| Bounty placed on fundamentalist $10,000 reward in hunt for child-abuse suspect | |
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By Geoffrey Fattah Deseret Morning News | |
The elusive leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints now has a bounty on his head. Utah and Arizona officials announced Wednesday a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Warren Jeffs on two counts of felony child sex abuse for allegedly arranging, and performing, the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a man who was already married. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff publicly challenged Jeffs to turn himself in peacefully and face justice. "I just think he thinks he's above the law — he's a coward," Shurtleff said. He then addressed Jeffs directly, "If you think it's constitutional what you're doing, hey, come in and face justice." Jeffs has not been seen in public for almost two years. His last reported sighting was in the town of Colorado City, Ariz., just before many of his followers moved to Eldorado, Texas, and began construction of several buildings, including multi-family housing. It was also at that time that Jeffs drove out several members of his group. Shurtleff said he and Arizona officials discussed issuing a reward about a month ago as a way to turn up the heat on the polygamist leader. "We haven't been able to find him," Shurtleff said, saying he hopes the offer of $10,000 will spur someone to talk in a community notorious for being very tight-lipped. Law enforcement agents have followed many leads to Jeffs' whereabouts, taking them to locations in Texas, Colorado, Canada and Mexico, where Jeffs is believed to have established havens. All have led to dead ends. Law enforcement officials in Canada have been asked to also look for Jeffs, Shurtleff said, but no such commitment has been made by officials in Mexico. Anyone with information on Jeffs' whereabouts is being asked to call the Mohave County Sheriff's Office at 1-800-522-4312 or 928-753-2141. Jeffs is also listed as a defendant in several civil suits to which he has failed to respond. Those are not associated with the warrant or reward. Last week, the FBI said it had listed Jeffs as a fugitive from justice. Special Agent Brent Robbins of the Salt Lake FBI office said a warrant was issued to FBI offices across the United States and in several foreign countries. Robbins said such warrants can then be forwarded to Canadian and Mexican law enforcement attaches, who can then request those agencies to begin searching for a fugitive. Robbins said he could not comment if such requests have been made for Jeffs. When asked if Jeffs is believed to be armed and dangerous, Shurtleff said he did not think Jeffs himself would be but noted those around him are a different story. "We do know that he has private security that are armed and that they travel with him," Shurtleff said. "We are asking him to turn himself in peacefully, like many others did." The reward follows a series of arrests made in Colorado City, Ariz., over the past week of eight men indicted in Arizona for alleged sexual misconduct with minors. Several men turned themselves in this week to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Among those men is former Colorado City, Ariz.-Hildale, Utah, police officer Rodney Holm, who was indicted on three counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Holm, 38, was convicted in August 2003 of bigamy and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor 16 or 17 years old. He was ordered to serve one year in county jail with work release privileges and three years supervised probation. Holm has appealed his conviction to the Utah Supreme Court, challenging the state's use of its bigamy statute to prosecute him. The Utah Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling on the matter, which some legal experts say could overturn Utah's bigamy law if the court sides with Holm. Other men indicted include Terry Darger Barlow, Vergel Bryce Jessop, Donald Robert Barlow, David Romaine Bateman, Randolph Joseph Barlow, Dale Evans Barlow and Kelly Fischer. All men are charged with various counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor. On Friday, about 80 people showed up to a meeting in Colorado City, organized by the Utah and Arizona attorneys general, to discuss the court-ordered takeover of the United Effort Plan, a trust that controls the property and assets for the FLDS community. A Utah District Court judge recently ordered that Jeffs be permanently removed as one of the UEP's trustees. A hearing date was set for July 21 to discuss appointing new trustees. However, this week Judge Constandinos Himonas recused himself from the case, citing a potential conflict of interest. According to court records, Himonas noted that three of the trustee candidates, including outgoing Dixie State College President Robert Huddleston, are represented by the law firm of Jones, Waldo, Holbrook and McDonough — where Himonas was once employed. The hearing has been canceled and a new date will be set by Judge Denise Lindberg, who has taken over the matter. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard was quoted in a press release earlier this week commenting about the sexual abuse charges. "Today's announcement makes the point that no community is outside the law," Goddard states. In addition to the indictments, the price on Jeff's head and the UEP trust case, Arizona officials are also set to place the Colorado City School District in receivership next month due to alleged financial mismanagement. E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com | |
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deseretnews.com Originally published Thursday, July 14, 2005 | |
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