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| The HOPE Organization has received a Creative Ministries of Presbyterian Women Thank Offering grant to fund a 2-year "Jump Start" life-skills program for children in the Hildale/Colorado City/Centennial Park communities. Read our press release Read our program flyer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Breaking News | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Here's the latest on what's happening. These news articles are listed in chronological order. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Samuel C. Fischer arrested for domestic violence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bookings Washington County Sheriff's Office news.washeriff.net Originally published July 3, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Birth Date: 03/13/55 Address : 495 W UTAH AVE, Hildale, UT
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| Search for missing boater now deemed "recovery" effort | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Alex Grubb KPAX Channel 8 - Missoula, Montana Originally broadcast July 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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GREAT FALLS - The search for a missing Utah man in the Missouri River has officially been deemed a recovery effort, rather than a rescue attempt. The 21-year old was canoeing on Sunday evening when the boat capsized; two fellow boaters were rescued after swimming to an island, but the third man did not surface. Search & Rescue crews have been walking along the banks of the river and using boats in an effort to locate the man, but late Tuesday morning, Mike McCluskey of Cascade County Search & Rescue said that the search efforts are shifting to recovery mode.
(from July 5, 2010) Search & Rescue crews set out early Monday morning in an attempt to locate a 21-year old Utah man who was reported missing on Sunday evening. The man and two two friends were canoeing in the Missouri River when their boat capsized. Two of the occupants managed to make it to an island and were rescued, but the third man has not yet been located. Officials say that missing man isn't a good swimmer, and none of the three people in the canoe were wearing a life jacket. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona Attorney General Files Fair Housing Lawsuit against Colorado City and Hildale for Civil Rights Violations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jamie Ross, Contributor KCSG TV - St. George, Utah Originally published July 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Phoenix, AZ) - Attorney General Terry Goddard has backed up a disabled man's claim that a utilities company run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints denied him water and electricity because he did not have a building permit, though the utility does not require such permits from sect members. Goddard's Superior Court complaint against Hilldale-Colorado City Utilities supports Ronald Cooke's claim that the sect "instructed members that apostates were tools of the devil." Cooke sued the utility company and the Town of Colorado City in Prescott, Ariz., Federal Court. Goddard's complaint in Maricopa County Court tracks Cooke's claims. Goddard agrees that in July 2000, leaders of the fundamentalist sect "instructed members that apostates were tools of the devil, and that there were dangers in associating with apostates." Goddard agrees with Cooke's claim that he needs running water to clean his catheters, bathe and to avoid infections after a traumatic brain and spinal cord injury he suffered in 2005. Cooke was raised in the FLDS religion and grew up in the Colorado City, Ariz. area, but left the religion at age 18 or 19. Cooke returned to the town in 2007 and was denied water service in 2009 after Utility Board President Jonathan Fischer claimed that "no new families would be placed in homes not previously connected to the water systems," Goddard says. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mormon apologists: Book your flight to Sandy, Utah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jeff Kunerth The Religion World Orlando Sentinel Originally published July 7, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research, an organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doctrine, belief and practice, will hold its annual conference of scholars, apologists, and interested individuals on Aug. 5-6 at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah. Royal Skousen, editor of the Book of Mormon critical text project, will speak about "Restoring the Original Text of the Book of Mormon. Stephen Ricks, a professor of Hebrew and Cognate Learning at Brigham Young University, will discuss proper names in the Book of Mormon. Matthew Roper of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship will tackle the sometimes volatile subject of Book of Mormon geography. Public opinion pollster Gary Lawrence will reveal new information on "How Americans View Mormonism and What We Can Do About It." Peter Watkins, president of a local strategic communications consulting firm and former White House spokesman, will summarize his experience as a Mormon in the White House and what that means within the context of America’s political landscape. Brian C. Hales, author of "Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism: The Generations after the Manifesto," will present new evidence relating to controversies about Joseph Smith’s polygamy. Steven L. Mayfield, producer of Mormon Miscellaneous, a talk/interview/call-in radio program in Salt Lake City will discuss "Big Love: The truth, the Whole Truth and, Well, Maybe Not?" Craig L. Foster, currently co-editing a three-volume work on plural marriage, will present, "Like Two Crazy Aunts in the Attic: Latter-day Saints and Popular Polygamy Stereotypes." For event details see: http://www.fairlds.org/conf10a.html | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ariz. AG alleges faith-based housing discrimination | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press The Durango Herald - Durango, Colorado Originally published Thursday, July 08, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY - Arizona's attorney general has filed a civil-rights lawsuit on behalf of a disabled man who was allegedly denied access to water and power at his home because he is no longer a member of a sect that practices polygamy in a community on the Utah-Arizona border. Ron Cooke, his wife Jinjer and their children live in Colorado City, Ariz. The town, along with Hildale, Utah, is the primary base of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the elected leaders and employees of both towns are largely church members. Filed last month in Phoenix, the lawsuit stems from a 2008 civil-rights complaint levied by Cooke and contends that he was denied access to utilities by the joint agency that serves the cities. Investigators determined in April that Cooke's complaints were valid and filed the lawsuit late last month. Prosecutors contend the defendants - the cities of Hildale and Colorado City, the Twin City Water Authority and Hildale-Colorado City Utilities, an intergovernmental agency that provides power, water, gas and sewer services - demanded Cooke apply for building permits, provide building plans meet other requirements before being considered for services, but did not require the same from residents who are members of the church. Prosecutors say the denial is a violation of state fair housing laws and want a judge to order the utilities connected and impose fines. They also want the defendants barred from using religion as the basis for denying utility services in the future to other residents who aren't church members. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Who is policing private schools? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education ministry doesn't screen what's taught | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Daphne Bramham Vancouver Sun Originally published July 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It's against the law to teach religious intolerance, sedition, social change through violent action or racial and ethnic superiority in B.C. schools. These reasonable limits are specifically spelled out in the act governing independent schools. The problem is that they're almost impossible to enforce. What school administrator -- no matter how zealous or bigoted -- wouldn't have the foresight to warn teachers not to leave that kind of material lying around in case there's a snap inspection? What teacher, regardless of how hate-filled or radical, can't pull a benign lesson plan out at the dreaded moment of an evaluation? But B.C.'s independent schools can formulate their own full-credit courses. All that the education ministry requires is that the independent school authorities submit a course name and synopsis along with the number of hours of instruction and the intended learning outcomes. No one in the ministry vets the texts or resource materials. Nobody screens the content. The only people who view the content are members of the external evaluation committee, whose members are not ministry staff. The ministry delegates that work to administrators from other independent schools. The education minister can ask to see the course materials for these locally developed programs, although no one seems to know whether any minister ever has. The material is not available to the public. In response to a freedom of information request, I was told: "The ministry of education does not collect BAA (board/authority-authorized course materials) for any schools and does not possess copies of textbooks." I had asked for the textbooks and resource materials for the Grades 1 to 12 religious studies at the two fundamentalist Mormon schools in Bountiful, which will receive $1.7 million in government grants this year. Their combined enrolment over the last five years has risen to 432 from 262. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Part Of I-90 Closes To Clear Accident Debris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keloland Television - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast July 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NEAR BRIDGEWATER, SD - Interstate 90 was shut down after a semi and RV collided Thursday morning. Both vehicles were heading east on I-90 when they crashed just east of the Bridgewater exit. Authorities closed the interstate again just before 1 p.m. so that equipment could be brought in to clear away the damaged vehicles. Emergency responders had to rescue one person who was trapped inside the RV. The two people from that vehicle were taken to the hospital, one with serious injuries. The driver of the semi had only minor injuries. Troopers say charges are pending, but wouldn't say which driver was at fault. We'll have more details later today on KELOLAND News and KELOLAND.com. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Investigation: Semi Driver Fell Asleep At Wheel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keloland Television - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast July 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NEAR BRIDGEWATER, SD - Authorities say the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 will be closed for a few more hours while crews clean up after an accident. It happened around 9:15 a.m. Thursday near the Bridgewater exit. An investigation found the semi driver, Ronald Jessop, who works for a company out of Utah and was driving with a suspended license, fell asleep at the wheel. That's when officials say he hit a Ford Explorer being pulled by an RV owned by a Kansas couple. The driver of the RV, 73-year-old Betty Sullivan of Wichita, had to be taken to the hospital after the crash with minor injuries. The passenger in the RV, 74-year-old Leonard Sullivan, also of Wichita, was trapped after the crash and is in the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. Jessop, 25, is in the McCook County jail; he's being charged with careless driving and driving with a suspended license. Eastbound traffic on Interstate 90 is being rerouted north on 435th Avenue, east on Highway 38 and south on Highway 81. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interstate 90 Open To Traffic Following Crash | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keloland Television - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast July 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NORTH OF BRIDGEWATER, SD - Eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 near the Bridgewater exit are open again after being closed for about five hours Thursday. Authorities closed the stretch of interstate while crews worked to cleanup following a two-vehicle crash involving a semi and RV. The semi was carrying about 25 blocks of cheese estimated to weigh 700 pounds each. The state Department of Transportation used pay loaders and dump trucks to remove the cheese. Ace Towing of Salem brought in wreckers to move the vehicles. Interstate traffic was rerouted north to Highway 38 while the crash site was cleared. The interstate re-opened just after 4 p.m. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troopers: Concentrate Near Accidents | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Molly Miles Keloland Television - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast July 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NORTH OF BRIDGEWATER, SD - After Thursday’s crash on the interstate near the Bridgewater exit, officers are reminding drivers not to get distracted. Highway Patrol troopers say it's important for people coming upon accidents to concentrate on their driving and pay attention to the officers at the site. "As you are going through a scene like that, the best thing or advice I can give is to keep moving through the scene if you are told to do so," South Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Kevin Joffer said. Joffer says accidents often distract other drivers, which can cause congestion and even another crash if they aren't paying attention to the flow of traffic. "Especially a high profile crash like this. There was lots to see and lots for people to look at. And unfortunately, when people slow down, not everyone behind you will know that you are slowing down," Joffer said. If traffic is stopped completely because of an accident, never try to drive through barriers. "When the law enforcement gets there, the biggest thing we want to be concerned about right away is getting any injured passengers out of the vehicles that are involved in the crash," Joffer said. Doing all you can to allow officers and rescue crews to do their job, he says, will keep everyone on scene safe. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HP: Semi Driver Shouldn't Have Been Driving | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Don Jorgensen Keloland Television - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast July 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NORTH OF BRIDGEWATER, SD - Troopers say he shouldn't have been driving in the first place. A Utah trucker is in a South Dakota jail cell, accused of falling asleep at the wheel and causing a major accident on Interstate 90. The crash stopped traffic near the Bridgewater exit for several hours and sent two people to the hospital. The accident scene looks worse than it was. Judging by the mess, investigators say it's lucky someone wasn't killed. "There was an Airstream RV with a Ford Explorer traveling eastbound on I-90 when a semi came up behind that vehicle and rear ended the vehicle being towed by the RV," Captain Kevin Joffer of the South Dakota Highway Patrol said. The semi hit the Airstream so hard, the driver lost control, the RV rolled into the median while the semi veered into the ditch tipping on its side. Investigators say the semi driver, Ronald Jessop of Utah, wasn't paying attention and was operating the big rig illegally. "The driver of the semi has a suspended commercial driver's license. We have also received information from the troopers investigating the accident that it appears the driver may have fallen asleep," Joffer said. Cargo and personal belongings were strewn everywhere. Because of the all the debris, the South Dakota Highway Patrol shut down the Interstate for several hours until the wreckage was cleaned up. "We weren't safely able to move traffic through that area because of the crash because it was quite a mess," Joffer said. The driver of RV, 73-year-old Betty Sullivan of Wichita, Kansas, has minor injuries. Passenger 74-year-old Leonard Sullivan suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Jessop, the driver of the semi, has been cited for driving without a license and careless driving. He also has an outstanding warrant on a failure to appear in court on a separate charge. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crash on I-90 closes interstate for five hours | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Staff Report The Argus Leader - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally published July 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interstate 90 is back open after a two-vehicle crash this morning west of the Salem exit closed it for about five hours. The crash happened about 9 a.m. when Ronald Scott Jessop, 24, of Washington, Utah, fell asleep at the wheel of a 2005 Kenworth semi-truck, the South Dakota Department of Safety said in a release. The Kenworth struck the rear of a Ford Explorer being towed by a 1999 Air Stream Cutter driven by Betty A. Sullivan, 73, of Wichita, Kan. The Explorer went into the south ditch. The Air Stream entered the center median and rolled, while the Kenworth entered the south ditch and rolled. Sullivan suffered minor injuries. A passenger in the Air Stream, 74-year-old Leonard Sullivan, suffered serious but nonlife-threatening injuries. Both were transported to Sanford in Sioux Falls. Jessop was uninjured. All occupants were wearing seatbelts. Jessop was taken into custody and charged with careless driving and driving with a suspended commercial driver license. Interstate traffic was rerouted north to Highway 38 while the crash site was cleared. The interstate was re-opened shortly after 4 p.m. The Kenworth carried a load of about 25 blocks of cheese, with an estimated weight of 700 pounds per block. Ace Towing of Salem sent wreckers to move the vehicles, and the state Department of Transportation used pay loaders and dump trucks to remove the cheese from the interstate. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nearly All Truck Drivers Follow Rules Of The Road | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Shawn Neisteadt Keloland Television - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally broadcast July 9, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Truck drivers don't want Thursday’s incident to give the industry a bad reputation. South Dakota's four permanent weigh stations are located along the busiest entrances to the state, along the interstate system. Motor Carrier Enforcement and Highway Patrol Troopers check up on trucks along other highways, and they're checking on much more than just how much each trucks weighs. Whenever you get behind the wheel, chances are you're sharing the road with big rigs. And those who drive trucks for a living must follow more rules than the average driver. But with up to 80,000 pounds of responsibility, they appreciate the extra federal and state regulations. "We can still get our jobs done. We can still get our deliveries made on time. We just have to plan ahead, be smart about it and be safe," truck driver Dave Bruck said. Like other truck drivers, Bruck must take a few minutes out of his trip to stop at this Interstate 90 weigh station at the South Dakota - Minnesota border. Checking the weight of the truck is just the start. If asked, drivers must also prove they're licensed and insured and show their log books. That's because, depending on the truck, drivers may only be on the road between 11 and 14 hours before taking a ten-hour break. Bruck says it’s up to every driver to make sure they're following the rules of the road. "You have to make a lot of decisions and they better be the smart ones and the right ones," Bruck said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judge Tauro's questionable past | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Charles Lane Opinions PostPartisan Washington Post Originally published July 9, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Judge Joseph Tauro’s opinions striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act may or may not be good constitutional law. I’ll leave that complex matter to others. But as works of history, they are puzzlingly incomplete.
