Utah Sheriff to Visit Eldorado
 
The Eldorado Success
 
Sheriff Kirk Smith of Washington County, UT, plans to visit Eldorado in the coming days to update local authorities on his dealings with members of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a large number of whom live in the community of Hildale, UT, located in a remote corner of his county.

There has been much speculation in recent weeks that a three-building complex, being erected on the YFZ ranch, some four miles north-northeast of Eldorado, is affiliated with the FLDS. Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran says that he has invited Sheriff Smith to visit Eldorado in hopes of gleaning more information about the group.

"Sheriff Smith has gained some valuable experience in dealing with the FLDS in Washington County," Sheriff Doran told the Success. "If the group on the YFZ ranch is associated with the FLDS, and I’m becoming more and more convinced that they are, then we can benefit greatly from hearing what he has to say."

Smith has served as Sheriff of Washington County since 1999. During that time, Hildale and its sister city, Colorado City, AZ, have come under increased scrutiny amid accusations of church-sanctioned polygamy among FLDS members. The two towns also found themselves at the center of a complicated power struggle following the death of FLDS Prophet Rulon Jeffs. His son Warren Jeffs eventually assumed the mantle of Prophet, but not without resistance from several longtime FLDS members, many of whom have since been excommunicated from the church.

Smith's department also gained national attention when his officers located a piece of the Space Shuttle Columbia, which disintergrated during reentry on Feb. 1, 2003. The debris was unusual in that most of the shuttle's pieces came down much farther east, in Texas and Louisiana.

Recently, Sheriff Smith's deputies stepped in and took over law enforcement duties in Hildale after the entire city police force was suspended when its officers failed to keep their law enforcement certifications up to date. The certifications are required under Utah's Peace Officer Standard and Training Council.

Sheriff Smith was recently named as Utah's "Lawman of the Year" by the Utah Sheriff’s Association. He oversees a large department, by Schleicher County standards, that patrols the extreme southwest corner of Utah. Washington County is the home to approximately 110,000 residents and is the state's fasted growing county.

Smith is expected to arrive in Eldorado later this month. No exact date has been released to the public.
 
MyEldorado.net
Originally published April 8, 2004
 
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