
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Watch even more of the video of Merril Jessop taken during his deposition January 23, 2009 | |
| Read the court Notice of Intention to take Oral Deposition from Merril Jessop filed January 16, 2009 | |
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Watch the Eldorado Success Video of Willie Jessop meeting with Schleicher County Commissioners on January 12, 2009 | |
| Read the court Subpoena to Compel Appearance for Depostion for Merril Jessop dated January 12, 2009 | |
| Read the Statement of Dan Fischer dated August 1, 2008 | |
| Watch the CBS 48 Hours Mystery YFZ Ranch video where Peter Van Sant talks with Willie Jessop about the April 2008 raid of the YFZ ranch. | |
| Read the Bishop's Record of Families at the YFZ Ranch released May 1, 2008 | |
| Watch the CBS Early Show video where the YFZ Ranch men speak out from April 26, 2008 | |
| Watch the April 16, 2008 Good Morning America interview with Nancy, Marie and Esther from the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas | |
| Watch the April 15, 2008 CBS Evening News coverage by Hari Sreenivasan on the YFZ raid and the removal of the FLDS children | |
| Watch Neal Karlinsky's April 14, 2008 report for ABC World News Tonight | |
| Read the Statement for the Media sent by Wally Bugden on December 5, 2007 - announcing Warren has resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Inc. | |
| Read the July 9, 2007 Memorandum in Support of Motion in Limine Regarding Statements of the Defendant unsealed by the court on November 6, 2007 - This is the "I am not the Prophet" confession | |
| Watch Warren Jeffs tell Nephi that he is "not the prophet" and "never was the prophet" | |
| See the Los Angeles Time's Photo Gallery from stories published May 2006 | |
| Read the February 21, 2005 Training Given by President Warren S. Jeffs On the Places of Refuge to a Group of Men regarding the "keep sweet" training on "how to live and be Zion" and be invited to live on the lands of refuge | |
| See the Photo Gallery from Alta Academy 1988 to 1996 | |
| For more information on the April 2008 raid on the FLDS YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, visit our web page
Don't Mess with Texas | |
| For more information on the trials of the FLDS men from the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, visit our web page
Texas Hold'em | |
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| For more information email: | |
| "Religion" is no excuse for committing child abuse | |
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