In ruling DOMA unconstitutional partly because it intrudes on what he calls the states’ "exclusive" authority to define marriage, Tauro glosses over an issue with which the federal government was obsessed for most of the 19th Century and even part of the 20th: polygamy, particularly as practiced by Mormons in the western territories. Tauro notes, accurately enough, that Congress historically deferred to state laws regarding common law marriage and divorce, as well as restrictions regarding interracial marriage, "hygiene," and age at marriage -- despite often-furious controversies. But Mormon polygamy, like southern slavery, converted the territories into an arena of national moral conflict that inescapably involved all three branches of the federal government -- beginning with President James Buchanan’s ill-fated dispatch of U.S. troops to install a non-Mormon governor in the Utah Territory in 1857. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| INTERVIEW with the directors of SONS OF PERDITION: "They have no idea that I just spent four years publicly disparaging their God." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Lauren Macaluso Critical Mass - City Paper's Arts and Entertainment Blog Philadelphia City Paper Originally published Friday, July 9th, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sons of Perdition follows three boys exiled from their polygamist communities in Colorado City, AZ. Directors Jennilyn Merten and Tyler Measom provide viewers with an unseen side of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints religion and its demanding leader Warren Jeffs through Bruce, Sam and Joe. Filmed over a period of three years, the boys stumble through life outside their faith — sex, drugs, and partying included. The directors, like their subjects, are also ex-Mormons, who left the faith in their 20s. "It wasn’t as traumatic as it was for the kids but it was a story that was kind of close to our hearts in terms of leaving your religion, struggling to find a new faith and dealing with your family," says Merten. I caught up with the directors via conference call as they spent time on opposite sides of the country — Merten in New York and Meason in Utah. Their film will be shown tonight as part of the PUFF screening series.
City Paper: How did you go about finding Bruce, Sam, and Joe? Jennilyn Merten: We set out to find some kids and met a social worker who was helping some of them. He introduced us to a couple of the kids who weren’t real great, actually a couple of them told us to f*&% off. They’ve been taught their whole lives that outsiders are evil and they’re going to do horrible things to you. It took a little bit of work to gain their trust. But eventually we discovered this underground railroad community of kids, mostly boys living on their own. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Search continues for man missing in Missouri River | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Katie Stukey KPAX Channel 8 - Missoula, Montana Originally broadcast July 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GREAT FALLS - The search for a man reported missing in the Missouri River on Sunday has resumed, this time with a private party. At least 20 men are scouring the shores and the water between Black Eagle and Rainbow Dams. They would not tell us their connection to the missing man, but did confirm that they are looking for the body of the 21-year old Utah man who disappeared after his canoe capsized on July 4th. They brought several trucks, most with Idaho or Utah license plates, as well as trailers, a boat, two wave-runners, and an inflatable canoe. The Cascade County Sheriff's office called off the official search on Tuesday. Sheriff David Castle says he does not know the group that's currently searching, but says they have every right to look and wishes them the best of luck. Members of the group tell us they'll stay as long as it takes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Body of missing Washington County canoeist found | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Deseret News Originally published Monday, July 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — The body of a 21-year-old Utah man missing in the Missouri River near Great Falls since July 4 has been found. Cascade County sheriff's officials say the body of Leroy Emack of Hildale was recovered from an intake at Rainbow Dam on Monday morning. An employee with PPL Montana, which operates the dam, spotted the body. Emack was in Great Falls working a construction job at Malmstrom Air Force Base. He and two others entered the Missouri River in a 14-foot canoe on the evening of July 4. The canoe capsized. The other two people made it to shore, but the sheriff's office says Emack drowned. Officials say none of the people in the canoe were wearing life vests. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Body of missing boater recovered in Great Falls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Alex Grubb (Great Falls) KXLH News - Helena, Montana Originally broadcast July 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIRST ON KRTV.COM: The body of 21-year old Leroy Emack has been recovered at Rainbow Dam in Great Falls. PPL workers discovered the body at about 8:00 a.m. on Monday. Authorities held a press conference at 11:30 a.m. to confirm the identity of the body as that of Emack, who was in Great Falls doing construction work at Malmstrom Air Force Base. He is reported to be from Hildale, Utah. Emack and two friends were canoeing on July 4th when their boat capsized; two of the boaters were safely rescued from an island, but Emack never surfaced. Cascade County Corporal Bob Wojciechowski said that earlier on that day, the trio purchased a 14-foot canoe and tested it out in the calmer waters above Black Eagle dam; later they set out below the dam. Due to the strong waters, the canoe tipped over. Wojciechowski noted, "They were not wearing life jackets. The individual that ultimately drowned in this case, our information is he did not know how to swim either. Two individuals were able to make a shoreline to one of the islands. They washed up on shore there and were able to be recovered by a Fish Wildlife & Parks game warden." Authorities spent two days searching the river bank and the water for Emack to no avail. After the rescue operation was officially declared to be a recovery mission, a private search party was organized that continued into the weekend. Emack's body has been transported to a Great Falls funeral home. See photos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canoeist missing since July 4 found at Rainbow Dam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By KARL PUCKETT Great Falls Tribune - Great Falls, Montana Originally published July 13, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The body of Leroy Emack, 21, of Hildale, Utah, was recovered Monday from the Missouri River, eight days after he disappeared in a canoeing accident near Great Falls, the Cascade County Sheriff's Office said. Emack's body was discovered in an intake grate at Rainbow Dam at 8 a.m., Cpl. Bob Wojciechowski said. He was transported to a funeral home in Great Falls. Rainbow Dam is about two miles from a canoe launch at Black Eagle Memorial Island, where Emack and two other men set off at 8 p.m. on July 4. PPL Montana, which operates the dam, discovered the body and notified authorities. None of the men was wearing life jackets, which may have saved Emack's life, Wojciechowski said. "You can't convey to the public enough that this river is dangerous," he said. He said the water where the canoe capsized was high and "very rough" for the weight of the watercraft and the skill level of the men. The sheriff's office said Emack and John Shapley and Parley Shapley, also of Hildale, entered the Missouri in a 14-foot canoe at Black Eagle Memorial Island. A bridge leads to the island below the Black Eagle Dam and powerhouse. The three men had purchased the craft in Great Falls the day of the accident and tried it out successfully in calmer waters, Wojciechowski said. On the second time out, the canoe capsized a few hundred yards after entering the river. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tension escalating in polygamous land feud | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast July 13, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE - Tension over control of land in the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz., have escalated to the point that Arizona's Attorney General is asking a Utah judge to step in. The Arizona Attorney General's Office filed an emergency motion in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court recently. Tapes filed with the papers give a glimpse into the level of frustration between both sides. One confrontation between a member of the court-appointed advisory board and a Colorado City Town Marshal occurred when tractors were plowing land that was in dispute. "What does it take to get these guys to quit doing this?" Seth Cooke asked Marshal Helaman Barlow. "A court order," Barlow replied. "Do I have to go and get my 270 and start shooting people?" Cooke said. "I am (expletive) serious!" The United Effort Plan Trust controls homes and property in Hildale and Colorado City. It was taken over by the courts in 2005 over allegations that Warren Jeffs and other leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints mismanaged it. Arizona's filing detailed a long list of claims that police and town leaders in Hildale and Colorado City were ignoring a judge's orders over use of property. The police in the communities have been criticized in the past over perceived loyalties to FLDS leaders. The Arizona Attorney General's Office also recently filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Cooke's brother, alleging town officials discriminated against him by not providing him with utility hookups for his home. "I don't want to kill anybody, and I don't want to be killed," Cooke said on the tape. "But I have been pushed to the point that my life... there's nothing more important to me than the free agency to live like I want to." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listen to the recording of the conversation between Seth Cook and Marshal Helaman Barlow. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AZ seeks emergency hearing on twin polygamy towns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press Writer The Spectrum Originally published July 14, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — The Arizona attorney general's office has asked a Utah judge for an emergency hearing on the rising tensions between residents of twin polygamous communities on the Utah-Arizona border. The request on July 8 comes in the wake of property-use disputes and allegations that police have failed to enforce the court-ordered authority of an accountant charged with managing the United Effort Plan Trust. In court papers, Assistant Arizona Attorney General Bill Richards asks 3rd District Judge Denise Lindberg to set a hearing "as quickly as possible on or after July 27" to hear "reports on issues and incidents affecting the peaceful and effective administration of the trust." No hearing date has been set. The trust holds nearly all the properties in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., the base of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Utah courts took control of the communal land trust in 2005 amid allegations of mismanagement by church leaders. That has sparked an ongoing string of disputes between current and former FLDS members. A yearslong battle for control of the trust between the FLDS, the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona and court-appointed accountant Bruce Wisan is mired in lawsuits. A 2009 attempt at a settlement ended without resolution. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tense relations lead to violent threat in FLDS communities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Emiley Morgan Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, July 14, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE, Washington County — An ongoing rift between those who live in the twin polygamist communities of Hildale and Colorado City, Ariz. and those who have been court-appointed to oversee their assets has escalated to the point that the Arizona Attorney General's Office is asking for a emergency court hearing to address the issues. The "emergency report" was filed last week and outlined conflicts over grain silos, fields, basic utilities and homes and allegations that local law enforcement has failed to abide by arrangements made by accountant Bruce Wisan who oversees the Fundamentalist LDS Church's United Effort Plan Trust. The trust was created by the FLDS Church in 1942 on the concept of a "united order," allowing followers to share in its assets. Utah courts took control of the trust in 2005 following allegations that it had been mismanaged by church leader Warren Jeffs. Members of the sect have long held that 3rd District Judge Denise Lindberg's decision to reform the trust, which is valued at more than $110 million and holds most of the property in Hildale, Colorado City, Ariz. and Bountiful, British Columbia, was a violation of their First Amendment rights to practice their religion freely. Lindberg appointed Wisan as the special fiduciary of the trust and later authorized the sale of Berry Knoll, a 438-acre parcel of land church members claim was consecrated for a temple, to repay the trust's $3 million in debt. One exhibit attached to the filing includes a tape recorded threat allegedly made by frustrated Trust Advisory Board member Seth Cooke. In the recording, he tells a law enforcement officer that if a plowing issue on Berry Knoll wasn't resolved, he would "go get my .270 and come out here and start shooting people." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamy opponents file today in BC court | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Daphne Bramham Think Tank Vancouver Sun Originally published July 16, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Affidavits supporting Canada's anti-polygamy law are being filed today in B.C. Supreme Court in advance of the November trial during which Chief Justice Robert Bauman will determine whether the law is constitutional. Included with the affidavits are video interviews with a number of former fundamentalist Mormons who talk about the harms they experienced living within polygamous families. Among those interviewed is Brenda Jensen, whose father founded the B.C. community which has come to be called Bountiful. Truman Oler also testifies on video about what it is like to be a young man growing up in Bountiful. Oler, 28, is the brother of James Oler, the Bountiful bishop of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the nephew of the former bishop, Winston Blackmore. Both James Oler and Blackmore were charged with polygamy in 2009. Their charges were stayed after a B.C. Supreme Court judge determined that the special prosecutor who laid the charges had been improperly appointed. Following the stay of charges, B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong decided to follow the recommendation of a previous special prosecutor and ask the court to determine whether the anti-polygamy section of Canada's Criminal Code is constitutional or whether -- as previous experts had advise the government -- it breaches the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and freedom of expression. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamy has troubling implications for any society | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Daphne Bramham Postmedia News Vancouver Sun Originally published July 16, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Increased crime, prostitution and anti-social behaviour. Greater inequality between men and women. Less parental investment in children. And, a general driving down of the age of marriage for all women. These are some of the harms of polygamy (or more correctly, polygyny, since it is almost always men marrying more than once) that are outlined in a 45-page research paper by noted Canadian scholar Joseph Henrich, filed Friday in B.C. Supreme Court. Henrich is uniquely qualified to look at polygamy's harm. He's a member of the departments of economics, psychology and anthropology at the University of British Columbia and holds the Canada Research Chair in Culture, Cognition and Coevolution. But he'd never really thought about it until this year when Craig Jones approached him. Jones is the lead lawyer in the B.C. government's constitutional reference case, which will be heard in November by B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman. Now, Henrich's conclusions form part of the intellectual and evidentiary underpinning for the province's argument that even if outlawing polygamy breaches the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and freedom of expression, it's justified. In addition to Henrich's paper, the government has filed or will be filing affidavits from other specialists in the history of Western polygamy, Islamic law, psychology and medicine. Fifteen former fundamentalist Mormons have provided video testimony about their experiences growing up in polygamous communities in Canada and the United States. Among them is Truman Oler. He is the 28-year-old brother of James Oler, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints bishop in Bountiful, and the nephew of Winston Blackmore, the former bishop who now heads a breakaway sect. