Warren Jeffs Believed to be at YFZ Ranch
 
The Eldorado Success
 
Published reports in the Salt Lake Tribune, as well as other Rocky Mountain area newspapers, indicate that Warren Jeffs, the Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has left his walled compound in Colorado City, AZ, and relocated to the YFZ Ranch, just north of Eldorado.

A story appearing in the May 6, edition of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that Jeffs was at the YFZ Ranch as early as March 28, 2004 and that it was he who ordered four men, David Allred, Ernie Jessop, Roy Steed and Allan Steed, to meet with Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran and Justice of the Peace James C. Doyle. Details of that meeting, along with a photo of the four men were published in last week's edition of the Success.

At that meeting, Allred admitted to Doran and Doyle that the YFZ Ranch was never intended to be a hunting retreat. Instead, the property was planned for a new FLDS community and would house no more than 200 people, David Allred said.

That number conflicts with reports the Success has gotten from sources in the Colorado City/Hildale area. Benjamin G. Bistline, author of "The Polygamists, a History of Colorado City, Arizona" told the Success last week that there is much activity in the Colorado City area and that numbers of families are packing to move to Texas. He estimated that perhaps as many as 1,500 could be making the move in the coming weeks.

Bistline, himself an excommunicated member of the FLDS, got in trouble with the group's leader when he wrote the book outlining history of the town that is so closely connected with the church. He said that although he is not opposed to polygamy, he is opposed to the forced marriage of underage girls to older men, a practice Bistline says continues to this day.

Bistline compares conditions for the young FLDS girls to that of slavery. He says the girls are educated only to the fourth grade level, and are taught from early childhood that their role in life is to be given in marriage by the Prophet, mostly into polygamous marriages, and to produce lots of babies so that the cycle can continue.

Bistline says that Warren Jeffs is a mystery to many outside the FLDS core group. "He is an outsider," Bistline said. "He is from Salt Lake City where he ran a school for his father, Rulon Jeffs," Bistline said. "I think he's an egotistical maniac."

Still, Bistline doesn't think Jeffs or his group of FLDS followers present a threat to Eldorado or Schleicher County. "They wanted to find an isolated area where they could practice their so called religion without influence from the outside world," Bistline added. "They may have miscalculated by choosing Texas."

Bistline also disagrees with claims the FLDS leaders made that they have no interest in taking over the political institutions within Schleicher County. "They will take over any office necessary in order to be left alone." Bistline said. "If they think they are under too much pressure and that electing their own sheriff could help alleviate the problem, then they'll elect their own sheriff, or judge, or any other office they feel they need."

"They aren't coming in there to take over your government so that they can tell you what to do," Bistline continued. "But they will take over whatever they must in order to be left alone. That's what they've done here in Colorado City."

Bistline went on to say that FLDS members will almost certainly be signing up for Medicaid and other types of governmental assistance like WIC (Womens, Infants and Children nutritional program).

"They call it bleeding the beast," Bistline said. "They don't like the government but they are not opposed to any assistance they can get from it."

A second, confidential source, also told the Success that numerous families in the Colorado City/Hildale community are preparing to move to Texas. The individual states that the 200 number given to Schleicher County authorities would barely account for the Prophet Warren Jeffs, his many wives and their children.

Meanwhile, construction continues at the YFZ with walls going up on another large structure, with foundation work proceeding on yet another.

On Wednesday morning, May 12, the Success heard from Ron Barton, an investigator in Utah's Attorney General's office. Barton confirmed that his state has issued a subpoena for Warren Jeffs but declined to specify exactly what the subpoena is for. He did say, however, that the FLDS decision to move to Texas is likely prompted by the fact that his agency and others are bringing increasing legal pressure on the organization.

Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran and Chief Deputy George Arispe are planning a trip to Colorado City, AZ next week. They hope to meet with members of the community, as well as law enforcement officials from Utah and Arizona.
 
MyEldorado.net
Originally published May 13, 2004
 
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