Jeffs' departure quick, quiet
 
By Patrice St. Germain
patrices@thespectrum.com
 
HURRICANE - With none of the fanfare that surrounded polygamist leader Warren Jeffs' arrival in Washington County, the convicted felon's departure was handled quickly and quietly following his sentencing Nov. 20.

Since then, Jeffs, 51, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has been housed at the Point of the Mountain prison in Draper and is undergoing a five-week assessment.

Department of Corrections spokesman Jack Ford said the receiving and orientation assessment, which includes a complete psychological and psychiatric evaluation, is the first step for a prisoner.

Because Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice for arranging the marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin, both first-degree felonies, and sentenced to five years to life on each count, it will be about three years before Jeffs will be eligible to go before the Board of Pardons.

Jeffs had made the FBI's 10 most wanted list before he was apprehended during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 15 outside of Las Vegas and was extradited to Utah.

Once Jeffs arrived in Utah, the costs for the Washington County Sheriff's Office quickly began to mount for extra security at Purgatory Correctional Facility as well as courtroom security during Jeffs' numerous court appearances.

Between the sheriff's office and St. George Police, about $110,000 was spent to provide security at the courthouse.

While the expenses from the end of July to Sept. 7 for the sheriff's office ran about $1,440, the two-week period which covered the trial, from Sept. 8 to Sept. 21, cost the sheriff's office over $45,000.

In addition, the Washington County Sheriff's Office ran up over $26,000 in trial and trial preparation expenses, a portion of which is reimbursed by the state for witness and victim expenses, which include lodging, meals, airfare and travel expenses.

The housing for Jeffs was $48 a day but doesn't include extra security measures to ensure Jeffs' safety as well as security for other inmates and jail personnel.

Sheriff's office spokesman Jake Adams said Jeffs' 14-month stay at Purgatory was labor intensive and although the department began holding meetings on Jeffs' incarceration if he was apprehended, they agency did have a few curve balls thrown at them, mostly in Jeffs' behavior, which, at times, was unexpected.

"It was an invaluable training and learning opportunity for us and created relations and trust with other agencies," Adams said. "So in that, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything, but we are not looking to do it again."

Adams said the staff at the sheriff's office is now working with other law enforcement agencies, including Mohave County, Ariz., which may have Jeffs in custody in the future as he faces additional charges.

"We are briefing other agencies so they are better prepared from the mistakes we made and the things that were done right," Adams said.
 
TheSpectrum.com
Originally published November 29, 2007
 
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