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extradition hearing scheduled for Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 19, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - An extradition hearing has been scheduled for FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. Jeffs, who was convicted in St. George on two counts of rape as an accomplice, is also indicted in Texas on charges related to his "spiritual" marriages to underage girls as young as 13. Texas served a fugitive warrant on Jeffs who is in the State Prison at Point of the Mountain, but Jeffs opted to fight the warrant. ABC 4 News has learned Jeffs' attorneys will argue that he cannot be extradited to Texas until all of his appeals are first exhausted in the Utah case. Attorneys familiar with extradition law say usually another state's warrant can only be rejected for "mistaken identity" - proof that you are not the person named in the warrant. The extradition hearing for Jeffs is scheduled for July 27th at the West Jordan Courthouse. See mug shot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extradition Hearing Set for Polygamist Sect Leader | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press Writer KSAZ Fox 10 - Phoenix, Arizona Originally published Tuesday, July 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge has set a date for an extradition hearing for imprisoned polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs, who is facing multiple felony charges in Texas. Jeffs refused to sign extradition papers delivered to him last month at the Utah State Prison by Texas authorities. Utah courts spokeswoman Nancy Volmer said Jeffs will be asked to sign the papers again at a July 27 hearing before 3rd District Judge Terry Christiansen. If Jeffs declines, Volmer said another hearing would likely be set. Jeffs' Utah defense attorneys, Wally Bugden and Tara Isaacson, declined to comment Tuesday. Texas authorities have charged Jeffs with bigamy, sexual assault of a child and aggravated assault. The charges stem from two alleged underage marriages between Jeffs and girls ages 17 and 15 in 2005. Evidence of the alleged unions was gathered in a raid on a church ranch near Eldorado, Texas, in 2008. Records confiscated during the raid indicated multiple marriages to underage girls, some as young as 12. Jeffs, according to the records, had dozens of wives; 58 were listed in the year before the alleged marriages that led to his indictment. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs to have extradition hearing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Written by: Dan Metcalf Jr. Email: dan.metcalf@abc4.com Contributor: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - FLDS leader Warren Jeffs faces an extradition hearing on July 27. The hearing will be held in West Jordan before 3rd District Court Judge Terry Christiansen. Jeffs was recently transported to Utah to serve his sentence for a 2007 rape-as-an-accomplice conviction. Jeffs had been awaiting trial in Arizona on similar charges, but prosecutors dropped the case, and he was returned to the Utah State Prison 2 weeks ago. Jeffs now faces trial in Texas, where a 2008 raid on the YFZ ranch near El Dorado resulted in several court cases, including allegations of arranged marriages between Jeffs his male followers and several underage girls. See mug shot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religions based on inequality have no place here | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By M. Schooff Vancouver Sun Originally published July 21, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Re: Polygamy is harmful to society, scholar finds, July 17
I read this column about Joseph Henrich's study on polygamy with a great deal of interest. What's striking is that it has taken the government so long to commission a study outlining why polygamy is a harmful practice when we have been seeing this abuse for years. Facts that should be obvious to us are conclusively proven in the important scholarly study, which states why polygamy is in direct conflict with our hard-earned democratic rights. It also provides an explanation for why some countries are continually unstable. The valuable Canadian tradition of freedom for everyone will be at risk if polygamy is allowed here, and the sooner we abolish it, the better off the world will be. There can be no tolerance for any religion based on inequality. I thank Daphne Bramham for publicizing this study and staying with this important topic. She's got her head on straight. M. Schooff Port Coquitlam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EXCLUSIVE: Couple claims arrest was religious persecution as Colorado City tensions rise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 21, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO CITY, AZ (ABC 4 News) - Escalating tensions in the polygamous community along the Utah-Arizona border. The Arizona Attorney General is calling for an emergency hearing with a Utah judge to deal with it. Such a hearing didn’t come soon enough for one couple living in Colorado City. Utah courts assumed control of the United Effort Plan Trust declaring the trust had been abandoned by then FLDS President Warren Jeffs. The UEP trust owns most of the land in Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. And yet, the court-appointed administrator has been fought by the FLDS in his efforts to reform the trust. One of his most controversial moves among the FLDS has been to give occupancy agreements for homes in the community to non-FLDS people. Matt and Genevive Hainline have roots in the twin towns but do not believe in Warren Jeffs or polygamy. Two years ago they got an occupancy agreement for an abandoned, half-built house with a work shed. They immediately started to work on the house, but say they were harassed every step of the way by neighbors and city officials. That harassment seemed to culminate this week with their arrest on their own property. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EXCLUSIVE: Have the cops in Colorado City become "Lawless" lawmen? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 22, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO CITY, AZ (ABC 4 News) - Are the local police in the polygamist communities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City playing favorites? A small minority of people in town answer, "yes." This minority is made up of people who are no longer members of the FLDS faith -- they're called apostates. But while many who have left the polygamist church have also left town, these people either refused to leave or have recently returned after getting occupancy agreements from a court-appointed administrator for some of the abandoned homes in the towns. The apostates have long claimed to be victims of the majority's relentless drive to "purify" the community by forcing out non-believers. But recently, they say to has gotten worse. Much worse. On Tuesday Matt and Genevive Hainline were hauled off to jail by town marshals for trying to clean out a work shed in their backyard. The marshals claimed to have a restraining order signed by a local justice of the peace keeping them from an address that does not exist -- an address apparently identifying the backyard of their corner lot. The day after they were released from jail, the marshals were back warning the Hainlines not to step foot in their backyard. Matt told them, "If we're banned from our property then they should stay off the property." Hainline was referred to FLDS members who had occupied the property more than two years ago. They were continuing to come onto the Hainlines' property getting in and out of the shed. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read the Moccasin Court Injunction Against Harassment filed by Alvera J. Black against Matthew and Genevive Hainline and signed by Justice of the Peace Mitchell Kalauli on July 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 Salt Lake City Film Festival selections | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jeff Vice, movie critic Entertainment now Deseret News Originally published July 22, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Organizers for the Salt Lake City Film Festival have announced the slate of movies for this year's event, which runs Aug. 12-15. This year's event will 19 feature-length films (10 documentaries and nine narrative features) and 22 shorter works. Two of the more intriguing selections are locally produced documentaries: "Cleanflix," which looks at the Utah County-based, film-editing business, and "Sons of Perdition," an investigation of the polygamist community in Colorado City, Ariz. Festival Director Matt Whittaker said other selections include stories of "Russian ex-mafia, American jihadists, beautiful seas, vegan hot dog stands, drunken romantic comedies, Yeshiva baseball, magical cheese-producing goats, animated Mars missions, the world's largest frying pan, killer tractors and much more." Screenings and other events for this year's festival will be held at Brewvies Cinema Pub, the Broadway Centre Cinemas, the Post Theatre (Fort Douglas) and the Tower Theatre. Tickets for the festival are already on sale. Information on the film selections, as well as ticketing information, is available at www.saltlakecityfilmfestival.com See poster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 51ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT - FLDS PTH #8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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District Courts Calendar co.tom-green.tx.us Last Updated on: July 23, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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When: Thu, August 12, 10am – 5pm Where: JUDGE WALTHER 1013 The State of Texas VS Wendell Nielsen PTH E.Nichols/A.Goodwin/K.Schaffer 1014 The State of Texas VS Wendell Nielsen PTH E.Nichols/A.Goodwin/K.Schaffer 1015 The State of Texas VS Wendell Nielsen PTH E.Nichols/A.Goodwin/K.Schaffer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 51st DISTRICT COURT - SCHLEICHER COUNTY CASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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District Courts Calendar co.tom-green.tx.us Last Updated on: July 23, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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When: Thu Aug 5 10am – 4pm Where: COURTROOM "C" - JUDGE WALTHER 3028 SCHL. CO. ITIO: JESSOP, CHILDREN MOTION N.MALONIS/R.WILSON | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deadline set for polygamy trust land resolution | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press Deseret News Originally published Friday, July 23, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge set a 45-day deadline for attorneys to propose a process to resolve competing property claims in twin polygamous communities on the Utah-Arizona border. The Thursday decision by 3rd District Judge Denise Lindberg comes in the wake of escalating disputes over United Effort Plan Trust land and homes in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. The communal property trust was formed by the Fundamentalist LDS Church. Members consider sharing its assets a religious principle and see state intervention in the trust as a violation of their religious rights. The court took control of the trust in 2005 amid allegations of mismanagement by church leaders. Changes in the trust's administration since then have allowed for former church members to use trust assets and led to problems between neighbors. Recent disputes over the use of homes, water rights, cattle grazing and farming have led to threats of violence. Lindberg said Thursday she believes the problems stem from the refusal of FLDS Church members to follow court orders and work with Bruce Wisan, the Salt Lake City accountant she appointed to manage the trust. Lindberg said Wisan's decisions are equivalent to court orders and that those who follow the rules — residents, for example, who have signed occupancy agreements to live in trust homes — hold "superior rights" over those who don't. The FLDS have largely refused to sign those agreements. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A houseful of wives? So wrong, so many ways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: Staff Writer Opinion FYI Winnipeg Free Press - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Originally published July 24, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IT has always been a mystery to me why any man would want more than one wife. That's quite enough grief and aggravation for me when things are rocky and when things are going well -- I am only one man. Mysteriously, a lot of men do want more than one wife. That might be workable if you could provide them with separate houses, so that when one wife is mad at you, you could always go stay with another, and so on down the line. But some polygamists have a whole flock of wives. Winston Blackmore, who heads a Mormon breakaway sect in Bountiful, B.C., has 20 wives; the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints (FLDS) prophet, Warren Jeffs, more than 80. Some religions permit polygamy -- Islam allows a man four wives -- and some, like the FLDS, almost demand it. There are not a lot of men who can afford 80 houses, or even four, for that matter, so it seems likely that the wives would be living together, swapping stories and comparing notes and getting annoyed with each other and really angry at the old man. Life would be like a Spanish artist's vision of Hell, a painting straight from Goya. But, as they say, if you do the crime you do the time, so we needn't waste any sympathy on Warren Jeffs and Winston Blackmore and their ilk, particularly when there appear to be genuine victims who actually do need our attention. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fiduciary Requests FBI To Investigate Cops In Colorado City And Hildale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brian Mullahy KUTV 2News Originally broadcast July 25, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) - A spokesman for the "special fiduciary" overseeing property in Hildale-Colorado City said police in the polygamous communities have gone "rogue." Val Oveson said the fiduciary's firm "would love to have federal law enforcement be more vigilant in the communities, to make sure all the laws are enforced." Specifically, Oveson said the fiduciary wants to the FBI to keep an eye on the activities of local police, known as marshals. Oveson is a former Utah lieutenant governor, and now partner in an accounting firm run by Bruce Wisan. Years ago, Wisan was tapped by a state judge to run the United Effort Plan Trust, an entity that controlled much of the property where FLDS members live and work. The appointment followed suspicions of misuse of trust assets. FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, now spending time for being an accomplice to rape in an "arranged" marriage of a teenage girl, once seemed to hold sway over the property, reportedly assigning people to houses, and evicting others from homes. Marshals in Hildale-Colorado City, no strangers to controversy, have faced questions about whether their prime allegiance is to the law, or the FLDS leadership. "They are discriminating and not enforcing the law in a fair and even manner," said Oveson, citing as an example a recent dispute over wheat stored at granaries. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judge sets deadline to settle land war in polygamous towns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow FOX 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast July 26, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE, Ariz. AND COLORADO CITY, Utah - A judge has set a 45-day deadline to settle dueling claims over land in the polygamous border towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz. It comes after weeks of tensions over land claims between ex-members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and members of the polygamous church. Ex-members also accuse the town marshals in Hildale and Colorado City of not enforcing court orders, leading a judge to demand that they do in a conference call with lawyers last week. "We don't believe the local police are doing their job," said Val Oveson, a spokesman for the court-appointed accountant overseeing the United Effort Plan Trust. The UEP Trust controls homes and property in Hildale and Colorado City. It was taken over by a judge in 3rd District Court back in 2005 over allegations that Warren Jeffs and other FLDS leaders mismanaged it. A series of confrontations have been caught on videotape and were filed as exhibits in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court. They were obtained under a records request by Fox 13 News. On the tapes, ex-members accuse the police of not enforcing court orders. One town marshal attempted to mediate, saying the issue was a "civil dispute." Ex-members also gave Fox 13 a tape of a couple's arrest after they were served with a restraining order prohibiting them from removing property from a shed in their backyard. FLDS members had laid claim to the property. "You are not impounding our truck!" Genevive Hainline screamed at a town marshal. "I will arrest you if you don't get back off the property," the town marshal replied. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Julia Roberts, Forest Whitaker, Goldie Hawn, Gabriel Byrne and Mariel Hemingway Sign On for OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK Original Documentaries | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Films Will Join OWN's Monthly Documentary Film Club, Along With "Life 2.0" and "Sons of Perdition" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Press Releases StreetInsider.com - Birmingham, Michigan Originally published July 26, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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LOS ANGELES, July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK is producing five OWN original two-hour documentaries with Julia Roberts, Forest Whitaker, Goldie Hawn, Gabriel Byrne and Mariel Hemingway, OWN announced today.
