| Judge: Arizona will have to wait Charges on Jeffs to wait until Utah is finished | |||
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By Laura Duncan lduncan@thespectrum.com | |||
ST. GEORGE - Prosecutors in Arizona will have to wait indefinitely to pursue their case against polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. Wednesday afternoon during an extradition hearing in a Washington County courtroom, Jeffs was told he isn't going anywhere for awhile. "Arizona's going to have to wait," 5th District Court Judge James Shumate told Jeffs, who appeared for the proceedings via closed-circuit television. Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with headquarters in the twin border cities of Colorado City, Ariz. and Hildale, Utah, faces five years to life in prison if convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice in Utah. He was also indicted on charges of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor in Mohave County, Ariz. Jeffs also faces federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Combined, the charges landed him on the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted list last May. Brian Filter with the Washington County Attorney's Office explained that Arizona will begin its extradition efforts via a governor's warrant, which entails the governor of Arizona signing a warrant and sending it to the governor of Utah for extradition. A secretary for Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith said a press release regarding the matter will be released today. Smith was unavailable Wednesday because he was in an Arizona courtroom where a jury brought in a verdict finding David Bateman guilty of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. Bateman is a resident of Colorado City, Ariz. | |||
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TheSpectrum.com Originally published October 26, 2006 | |||
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