The films will be presented as part of OWN's monthly documentary film club, along with the original acquisitions LIFE 2.0 and SONS OF PERDITION. The documentary club will spotlight these films and the previously announced FAMILY AFFAIR, focusing on cinematic documentaries that encourage emerging creative voices to bring their stories to a mainstream television audience on OWN. "All of these documentaries fundamentally explore human interaction, relationships and emotions," said Lisa Erspamer, chief creative officer, OWN. "We're excited to provide viewers with new perspectives and new ways of looking at core themes that shape and affect their lives." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Decision expected Tuesday in Warren Jeffs' appeal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Aaron Falk Deseret News Originally published Monday, July 26, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SALT LAKE CITY — The state's highest court is set to issue a decision Tuesday morning in Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs' appeal of a 2007 rape conviction. A judge sentenced Jeffs to consecutive five-years-to-life prison terms in 2007 for his role in the "spiritual" marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. Elissa Wall, who is now an adult, testified in court the she expressed concerns before the union that she was too young to wed and wished to marry someone other than her cousin, Allen Steed. Wall testified Jeffs and family members told her to obey the church's prophet and her husband. When the girl asked to be "released" from the marriage, according to court documents, Jeffs counseled the girl to give herself "mind, body, and soul to her husband and obey him without question." Jeffs appealed the case on the grounds that he was merely acting as a spiritual adviser and never promoted non-consensual sex between the two. The appeal also raises concerns about jury instructions at the time of the trial. Last month, Arizona prosecutors dismissed four charges of sexual misconduct with a minor against Jeffs. The charges stemmed from two arranged marriages between teenage girls and older male relatives. Prosecutors dropped the charges when two alleged victims no longer wanted to proceed with the prosecution. The dismissal could also speed up prosecution in Texas, where Jeffs was charged with sexual assault of a child and bigamy in the months after a raid of the Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado in 2008. Jeffs was transported to the Utah State Prison in June. He is scheduled to appear in a West Jordan courtroom Tuesday afternoon for an extradition hearing to send him to Texas.
e-mail: afalk@desnews.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs to be back in Utah court tomorrow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 26, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Former FLDS leader Warren Jeffs is expected back in a Utah courtroom tomorrow. Jeffs was returned to Utah from Arizona, after charges were dropped there. Tomorrow is an extradition hearing. Texas wants to try Jeffs on rape charges. Authorities there say they have proof he married girls as young as 13. If convicted, Jeffs could spend the rest of his life in prison. He was already convicted of rape as an accomplice in our state. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ask The Sun: How will the new common-law-spouse rules affect the wives of polygamist Winston Blackmore? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vancouver Sun Originally published July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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QUESTION: Now that the B.C. Liberals are bringing in a law stating that common-law couples must split their assets 50-50 when the relationship ends, how will this affect the polygamous colony at Bountiful? For example, RCMP state that Winston Blackmore has approximately 26 "celestial wives," some of whom have fled Bountiful, and who are being helped financially by a not-for-profit society called Atira. Will these "wives" — some of them underage — now be able to claim 50 per cent of Mr.Blackmore's assets, and how will this be implemented?
ANSWER: Up until now, B.C. has not defined common-law marriage and, as a result, the Family Relations Act's property division sections have not applied to unmarried spouses. So, a common-law spouse's only option to gain a share of property is to bring a "constructive trust claim." According to the white paper on Family Relations reform, these claims are "complex, expensive and often unsuccessful." However, the white paper proposes to define common-law spouses and provide them with the same rights and benefits as married spouses. The proposed definition is "a person who has lived with another person in a marriage-like relationship for a continuous period of at least two years." If the recommendations are enacted, common-law spouses who fit that definition OR common-law spouses who have a child together will be treated no differently under the law from any other spouses and children when it comes to property division. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Supreme Court expected to rule today on Jeffs appeal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KSL 5 TV Originally published July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the appeal of polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs' 2007 criminal conviction on a rape charge. A message on a recorded court information line says justices will issue the opinion Tuesday morning. The court heard arguments in the appeal in November. Jeffs, 54, is head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which practices polygamy in marriages arranged by church leaders. A jury convicted Jeffs of two counts of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice for his role in the 2001 nuptials of Elissa Wall, then 14, to her 19-year-old cousin, Allen Steed. Jeffs is serving two consecutive terms of five years to life in the Utah State Prison on the conviction. Jeffs performed the couple's religious marriage in a Caliente, Nev., motel and later counseled Wall to be obedient and give her "mind, body and soul" to her husband. During the trial and later in her book, "Stolen Innocence," Wall said she objected to the marriage and was forced into sexual relations with her husband. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Supreme Court overturns Jeffs conviction, orders new trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BREAKING NEWS: The Utah Supreme Court has reversed the convictions of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs and ordered a new trial. The 54-year-old Jeffs was convicted by a southern Utah jury in 2007 of two counts of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice for his role in the 2001 nuptials of a 14-year-old follower to her 19-year-old cousin. The court ruled the trial judge, James Shumate, committed an error in his instructions to the jury. According to the high court, the jurors should have been instructed that in order to convict they had to find that it was Jeffs' intent that Elissa Wall be raped without her consent. Because no such instruction was given, the court threw out Jeffs convictions and ordered a new trial. A spokesman for the attorney general says it hasn't been decided yet whether to retry the case. Stay tuned to KSL.com, KSL Newsradio 102.7FM/1160AM and KSL TV for the latest updates. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Vanocur twitter updates from Shurtleff's press conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The Utah Supreme Court reversed the conviction of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs and ordered a new trial.
Chris Vanocur sent out Twitter updates from Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff's press conference on where the case now stands. The press conference was held in the Capitol Board Room and was about ten minutes long. Stay with ABC 4 and ABC4.com for more on this developing story. Updates on Warren Jeffs' conviction reversal Chris Vanocur, ABC 4 - @cvan4 Reporting via Twitter.com.
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| Read the Utah Supreme Court's Decision on Warren Jeffs' Utah Conviction filed July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Supreme Court overturns Jeffs conviction, orders new trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press writer KSL 5 TV Originally published July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed the convictions of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs and ordered a new trial, saying a jury received incorrect instructions before considering his role in the 2001 nuptials of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. Jeffs, 54, was convicted in 2007 of two counts of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice. He is serving two consecutive terms of five years to life in the Utah State Prison. A telephone call seeking comment from the Washington County attorney's office and the Utah attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday. Jeffs' lawyers scheduled a news conference later Tuesday. Jeffs is head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The group, based on the Utah-Arizona state line, practices polygamy in marriages arranged by church leaders. Jeffs performed the religious marriage of Elissa Wall and Allen Steed in a Caliente, Nev., motel and later counseled Wall to be obedient and give her "mind, body and soul" to her husband in an effort to make an unhappy marriage work. During the trial and later in her book, "Stolen Innocence," Wall said she objected to the marriage and was forced into sexual relations with her husband. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| State Supreme Court reverses Warren Jeffs convictions, orders new trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed the convictions of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs and ordered a new trial, saying a jury received incorrect instructions before considering his role in the 2001 nuptials of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. The high court reversed Jeffs' 2007 conviction of rape as an accomplice, saying jury instructions on what constitutes "lack of consent" were in error. Jeffs performed the religious marriage of Elissa Wall and Allen Steed in a Caliente, Nev., motel and later counseled Wall to be obedient and give her "mind, body and soul" to her husband in an effort to make an unhappy marriage work. Jeffs, 54, was convicted in 2007 of two counts of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice. He is serving two consecutive terms of five years to life in the Utah State Prison. The court ruled that trial judge James Shumate failed to properly instruct the jury about what the state had to prove. That may sound like a minor technicality, but it means the court doesn't believe the jury held the prosecution up to the required standard of proof. Specifically, the jury wasn't properly instructed that, in order to be guilty, Jeffs had to have the intent that a rape occur when he pushed Elissa Wall into marriage with her cousin. The court also ruled the girl's lack of consent may not have been properly proven. In its ruling Tuesday, the court agreed with defense attorneys who argued that jurors should not have been told to decide whether Wall's marital relations were consensual based on Jeffs' actions and his role as her religious leader. That essentially equates Jeffs with Steed -- the person who allegedly has had non-consensual sex. Justices said prosecutors were wrong to make that leap. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elissa Wall reacts to Jeffs ruling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KSL 5 TV Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY -- A court ruling Tuesday stunned attorneys on both sides of the case when the Utah Supreme Court threw out the convictions of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. The high court reversed Jeffs' 2007 conviction of rape as an accomplice for his role in facilitating the marriage of 14-year-old Elissa Wall to her 19-year-old cousin Allen Steed. The court ruled jury instructions on what constitutes "lack of consent" were in error -- that Judge James Shumate failed to properly instruct the jury about what the state had to prove. The court also ruled Wall's lack of consent may not have been properly proven. The case that dominated public attention in Utah three years ago now lies in ruins. Jeffs' two convictions are overturned, his sentence thrown out. Wall, who is now an adult, says she's in shock and disbelief but vowed to fight back after the ruling Tuesday. "This is not the end, and I by no means am backing down," Wall said. "Wrongs have been done and justice has not been served." The Supreme Court ruled, among other issues, the jury should have been told Jeffs had to have the intent Walls would be raped when he coerced her into marriage. Wall says she was instructed to have sex during her marriage to her cousin, and she believes the jury knew that. "Whatever happened to me after that while I was in that marriage was because of Warren Jeffs' absolute control," she said. Jeffs' attorney, however, says the faulty instructions stemmed from improper, insupportable charges and that prosecutors "mixed and matched" legal theories to convict an unpopular religious figure. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs' accuser hopes for another chance in court | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Nearly four years after his capture outside of Las Vegas and four years of bouncing between jails and prison, Warren Jeffs now stands convicted of ... nothing. The charges in Arizona: all dropped. The charges in Texas: pending extradition. And the convictions in Utah: overturned. Elissa Wall, the chief accuser in the Utah case against Warren Jeffs is in shock. In talking to reporters after the Utah Supreme Court decision, her words were strong, but the voice was shaky and she seems unsure about what comes next. "I still am in shock understanding that there's a huge possibility that we could do this all over again. And more than anything that Warren Jeffs is going to possibly walk away. That's painful." In the fall of 2007, her voice was filled with emotion as she related before the court the trauma Jeffs caused by forcing her into a marriage at age 14. "This was the darkest time of my entire life," she testified. "This is very hard for me to relate." It was especially hard to face Warren Jeffs who she once believed was God's own prophet. She remembered, "Right at the beginning of the trial, he looked at me with his death stare. I was sitting there because I had chosen to stand up against Warren and stand up against the injustice in my life and hold him accountable." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MSNBC TV - July 27, 2010 - The Utah Supreme Court reversed the convictions of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs and ordered a new trial. Msnbc's Contessa Brewer talks with the Deseret News reporter Aaron Falk. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamist Warren Jeffs' convictions overturned by Utah court | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Dennis Wagner The Arizona Republic Originally published July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the rape-as-an-accomplice conviction of Warren Jeffs, the prophet and leader of a polygamist sect based on the Arizona-Utah border, leaving his fate in the legal system uncertain. In a unanimous decision, justices found that jurors in the case were given improper instructions by Washington County Judge James Shumate before reaching their verdict that Jeffs contributed to the 2001 sexual assault of teenage victim Elissa Wall, then 14, by directing her marriage to an adult cousin. Jeffs, 54, once was listed among the FBI's most wanted fugitives, and faced criminal prosecutions related to child rapes in three states. Because Mohave County prosecutors dismissed the Arizona charges against Jeffs in June, the Supreme Court decision in Utah could mean the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints faces only remaining criminal charges in Texas. Brian Filter, senior deputy in the Washington County Attorney's Office, said no determination has been made on whether Jeffs will be retried. "We've just gotten the opinion. It's lengthy and obviously very complicated," Filter said. "From the beginning, we've sought justice in this case, and that's what we'll continue to do." The ruling stunned former FLDS church member Flora Jessop of Phoenix, who wept over the phone as she denounced the court's findings: "I think the Supreme Court of Utah just raped Elissa Wall, and I wonder who's going to prosecute that case," said Jessop, who was abused before she fled the sect at age 16. "Anybody with kids should move out of Utah and Arizona because there's not justice here. It's a betrayal of all of us – every child victim ... It just sickens me." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What next for Warren Jeffs? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Chris Vanocur ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Warren Jeffs is now expected to be moved from the state prison to the Washington County jail. But it’s unclear if he will face a retrial in Utah or a new one in a different state. Neither Utah's attorney general, nor the Washington County attorney is sure what happens next. Jeffs could be tried on the same charges here or new ones in Texas. But his lawyers are planning on asking for bail and, as Mark Shurtleff admitted, Jeffs could walk out a free man. Shurtleff said Tuesday, "I don't know that I was completely shocked but I am upset and very disappointed." And maybe confused. Prosecutors aren't sure what to do with Warren Jeffs now. They could retry the case in Utah but, as Shurtleff admitted, "The decision is going to make it very difficult to retry." And it's not exactly like Jeff's lawyers are quaking in their boots. Walter Bugden, one of the attorneys for Jeffs said after the ruling, "If Mr. Belnap declines to dismiss, if Mr. Belnap, the prosecutor in Washington County decides to go forward with the prosecution, then bring it on." Another option is to send Jeffs to the Lone Star State where he faces triple charges - including bigamy and sexual assault of a child. As Shurtleff said Tuesday, "I am pleased that Warren Jeffs is now facing extradition to Texas and maybe justice will be served in Texas." Now, if prosecutors don't ask the Utah supreme court for a rehearing, the case then could end back in the same Washington County court where it began 3 years ago. Jeffs did have an extradition hearing scheduled for Tuesday to see if he would be sent to Texas, but that hearing was canceled. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Searching for the Oil; BP Gaming the System; Battle over Immigration Reform; Warren Jeffs' Convictions Overturned; Inspiring Tomorrow's Leaders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES CNN Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Webmaster note - only the portion of Anderson Cooper 360 pertaining to Warren Jeffs is included here.
Next on the program, justice and Warren Jeffs: a huge court victory for the convicted polygamist leader. Will he soon go free? The latest from the surprise ruling after the break. We'll talk to Jon Krakauer and Carolyn Jessop and others; Jeff Toobin as well. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: Warren Jeffs is the self-proclaimed prophet who believes that polygamy is God's will. And tonight, thousands of his followers, who have given up -- well, given up a lot to their jailed leader, are celebrating the stunning decision by the Utah Supreme Court. Today the judges overturned Jeffs's convictions on charges that he was an accomplice to rape when he allegedly forced a 14-year-old girl to marry her cousin. The court ordered a new trial, saying the instructions given to the jury that convicted him back in 2007 were flawed. We've covered Jeffs for years. He presides over the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as FLDS. The sect has been described as a secret cult. With us tonight from "Crime and Punishment", Carolyn Jessop; she spent years inside the FLDS before she took her eight kids and fled. She's the author of two books, "Triumph" and "Escape." Also with us, author Jon Krakauer, whose best seller, "Under the Banner of Heaven", which if you have not read it, is a fascinating account of Mormon fundamentalists who practice polygamy. And here with me in the studio, senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. Carolyn, you and your family have personally, you know, felt the wrath of Warren Jeffs. When you heard that his conviction had been overturned, what did you think? CAROLYN JESSOP, AUTHOR, "ESCAPE" AND "TRIUMPH": It was devastating. And just being involved in that case at the level I was and the victim and what she went through and what she gave up and sacrificed for that case was overwhelming. And it just feels like another level of her being victimized again. COOPER: Jon, you've investigated Jeffs for your book and the FLDS for years. His lawyers are heralding this as a major victory. You say it's far from it. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamist Convictions Overturned | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By DAN FROSCH The New York Times Originally published July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday morning threw out the rape convictions of the polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs and sent the case back for a new trial, ruling that the instructions given to the jury during his prosecution were faulty. Mr. Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was given two consecutive sentences of five years to life after he was convicted in 2007 of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old girl from his church whose marriage he presided over. But in a unanimous decision, the Utah Supreme Court ruled that a state judge had erred when he failed to tell the jury that Mr. Jeffs could not be found guilty unless he specifically intended for the girl’s husband to have nonconsensual sex with her, which Mr. Jeffs denied. The ruling was a setback for Utah prosecutors, who had hoped that Mr. Jeffs would serve at least 10 years in prison. The victim, Elissa Wall, claimed that Mr. Jeffs pressed her in 2001, at age 14, to marry her first cousin, Allen Steed. She said Mr. Steed then forced her to have sex. Prosecutors argued that Mr. Jeffs knew the marriage would lead to nonconsensual sex, but insisted that the union go forward anyway. Ms. Wall said that Mr. Jeffs had refused to release her from the marriage, despite her pleas. But Mr. Jeffs’s lawyer, Wally Bugden, argued that though Mr. Jeffs had indeed encouraged the marriage and advised the couple to stay together, he never intended for Mr. Steed, who was 19 at the time, to rape Ms. Wall. Mr. Jeffs’s legal team argued in its appeal that Judge James L. Shumate should have told the jury to focus on Mr. Steed’s actions, not on Mr. Jeffs’s sway over the couple in his capacity as the all-powerful leader of the sect, which has an estimated 10,000 members. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS member upset at Utah Supreme Court for overturning Jeffs' conviction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: Jennifer Parks ABC 15 Phoenix Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PHOENIX - A visibly upset Flora Jessop found out early Tuesday morning the Utah Supreme Court reversed its conviction against polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. In 2007, a southern Utah jury convicted the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on two counts of first degree felony rape. But Tuesday the Supreme Court said the jury received the wrong instructions and overturned the convictions. "I can't even tell you the pain I felt," said Jessop. "The victims have been so betrayed." Jessop, who grew up in the FLDS, escaped and then went on to write about it, titled, "Church of Lies". Jessop says Tuesday's decision just shows the church is still in control. "I do not believe justice will be served in Utah or Arizona at all," she said. But Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard believes justice will prevail. "I still think charges against Mr. Jeffs will be brought and should be brought," Goddard said. "But they have to do it correctly." Goddard explained Arizona couldn't continue its own criminal prosecution against Jeffs because the victims refused to testify. However, he says there are still about six civil cases pending right now against the church. "We have a very open door policy," said Goddard. "We have a number of civil cases going on right now for violation of civil rights." Jessop, who answered calls all day Tuesday, says she finds it interesting the court announced its decision on the very morning Jeffs was supposed to have his extradition hearing for criminal charges he faces in Texas. "Thank God for Texas," she said. "Because it's the only chance the victims of the FLDS have." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah court reverses polygamist's convictions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs to stay in prison before Texas takes his case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Rachel B. Duke The Washington Times Originally published Tuesday, July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs, the leader of a breakaway Mormon sect that practices polygamy, had his convictions for participating in child rape reversed by the Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday, but he will remain in prison until he is handed over to Texas authorities to face similar charges in that state. "We conclude that there were serious errors in the instructions given to the jury that deprived Jeffs of the fair trial to which all are entitled under our laws," Justice Jill Parrish wrote in a unanimous 4-0 decision. In 2007, Mr. Jeffs was found guilty on two counts of being an accomplice to first-degree felony rape related to his religious role in the marriage of Elissa Wall, 14, to her first cousin Allen Steed, 19, which Miss Wall has maintained was not consensual. The court declared a mistrial on the grounds that jurors were wrongly told they could decide in judging Mr. Jeffs whether the marital relations between Miss Wall and Mr. Steed were consensual. Mr. Steed was not charged with rape, pending Mr. Jeffs' conviction, and still has not been tried. "Only after there is a determination that an offense has been committed can the law impose liability on another party who 'solicited, request, commanded, encouraged or intentionally aided' in the commission of that offense," the justices wrote. Known as "the prophet," the 54-year-old was serving two consecutive terms of five years to life before the court reversed his convictions. He is head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), which has about 10,000 members, many of who live in isolated communities along the Utah-Arizona state line. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Court Overturns Warren Jeffs' Convictions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former FLDS Member Reacts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elizabeth Erwin Reporter, KPHO.com CBS 5 Phoenix Originally broadcast July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The convictions against Warren Jeffs in Utah have been overturned by the state's Supreme Court. Tuesday morning, the judges ruled some of the jury's instructions were in error. This means the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will get a new trial. The 54-year-old was convicted back in 2007 on two counts of first-degree rape as an accomplice. He was arranging underage marriages, prosecutors said. Defense attorneys argued to the Supreme Court that jurors should not have been told to decide whether a victim's marital relations were consensual based on Jeffs' actions and his role as her religious leader. A Valley woman has been watching the news closely, and said the news is her worst nightmare. "I was born and raised in the FLDS," said former FLDS member Flora Jessop. It's not something Jessop is proud of, but it's a part of her past that's shaped her future. "I've spent the last several years trying to help the women and children that are enslaved in that cult," Jessop said. The cult, as she referred to this Colorado City community, that she said just got a lot worse. "There's a whole lot of children that are very scared today because they're his next victims," Jessop said. She's talking about Warren Jeffs. Tuesday's ruling means his trial on rape as an accomplice charges will have to start all over again. He's still behind bars, but Jessop said she's concerned that might change. "If he gets out of prison, they'll never find him again," she said. Jessop says she worries about Jeffs' alleged victim, the then 14-year-old-girl he's accused of forcing to marry her 19-year-old cousin. "The Supreme Court in Utah just raped Elissa Wall with their ruling today," Jessop said. "They'll kill her before they see her go to trial. I'm very afraid for her right now. Very afraid for her." But Jessop said she's not afraid to say what she'd like to see happen to Jeffs. "Bullets. He deserves a bullet, nothing less, nothing less," she said. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UPDATE: FLDS Leader's Convictions Overturned | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Laura Kellerman/CNN Newsource KRBC Abilene Originally published July 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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UPDATE: Warren Jeffs' extradition hearing has been canceled after the Utah Supreme Court overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial. Click the attachment below to read the complete ruling. The Texas Attorney General requested the extradition to bring Jeffs to San Angelo to face the charges in relation to underage marriage with members of the polygamous group at the YFZ ranch near Eldorado. Jeffs was convicted on charges of rape as an accomplice in 2007. Jeffs, the so-called "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS, was sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years to life. He was accused of using his religious influence over his followers to coerce a 14-year-old girl into marrying her 19-year-old cousin. "We regret the effect our opinion today may have on the victim of the underlying crime, to whom we do not wish to cause additional pain," the court said. "However, we must ensure that the laws are applied evenly and appropriately, in this case as in every case."
Click here to download attachment: jeffs utah supreme ct ruling See mug shot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Supreme Court overturns Jeffs convictions, orders new trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Ashley Hayes Justice CNN Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (CNN) -- The Utah Supreme Court has reversed Warren Steed Jeffs' two convictions on charges of rape as an accomplice and ordered a new trial, saying that instructions given to jurors were erroneous. Jeffs, the "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS, was sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years to life after he was convicted in September 2007. He was accused of using his religious influence over his followers to coerce a 14-year-old girl into marrying her 19-year-old cousin. "We regret the effect our opinion today may have on the victim of the underlying crime, to whom we do not wish to cause additional pain," the court said. "However, we must ensure that the laws are applied evenly and appropriately, in this case as in every case." In Jeffs' trial, Elissa Wall testified that she repeatedly told him at the time that she did not want to be married and was uncomfortable with sexual advances from her husband, Allen Steed. She said Jeffs advised her to pray and submit to her husband, learn to love him and bear his children, or risk losing her "eternal salvation." Wall was 21 at the time of Jeffs' conviction in 2007. Her attorneys made her name public at the end of the trial, with her consent. She is married to someone else and has left the FLDS. The first count of rape as an accomplice against Jeffs was alleged to have occurred shortly after Wall and Steed were married, when the two first had sex, the Utah Supreme Court opinion said. The second was alleged to have occurred after Jeffs refused to "release" Wall from her marriage and told her to "give herself to [Steed] ... mind, body and soul." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Supreme Court overturns Warren Jeffs' conviction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow FOX 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Supreme Court overturned polygamist Warren Jeffs' conviction on two counts of rape as an accomplice, ordering a new trial for the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader. In its unanimous ruling released Tuesday, the state's top court said there were errors in jury instructions during his 2007 trial for rape as an accomplice. "Because we hold that the trial court's instructions to the jury regarding lack of consent were in error," the court opinion said. "We reverse Jeffs' two convictions of rape as an accomplice and remand for a new trial." Jeffs was convicted of rape as an accomplice back in 2007, for performing a marriage between then-14-year-old Elissa Wall and her 19-year-old cousin, Allen Steed. She claimed that she was forced into the marriage and subsequently sexually assaulted by her then-husband. Wall said Tuesday that she was disappointed in the Supreme Court's decision. "Wrongs have been done and justice has not been served," she said. On appeal, Jeffs' attorneys had argued that he was a religious leader offering counseling to a troubled couple -- not an accomplice to a rape. On Tuesday, Jeffs' defense attorney, Wally Bugden said the state overreached in charging the polygamist leader. "They used this concept of being an accomplice to rape," he told reporters at a news conference. "The state actually was so invested in trying to bring down an unpopular religious figure, that they charged Mr. Jeffs initially and only charged the alleged rapist, Mr. Steed... after he had testified on behalf of Mr. Jeffs and only after the first trial." Bugden said the state chose the wrong legal theory. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs' rape conviction overturned, new trial ordered | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New trial is ordered as Utah Supreme Court puts future of case in jeopardy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Aaron Falk and Dennis Romboy Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed the 2007 rape conviction of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs in a decision that both prosecutors and defense attorneys say would make retrying the case difficult. The court ordered a new trial for Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist LDS Church who had been convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in the "spiritual wedding" of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. In its unanimous decision to overturn the conviction, the court left the future of the case in jeopardy, attorneys said. The state has not decided whether to retry the case, said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, but in light of the court's ruling it would be difficult to get a conviction under the prosecution's original contention that Jeffs was an accomplice to rape. "We still believe in the theory," said Shurtleff. But the ruling "does leave us wondering how we go forward with the current law." Elissa Wall, who testified she was forced to marry her cousin, Allen Steed, said she would support prosecutors in whatever decision they make. But she said she would be willing to testify again in court. "Wrongs have been done and justice has not been served," Wall said. "I want to see justice served. I want to see little girls like myself at 14 years old protected." Should prosecutors decide not to retry the case, Wall said she would support the decision. "If nothing else, Warren Jeffs was off the street for three years," she said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamist leader's conviction reversed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah's high court unanimously rules against Warren Jeffs' 2007 conviction of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old child bride. He still faces charges in Texas, which seeks to extradite him. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Nicholas Riccardi Los Angeles Times Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reporting from Phoenix — The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed the 2007 conviction of Warren Jeffs, a self-proclaimed prophet and polygamist who was found guilty of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old child bride. The court agreed with defense lawyers that the judge erroneously told the jury that Jeffs could be convicted if he knew unwanted sex would result from the marriage he presided over between the girl and her older cousin. The unanimous ruling makes it unlikely that Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, can be tried again in Utah, state Atty. Gen. Mark Shurtleff said in a telephone interview. "It would be very difficult, based on this decision, to prosecute him," Shurtleff said. Jeffs, 54, received two sentences of life in prison for his 2007 conviction, which was the culmination of a lengthy campaign against underage marriage in the FLDS, a breakaway sect that has been disavowed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is based along the Utah- Arizona border. Jeffs still faces charges of bigamy and sexual assault on a child in Texas, which is seeking to extradite him from Utah. He will continue to be held in state prison until that process finishes, Shurtleff said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Polygamist's Win: Will Texas Have Better Luck with Warren Jeffs? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Hilary Hylton / Austin TIME Originally published Wednesday, Jul. 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Almost four years ago, the lanky, pale-skinned, wide-eyed "prophet" of a polygamist sect stepped out of a red Cadillac Escalade during a routine traffic stop just north of Las Vegas and said, "I am Warren Jeffs." In little time, FBI agents arrived to cuff the man who had shared a slot with Osama bin Laden on the most-wanted list that summer. With that arrest, the then 50-year-old Jeffs took his first step into a four-year legal maze that this week produced yet another surprising twist: the decision by the Utah Supreme Court to throw out the only successful conviction of the self-styled seer.
Jeffs once foretold that he would be in a long fight against dark forces — and he seems to have won a major victory in that war. He has suffered for it: his health debilitated by frequent hunger strikes, his knees cankered with sores from long sessions of prayer, according to prison officials. But the war between the prophet and the law is not over. While Utah prosecutors ponder their next move and consider whether to retry Jeffs, the state of Texas is in hot pursuit. (See pictures of families excommunicated by Warren Jeffs.) Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overturned | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Supreme Court reverses Jeffs' conviction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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BY SCOTT KERBS The Spectrum Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE — Representatives from the Washington County Attorney’s Office said they are carefully reviewing their options in the Warren Jeffs case following a Utah Supreme Court decision Tuesday to reverse Jeffs’ two convictions of rape as an accomplice and order a new trial. According to court documents, the decision was based on errors in jury instruction during Jeffs’ 2007 5th District Court trial in St. George. "While we are unconvinced by the majority of Jeffs’ arguments, we conclude that there were serious errors in the instructions given to the jury that deprived Jeffs of the fair trial to which all are entitled under our laws. We therefore reverse the convictions and remand for a new trial," Justice Jill N. Parrish said in writing the court’s decision. Jeffs, the 54-year-old spiritual leader of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was convicted in a Washington County courtroom in 2007 and sentenced to two five-years-to-life terms. The case was based on an investigation into Jeffs’ participation in a spiritual marriage between a then-14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin. "We’ve obviously just learned of it," Senior Deputy Washington County Attorney Brian Filter said Tuesday shortly after the high court announced its decision. "We’re just looking exactly at the specifics of what they’re saying. The opinion is a fairly detailed legal analysis." Filter said he and others at the Washington County Attorney’s Office expect to spend days or weeks reviewing the in-depth legal document to determine their best options when the case moves back to Washington County. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Second Jeffs trial would be expensive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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BY SCOTT KERBS The Spectrum Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE — With a Utah Supreme Court decision returning the Warren Jeffs case back to the 5th District Court, city and county officials said providing security for a possible second Jeffs trial in St. George could prove costly. St. George Mayor Dan McArthur said a second trial would represent a sizable, unexpected expense for the city. "It is a major cost and obviously one that we haven’t planned for in our budget," McArthur said. During Jeffs’ 2007 trial in Washington County, combined law enforcement expenses reached about $100,000. Jeffs, the 54-year-old spiritual leader of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to two five-years-to-life terms based on an investigation into Jeffs’ participation in a spiritual marriage between a then-14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin. The Utah Supreme Court reversed Jeffs’ two convictions of rape as an accomplice Tuesday and ordered the case back to the 5th District Court. The decision was made based on errors in jury instruction during Jeffs’ 2007 trial, according to court documents. If the Jeffs case is again brought to trial in the 5th District Court, McArthur said the St. George Police Department and other agencies would provide security during the court proceedings. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Options on Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opinion The Spectrum Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The last time Warren Jeffs was in town, it cost the Washington County taxpayers about $250,000 to pick up the tab for his visit. The former leader of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints spent time in the local lock-up as he faced two counts of rape as an accomplice for his participation in a spiritual marriage between a then-14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin. A jury found Jeffs guilty, and a judge sentenced him to two consecutive terms of five years to life. Tuesday, however, the Utah Supreme Court overturned the decision, saying there were errors in the way jury instructions were given by the presiding 5th District Court judge. What happens now? Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap really has only three options at his disposal. First, of course, he can appeal the court's ruling. Realistically, though, it is doubtful the court will reverse itself. Belnap can, within 30 days of receiving the court's order, re-file the case for a new trial in 5th District Court, in essence replaying the events of September 2007 when for a little more than two weeks, media from all over the globe descended on St. George, cramming the small courthouse and parking lot. This may prove to be the more popular choice with residents who still equate Jeffs with what were believed to have been forced marriages of young girls. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs requests speedy trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Spectrum Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE – Attorneys for former polygamist leader Warren Jeffs filed a request for a speedy hearing in 5th District Court this morning. Jeffs had his conviction on two counts of rape as an accomplice overturned Tuesday by the Utah Supreme Court. Defense attorney Wally Bugden filed the paperwork that states simply: "Defendant, (Jeffs) by and through counsel, respectfully requests that he be granted his right to a speedy trial before a jury of his peers. "Defendant has been incarcerated for many months and on today’s date the Utah Supreme Court reversed his convictions." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas, feds wait their turns in Jeffs case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamist leader could face charges in other jurisdictions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Supreme Court decision that overturns polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs' 2007 criminal conviction won't automatically make him a free man. Even if Utah doesn't retry him, Texas and federal prosecutors are waiting to move forward with their own cases. Justices on Tuesday unanimously said Jeffs should get a new trial because state attorneys overreached in their argument that performing the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin amounted to facilitating a rape. Utah officials now have two weeks to seek a rehearing before the state's high court and then a month to decide if they'll retry the 54-year-old head of the Fundamentalist LDS Church on charges of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice. A judge Wednesday set an Aug. 18 date for a hearing on a motion from Jeffs' defense attorneys seeking a "speedy trial before a jury of his peers." Meanwhile, authorities in Texas are trying to get Jeffs sent there to face charges in connection with his own alleged marriages to underage girls in 2005. A federal indictment stemming from Jeffs' stint as a fugitive on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list is also pending. "He would not go free," said Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Utah. Any federal prosecution would likely come after cases in Utah and Texas are resolved, Rydalch said, but in the hours after the ruling, it was unclear just how the states would proceed. "We're going to take a look at this case anew and do a legal analysis of the ruling," Deputy Washington County Attorney Brian Filter said. "We're going to talk to the victim and to law enforcement. What we've done from the beginning is tried to seek justice in the case, and that's what we're going to continue to do. Where that takes us, I don't know." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah considers retrial for Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Officials in Texas work on his extradition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — Whether or not a retrial happens in Utah for Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is far from out of the fire, a legal expert says. Jeffs was convicted in 2007 on two counts of rape as an accomplice for performing a marriage of then 14-year-old Elisa Wall with Allan G. Steed. The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the decision of the 5th District Court because of what it called faulty jury instructions from the court. "The mess up in the instructions of the jury was to identify the actor as Jeffs and not Steed," Texas Tech School of Law professor Dan Benson said. Benson said that if there is a retrial, which might be possible given the willingness of Wall to testify, then the prosecutors may have a difficult time establishing that Jeffs had intent that the marriage would be sexually consummated. Yet jurors may have an easier time accepting that Wall refused the marriage, especially as the Supreme Court laid out Wall’s resistance to Steed and the wedding as matters of fact. "It depends on how the facts of the case fall," Benson said. "If she protested to him and others all the way through, if she testifies that way, a jury may well find that that’s enough." The justices of the Utah Supreme Court apologized for their finding, something that Benson said is very unusual. "We regret the effect of our opinion may have on the victim of the underlying crime," the justices wrote in their opinion. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Judge Orders Aug. 18 Hearing for Sect Leader | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JENNIFER DOBNER Associated Press Writer FOX 10 Phoenix Originally published Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A southern Utah judge has set an Aug. 18 date for a hearing on a request that polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs be granted a speedy trial. Jeffs was charged in 5th District Court in 2006 with two counts of felony rape as an accomplice. A jury convicted him of both counts the following year. But the Utah Supreme Court reversed the convictions Tuesday and sent the case back for a new trial. Within hours, Jeffs' defense attorneys, Wally Bugden and Tara Isaacson, filed a motion seeking a "speedy trial before a jury of his peers." Court papers also say Jeffs "has been incarcerated for many months." At a news conference Tuesday, Bugden said he planned to seek bail for Jeffs, 54, the ecclesiastical head the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The southern Utah-based church practices polygamy in marriages arranged by church leaders. On Wednesday, Judge James Shumate, who presided over the 2007 trial, ordered a hearing on a retrial. Deputy Washington County Attorney Brian Filter has said officials haven't decided how they'll proceed in the case. Prosecutors first plan to meet with the victim and law enforcement and conduct a legal analysis of the high court's ruling, Filter said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retrial hearing set for Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Written by: Dan Metcalf Jr. Email: dan.metcalf@abc4.com ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A retrial hearing has been set in the Warren Jeffs case. The request for speedy trial hearing is scheduled for August 18 at 9 a.m. at the St. George Courthouse with Judge James Shumate. Stay tuned to ABC 4 News and ABC4.com for more on this story. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs' attorneys request a speedy trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Deseret News Originally published Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ST. GEORGE — Following the Utah Supreme Court's decision to toss the rape convictions of Warren Jeffs, attorneys for the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader have filed a request for a speedy trial in the rape-by-accomplice case. A hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 18 in St. George's 5th District Court. At that time, defense attorneys could ask a judge to set bail for Jeffs, who has been incarcerated for nearly four years. With Wednesday's ruling by the state's high court, Jeffs saw his 2007 conviction for his role in performing nuptials between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin overturned. The court cited an erroneous jury instruction as the reason for the reversal. Prosecutors must now decide if they wish to retry Jeffs. Texas officials are also working to bring the polygamous sect leader to their state to face charges of bigamy and sexual assault of a child. Those charges were levied in the months following the 2008 raid of the Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado, Texas.
— Aaron Falk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs Retrial Hearing August 18 in Fifth District Court | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By KCSG News (St. George, UT) KCSG Television Originally broadcast July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (St. George, UT) - A request for speedy trial hearing was filed in Fifth District Court Tuesday by Walter F. Budgen, attorney for Warren Jeffs after the Utah Supreme Court overturned convictions on rape as an accomplice and sent his case back to state court for a new trial. The high court said theere were errors in the judge's instructions given to the jury that deprived Jeffs of a fair hearing. The Fifth District Court this morning scheduled a hearing at 9:00am on August 18, 2010 at the St. George Courthouse before Judge James Shumate on this matter. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Victim in Jeffs case: 'This is not the end' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By the CNN Wire Staff CNN Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (CNN) -- A woman who claims polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs forced her as a 14-year-old to marry her 19-year-old cousin said she is not giving up, despite the Utah Supreme Court's overturning Jeffs' convictions and ordering a new trial. "This is not the end, and I by no means am backing down," Elissa Wall said after the ruling at a news conference, portions of which were posted on the website of CNN affiliate KSL-TV. Jeffs, the "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS, was sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years to life after he was convicted on two counts of rape as an accomplice in September 2007. He was accused of using his influence to force Wall to marry her cousin Allen Steed in 2001. The Utah Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the jury instructions in Jeffs' 2007 trial were flawed. The first count of rape as an accomplice against Jeffs was alleged to have occurred shortly after Wall and Steed were married, when the two first had sex, the Utah Supreme Court opinion said. The second was alleged to have occurred after Jeffs refused to "release" Wall from her marriage and told her to "give herself to [Steed] ... mind, body and soul." Prosecutors relied on three separate portions of the law defining the circumstances under which sex is non-consensual, the opinion said. Under those portions, the victim must express a lack of consent through words or conduct, the victim must be younger than 18, and "the actor" must be in a position of special trust in relation to the victim. "Jeffs argues that the instruction erroneously focused the jury on Jeffs' actions and position of special trust, rather than on Steed's, for the purpose of determining whether Wall consented," the opinion said. The justices agreed, saying in the unanimous ruling that the jurors should have been asked to consider whether Steed was in a position of special trust and whether Steed lured or induced Wall into having sex. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas begins new proceedings to extradite Mormon sect leader Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Robert T. Garrett Dallas Morning News Originally published Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Tuesday immediately began a new proceeding to extradite Warren Jeffs, a spokesman for Abbott said. "We are currently working with the Texas governor's office and Utah authorities to bring Warren Jeffs to Texas to stand trial," said the spokesman, Jerry Strickland. Jeffs was indicted by a Schleicher County grand jury on three sexual offenses, all first-degree felonies, in July 2008. At the time, Abbott said he hoped to extradite Jeffs, then in an Arizona jail awaiting separate charges, to Texas "as quickly as possible." The rural West Texas county is home to the breakaway Mormon sect's Yearning for Zion ranch. Three months before Jeffs' indictment, Child Protective Services removed 440 children and about two dozen women over allegations the community permitted a culture of sexual abuse and marriages between girls and much older men.
Robert T. Garrett | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas case against FLDS polygamist leader Warren Jeffs more important after Utah convictons erased | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Edward Lane Wichita Falls Law Enforcement Examiner Originally published July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In a dramatic reversal of fortune for FLDS polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, the Utah Supreme Court reversed all the convictions in that state against him which would've kept him locked up. Suddenly the Texas cases of bigamy and sexual assault against him loom as something much bigger than additional charges to stack on top of the Utah prison sentences. Now, the State of Texas could be all that stands between the so-called polygamist prophet and his freedom. Earlier this year, the State of Arizona dismissed all its charges against him. Several Wichita Falls residents played significant roles in the Texas case when Texas Rangers and CPS workers descended on the FLDS compound in West Texas. While Utah may still re-try the FLDS prophet, the road to freedom is clearly in front of Jeffs if he can figure out a way to navigate his way through the remaining barriers in the legal system. Things certainly look a lot brighter for the man with many wives and children than they did a few months ago when he was apparently rotting away in an Arizona jail waiting for trial there and looking ahead to a prison stretch courtesy of a Utah jury. Now the Arizona crimnal justice system has thrown in the towel and the Utah justices have erased his prison sentence with one dramatic ruling as if it never existed. Texas had a hearing already set up Tuesday in which the Lone Star State planned to drag him back to face some justice here. But in the wake of the Utah court's ruling, Texas has cancelled its extradition hearing to bring Jeffs back. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overturning Jeffs' conviction could affect other criminal cases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast July 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Supreme Court's decision to overturn Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs' criminal convictions could impact a related case. Allen Steed was charged with rape shortly after Jeffs was convicted back in 2007. While Tuesday's ruling overturning Jeffs' convictions of rape as an accomplice only directly impact the polygamist leader's case, Steed's lawyer told Fox 13 on Wednesday that as a practical matter, what happens to the FLDS leader may impact his case. "If a prosecution moves forward, that obviously has an effect," Jim Bradshaw said. "If the state opts to dismiss against Mr. Jeffs, we're hoping that also has an impact in terms of how the state sees Mr. Steed." At age 19, Steed was married to 14-year-old Elissa Wall in a ceremony performed by Jeffs in Nevada back in 2001. Wall alleges that Jeffs forced her into the marriage, and that she was sexually abused by her husband. She claims she went to Jeffs repeatedly, but he refused to let her out of the marriage. A jury convicted Jeffs of rape as an accomplice in 2007, but his conviction was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday. The ruling said there were errors in jury instructions about lack of consent and the FLDS leader's intentions. The state's top court ordered a new trial for Jeffs, but prosecutors are unsure if they will be successful in getting a conviction a second time around. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Man With 121 Children (and 24 wives) - National Geographic, 9pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jane Simon TV & Entertainment The Daily Mirror - London, England Originally published July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winston Blackmore’s 121st child was born during the making of this film. To make naming his kids easier, each year he chooses a different letter of the alphabet and baby 121 was born in a J year. Mum is Zelpha, Blackmore’s 11th wife, who shared her wedding day with her sister and wife number 10, Marsha. As cameras were granted access to their community in the aptly named Canadian town of Bountiful, both talk happily about life in a family where meal times look like a school cafeteria. But polygamy is illegal in Canada and the authorities recently decided to stop turning a blind eye to girls under 16 being forced to marry men three times their age. Blackmore was arrested for polygamy last January and their former spiritual leader Warren Jeffs is currently in prison on two counts of being an accomplice to rape. And some of those 121 children have already decided that when they marry, one wife will do. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Man With 121 Children 9pm, National Geographic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Series: Watch this The Guardian - London, England Originally published July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In south-west Canada, Mormon spiritual leader Winston Blackmore has gone a little excessive on kids, getting his 24 wives to give birth as many times as possible in order to create a religious community and make it to the celestial kingdom. Pretty much everyone in the community is related to Blackmore, with polygamy held as a pillar of faith; the wives who are interviewed speak with bland praise of the family set up, while a former polygamist wife talks about the shallow, phoney friendship between the wives, and of how male sex drive has got more to do with polygamy than divine purpose. WH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Man With 121 Children (And 24 Wives) felt a bit like brainwashing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV review: The Man With 121 Children (And 24 Wives) would have suited the snippier title of A Suitable Case For Vasectomy. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keith Watson TV reviews Metro - London, England Originally published July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religious tolerance is all well and good, but The Man With 121 Children (And 24 Wives) (National Geographic)? Come on, really? Surely there has to come a point where Mormon polygamist Winston Blackmore should be told to knock knockin’ ’em out on the head. How do you come up with that many names, for a start? The head of a 500-strong extended clan-cum-family in Bountiful, a secluded corner of Canada’s British Columbia, Blackmore saw himself as a conscientious parent, however thinly he’d spread himself. His mega-extended family seemed happy enough but then they didn’t know any different. It all felt uncomfortably close to brainwashing: A Suitable Case For Vasectomy would have been a snippier title. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recommended New Paperbacks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shelf Life Book reviews from Larry Cox Tucson Citizen Originally published July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lost Boy: The True Story of One Man’s Exile from a Polygamist Cult and His Brave Journey to Reclaim His Life by Brent W. Jeffs with Maia Szalavitz (Broadway Books, $14.99)
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints routinely expels young men and teenage boys from its compounds in order to give higher-ranking older men their pick of the teenage — and sometimes pre-teen — girls. These so-called "lost boys" are expelled for such infractions as watching a movie or talking to a girl. Since they generally have no place to go, many find themselves living in a confusing modern world for which they are unprepared. Brent W. Jeffs, nephew of polygamous prophet Warren Jeffs, filed sexual abuse charges against his uncle and followed that with a searing memoir that recalls his harrowing childhood, the tramatic exile that cost his brothers’ lives, and his daunting, victorious road to justice. "Lost Boy" is not easy to read but with Warren Jeffs back in the national news, this disturbing book couldn’t be more pertinent or timely. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winfrey Network acquires 'Perdition' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jeff Vice, movie critic Entertainment now Deseret News Originally published July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Congratulations to Utah filmmakers Tyler Measom and Jennilyn Merten. Their documentary "Sons of Perdition" is not only one of the featured selections of the 2010 Salt Lake City Film Festival, it was also acquired by the Oprah Winfrey Network. "Sons of Perdition" is an investigation of the polygamist community in Colorado City, Ariz. The film and five other, social-issue documentaries were acquired by the OWN for part of its newly developed Documentary Film Club programing. Current plans are to broadcast "Sons of Perdition" next spring. "Oprah's ongoing commitment to penetrating, humane journalism and true appreciation for the importance of storytelling, make us both delighted and proud to be part of the OWN brand." co-director Merten said. "Sons of Perdition" has been featured in several national festivals and will screen locally at the Salt Lake City Film Festival, which runs Aug. 12-15. Screenings and other events for this year's festival will be held at Brewvies Cinema Pub, the Broadway Centre Cinemas, the Post Theatre (Fort Douglas) and the Tower Theatre. Other information on the festival, including ticketing, is available at www.saltlakecityfilmfestival.com See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Read the Oprah Winfrey Network Acquires Polygamy Film Press Release dated July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reason.tv: The Sons of Perdition Filmmakers on Warren Jeffs' Polygamist Church | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reason.tv Originally broadcast July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Should the government intervene in polygamist communities like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS)? What if the polygamy involves under-aged girls?
This week Warren Jeffs, the FLDS leader found guilty of facilitating the rape of one of his 14-year-old followers, was granted a new trial by the Utah Supreme Court. A new documentary, The Sons of Perdition, profiles three teenage boys who are exiled from Jeffs' compound in Colorado City, AZ. Directors Tyler Measom and Jennilyn Merton follow the boys as they face the challenges of living without family support, assimilating into a new society, and trying to get their other siblings out of the FLDS compound. (View the film's trailer here.) Reason.tv Editor in Chief Nick Gillespie sat down with Merton and Measom to discuss freedom of religion, the making of the film, and what the future holds for these exiled boys. Approximately 9 minutes. Shot by Dan Hayes and Jack Gillespie. Edited by Josh Swain. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EXCLUSIVE: FBI looking into Colorado City arrest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 29, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COLORADO CITY, AZ (ABC 4 News) - The FBI is taking an interest in the arrest last week of a Colorado City couple by town marshals. Matt and Genevive Hainline were arrested on Tuesday, July 20th, on their own property. The marshals claimed to have a temporary restraining order signed by a local justice of the peace against the Hainlines. The TRO essentially forbid them from entering their own back yard. The TRO identified their back yard and a work shed in it by a separate address. It appeared to subdivide the Hainline's property creating a separate lot where one does not exist. The Hainlines have roots in the town, but are not part of the FLDS polygamist group. Two years ago they received an authorization of occupancy for the property from an administrator appointed by a Utah judge to oversee the UEP trust. The trust owns most of the land in the community. Last week ABC 4 News first showed you video of Genevive Hainline's arrest by two marshals. They appeared to pull her down off a truck and throw her to the ground. Even after being handcuffed, Hainline was held face-down on the ground with a knee in the small of her back. Some people in the town dominated by the FLDS complain the marshals routinely ignore the law, instead following the directions of their religious leaders. Sources tell ABC 4 the Hainlines, as well as some of the people who witnessed the arrest, were interviewed by FBI agents in Kingman, Arizona. The point of the interviews is unknown. The FBI will not confirm or comment on current investigations. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brent Hunsaker - Brian David Mitchell vs Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally published July 30, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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While sitting in a federal courtroom listening to lawyers drone on about a change of venue for the accused kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart, my mind begins to wander.
I begin thinking there are similarities between Brian David Mitchell and another man who’s legal troubles I have also followed: Warren Jeffs. Brian David Mitchell vs Warren Jeffs
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| Attorney General Mark Shurtleff appears on this week's "On the Record" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Chris Vanocur ABC 4 News Originally broadcast July 30, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is this week's guest on "On the Record." Shurtleff will discuss several immigration issues: his investigation into "The List" of suspected illegal immigrants, Arizona's new immigration law and the what the attorney general is hearing from Utahns about this issue. He also talks about his reaction to the Warren Jeffs ruling from the state supreme court. The court reversed Jeffs' convictions and sent the case back to the trial court in Washington County. "On the Record" airs Sunday morning at 8 on ABC 4. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs accuser: Conviction reversal hurts victims | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Dennis Wagner The Arizona Republic Originally published July 30, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A child bride who became the government's key witness against sect leader Warren Jeffs said a Utah Supreme Court decision this week overthrowing the polygamous prophet's conviction on rape charges will damage child victims and embolden leaders in the religious community on the Arizona Strip. "This puts the power back in Warren's hands tenfold," said Elissa Wall, who was 14 when she first married. In a phone interview from her Utah home, Wall, now 24, said she fears the impact on children inside the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who may be looking for help. "What's going to happen to them?" she asked. "What's going to happen to any small hope they may have had?" The criminal case against Jeffs was based on a legal argument that as church administrator, he directed and performed the 2001 marriage of Wall to her 19-year-old cousin, Allen Steed, knowing that the result would be sexual assault. Jeffs faced a parallel indictment in Arizona, also with Wall as the victim and primary witness, but Mohave County prosecutors dismissed the case last month. Jeffs had been serving consecutive prison sentences of five years to life and was facing extradition to Texas, where he is charged with the statutory rape of one of his own child wives. The Utah Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that jurors in 2007 were given improper instructions leading to the guilty verdict on two counts of rape as an accomplice. The Washington County Attorney's Office has not announced whether Jeffs will be retried on those charges. Wall said she was stunned when her attorney notified her of the reversal: "It was this take-your-breath-away, gut-wrenching feeling with the question: Now what? Are we going to have to do this again? And I just started to cry." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas sends extradition request for Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow FOX 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast July 30, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fox 13 has learned Texas governor Rick Perry has formally sent a request to extradite fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs to the Lone Star State. A spokeswoman for the governor says they sent the extradition request to Governor Gary Herbert today. Jeffs is wanted in Texas on aggravated child sex assault and bigamy charges. He is accused of participating in an underage marriage there. Jeffs' conviction on rape as an accomplice was overturned this week by the utah supreme court. Prosecutors here are still deciding if they want to retry him. Meanwhile, a hearing on that issue has been delayed. A St.George judge has now set an Aug. 23 hearing on the issue. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Vent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Spectrum Originally published July 31, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If were paying for a trial to have Warren Jeffs tried again, and it's due to the fact that the judge was incompetent for giving proper instructions, I think the judge should be responsible to pay for the trial. And he's paid a salary for doing this? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Vent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Spectrum Originally published July 31, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What a week - Jeff's decision overturned and Arizona's illegal enforcement shredded! When will America get back to being real America? Time for Jan Brewer or someone of her principles who will uphold the laws of the land to defeat Obama! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs Retrial Hearing Before Judge James L. Shumate Rescheduled | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Emily Ramshaw, AP Writer By KCSG News (St. George, UT) KCSG Television Originally broadcast July 31, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Salt Lake City, UT) - At the request of counsel, the hearing in the case of State of Utah vs. Warren Steed Jeffs that had been scheduled for August 18 has been changed to August 23 at 9:00am with Judge James L. Shumate in Fifth District Court. A request for speedy trial hearing was filed Tuesday by Walter F. Budgen, attorney for Warren Jeffs after the Utah Supreme Court on Monday overturned the conviction of Warren Jeffs on rape charges and ordered a new trial. The court ruled the trial judge committed an error in his instructions to the jury. Court opinion: State of Utah vs Warren Steed Jeffs According to the high court, the jurors should have been instructed that in order to convict they had to find that it was Jeffs' intent that Elissa Wall be raped without her consent. Because no such instruction was given, the court threw out Jeffs convictions and ordered a new trial. The Utah Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday to reverse polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs’ felony rape convictions has opened the door for his prosecution in Texas and has likely made it easier to extradite him. Jeffs has been charged with bigamy and aggravated sexual assault of a child in Texas, indictments stemming from an alleged marriage between Jeffs and a 12-year-old girl at the Yearning For Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Texas in Schleicher County. Paul Murphy, a spokesman in the Utah Attorney General’s Office, said Utah has not yet decided whether to seek a new trial and that officials probably won’t make the decision until after he’s prosecuted in Texas. "Most likely the Texas trial will come first," Murphy said, hours after the Utah Supreme Court ruled that a jury had received flawed instructions in considering Jeffs’ role in the 2001 marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamy happens, but isn't OK | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Spectrum Originally published August 2, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I've lived in SG for four years. I find it appalling the number of obviously underage women married to old men all over St. George. You can't visit Walmart without feeling sick. I'm sure this is too controversial to mention in your paper since seldom is anything reported on what is a clear violation of the law, not to mention morally wrong. I really do not get Southern Utah. How is it that people live here and tolerate child molesters walking around in public? The recent article about how money is the central issue in retrying Warren Jeffs is the last straw for me. It's time to move somewhere where people proclaim less and live like morally responsible people, where seeing a 15-year-old married to a 50-year-old will create some public outrage to create some change.
Steve Kimball St. George | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David Lujan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arizona Politics East Valley Tribune Originally published August 3, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I have spent my life as a tireless advocate for children and families. As a prosecutor, an Assistant Attorney General, and House Minority Leader, I have gotten real results for all Arizonans.
Fighting for Victims An Arizona native, I work for the non-profit Defenders of Children, which serves children and adults who are victims of abuse. As Defenders' staff attorney, I fight to ensure that abused kids are removed from violent situations and placed with qualified, caring relatives or foster parents. I also work with victims of the polygamist sect in Colorado City, helping women and children to escape abuse. I have carried my passion for victims to the state legislature, where I fight for legislation to help abused children and victims of domestic violence. I began my legal career as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board, where I enforced our nation's laws protecting workers' rights. In one of my first cases, I sued a Laughlin casino on behalf of several workers who had been fired for organizing a union. I won back their jobs, including back pay, and protected their right to organize. I then joined the Attorney General's office as an Assistant Attorney General, where I prosecuted school officials who had used school funds to take vacations or remodel their homes. I also help to oversee a $1.4 billion school construction program to fix crumbling schools and ensure that every child went to class in a safe, healthy environment. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UEP Trust Meets with Elected Officials to Discuss Property Tax Issues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fiduciary encouraged that solutions may be found with open and transparent discussions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: Val Oveson (801) 718-1400 August 3, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(Kingman, AZ) – The United Effort Plan Trust (Trust) held a meeting yesterday with elected officials from state, county and city government in Arizona, to address the property tax issues in Colorado City. Meeting attendees discussed the current property tax situation of the Trust, what the Trust has been doing and explored possible solutions to the property tax issues.
"We had a very productive meeting, and we are pleased with the level of interest from the state and county officials," said Val Oveson, spokesman for the Trust. "Our goal is to provide as much information as possible to leaders and keep the lines of communication open. We received some good feedback, and we had a civil and productive conversation." The Trust owes Mohave County in Arizona for property taxes in 2008 and 2009 that are delinquent. The current situation of non-payment by many of those living on Trust land is impacting both the Trust and Mohave County government. The tax lien process buffers the cash flow impacts of the delinquency for the local governments, but there are future consequences that must be considered. The Trust would like to minimize the impact of the delinquent property tax situation on the local governments and mitigate the threats to Trust property because of non-payment. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs may appear in court Aug. 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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BY SCOTT KERBS The Spectrum Originally published August 3, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - Warren Jeffs is expected to appear in 5th District Court on Aug. 23 for a status conference to determine the future of his case, a representative from the Washington County Attorney's Office said Monday. The Utah Supreme Court reversed Jeffs' two convictions of rape as an accomplice last week and sent the case back to 5th District Court, citing errors in jury instruction during a 2007 trial in Washington County. Jeffs, the 54-year-old former spiritual leader of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was convicted in a Washington County courtroom in 2007 and sentenced to two five-years-to-life terms. The case was based on an investigation into Jeffs' participation in a spiritual marriage between a then-14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin. Senior Deputy Washington County Attorney Brian Filter said Jeffs is likely to return to Washington County for the Aug. 23 review hearing. "It's basically to get everyone together to see what the status of the case is and what needs to be scheduled," Filter said Monday. "It would be fairly normal for him (Jeffs) to be transported. I would expect that he would be here." With several weeks until the hearing, representatives from the Washington County Attorney's Office continue to review the Utah Supreme Court's ruling, Filter said. "We haven't made any decisions at this point as to how we are going to proceed," Filter said. "We're trying to make the best decision that we can to meet the ends of justice." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EXCLUSIVE: Elissa Wall wants Warren Jeffs tried again | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast August 3, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - One week after the Utah Supreme Court threw out the conviction of Warren Jeffs and ordered a new trial, his accuser, Elissa Wall, sat down with ABC 4 News for an exclusive interview. The interview touched on the decision, but mostly in the context of what she wanted to do moving forward. It was not about second-guessing the justices, but understanding what she believes should happen next. The decision has brought back memories of the first trial. Elissa Wall recounted the emotion and strain of telling a full courtroom all that she says Warren Jeffs did to her. She told how she fought but inevitably lost the battle against marriage to her adult first cousin. She testified that Jeffs forced her into a marriage that, at age 14, she did not want and was ill equipped to handle. Prosecutors claim that forced marriage resulted in her rape. With such memories brought fresh to mind, it is easy to see why it would be tempting for Elissa Wall to say no to a new trial – to reject the prospect of going through all that again. She could easily say that she’d done her duty; it was time for someone else to step forward and "carry the banner" for the children of polygamy. "It's definitely something I've struggled with, but I just can't walk away," she said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warren Jeffs' accuser ready for round two | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By: MaryEllen Resendez ABC 15 KNXV-TV - Phoenix Originally broadcast August 4, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY, UT - The woman who testified against Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said she'll recall the darkest moments of her life, if it means keeping him behind bars. "I just can't walk away," said Elissa Wall, who was the key witness in Jeffs' 2007 rape trial. Wall testified she was only 14-years old when Jeffs forced her to marry her adult cousin. A marriage prosecutors say resulted in rape. Prosecutors are still deciding whether to retry Jeffs as an accomplice on rape charges. If they do, Wall said she will be ready to testify. "It's definitely something I struggle with. No matter what the internal battle may be going on, I will square my shoulders, stand up and face Warren and look him in the eye," said Wall. "It will be freeing like it was the first time around." On July 27, 2010, the Utah Supreme Court threw out Jeff's two convictions, citing "serious" errors in instructions given to jurors that deprived Jeffs of a fair trial. The justices unanimously ruled 5th District Judge James Shumate should not have rejected a defense request to instruct jurors that in order to convict, they must find that in performing a marriage Jeffs knew unwanted sex would take place and intended for a rape to occur. The decision was a blow to Wall. "It's a lot more than just closure for me. I want to know a difference was made. I want to know that potentially even one young girl was saved," said Wall. If prosecutors decide not to retry Jeffs, Wall said it will be disappointing, but she won't blame them. "The only person who really betrayed me is Warren and that's who will be held accountable." See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Lake City Film Festival to screen more than 20 narrative and documentary features | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jeff Vice Deseret News Originally published Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Even the organizers and creators of the Salt Lake City Film Festival weren't entirely convinced the event would survive its first year. As festival co-director Matt Whittaker explained, "Last year could have gone any which way. Our fingers were crossed the entire time with the hope that people would show up. "It wasn't easy marketing a film festival with no budget to market with," Whittaker continued. "Our whole push was so grass roots, and, well ... awesome." But co-director Chris Bradshaw says he and Whittaker were relieved "when some of the bigger screenings started and the crowds were pouring out of the theater entrance. "It was that realization that made me even more pleased with our event," Bradshaw continued. "Our community is amazing at supporting the arts." Both men say that the event, which was originally envisioned as a one-day festival, has "snowballed" in just a year. In fact, "we had to put a saddle on (the) growth," Bradshaw said. This year's festival has expanded to two more venues: Brewvies Cinema Pub and Broadway Centre. (They join the Post Theatre at Fort Douglas and the Tower Theatre, the festival's supposed "home base.") Those theaters will host a full slate of independent film programming. This year's festival will screen more than 20 narrative and documentary features, as well as an equal number of other, shorter works. Bradshaw and Whittaker say the 2010 selections stack up favorably with the 2009 ones. (Among last year's features were "Best Worst Movie" and "White on Rice," both of which were hits with the crowds and got theatrical distribution.) Also, "a lot of our films in this year's programming have significant Utah roots, and we like that," Whittaker said. They include two sure-to-be-talked-about documentaries: "Cleanflix," about the controversial movie-editing business, and "Sons of Perdition," which looks at the Colorado City polygamist community. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Media Celebrates Prop. 8 Ruling — but Where’s the Live Shot from Colorado City? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Ron Futrell Justice/Legal Big Journalism Originally published August 5, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Proposition 8 in California contains this simple statement, "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." A single judge in California reversed the vote of seven million people. Certainly, this issue will go to the U.S. Supreme Court, where another single Justice, Anthony Kennedy will probably decide whether to let the vote of the people stand, or whether he will be the person to define marriage for the future in America. The media is celebrating this victory. Do not doubt me. Newsrooms held parties yesterday and the joy is evident on their "impartial" faces during every report on this issue. They see this as an issue that begins and ends with gay marriage. To them, this is all about gay marriage and only about gay marriage. CNN goes to a gay bar in Hollywood to get reaction. The graphics and headlines say this is an issue of "same-sex marriage." I must correct their narrow vision here. This is an issue of defining marriage, and there is a major difference. If this is going to the U.S. Supreme Court and will define marriage in America (which it will), then where’s the live shot from Colorado City? I hear all the time this issue is just about two people who love each other. I will ask, who chose the number two? Why just two? You know Colorado City, dontcha? It’s in Arizona, but close enough to the borders of three other states so that polygamists can high-tail it to another state when the coppers come a-callin’. They define marriage in a much different way than most. I happen to not like their definition: one man and 3,4,7, or a dozen women. They also seem to like them rather young. If the definition of marriage changes, then Big Love becomes legal and who says Young Love will not as well? Oh, you can tell me that you think this is all sick, and I would not disagree, but since we are opening up the rules here, who is to say where this goes? Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS bishop's ex-wife gains 'victory' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $148K is set for child support | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published August 5, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AN ANGELO, Texas — A protracted fight to extract child support from a leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the recipient of the child support claiming a "victory." Frederick Merril Jessop, the bishop of the FLDS Yearning for Zion Ranch in Schleicher County, has signed an order guaranteeing that he will pay $148,000 in child support to his former wife Carolyn Jessop for care of their eight children. "Seven years of non-child-support and Merril is finally responsible for his children," Carolyn Jessop said. "It’s a huge victory for every woman in the FLDS." Randy Wilson, Frederick Merril Jessop’s attorney, refused to comment after the hearing Thursday in the Tom Green County courthouse. Willie Jessop, a spokesman for the FLDS, was present and he said he didn’t like the way Carolyn Jessop’s attorney, Natalie Malonis, who has in previous cases defended the FLDS, is now working against the sect. "I think the unethics of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and Malonis of having inside information to then put them against the interest of the parents of the children show that they’re carpetbag lawyers making money when it’s in their best interest," Willie Jessop said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS leader to pay $148,000 in back child support | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Deseret News Originally published Friday, Aug. 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — A polygamist leader in West Texas has agreed to pay child support dating to 2003, when his then-wife left the sect with their eight children. Frederick Merril Jessop, the bishop and leader of the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch, signed the order in court Thursday. He will pay his former wife $148,000 for seven years of back child support. Natalie Malonis, Carolyn Jessop's attorney, said Friday that the bishop will pay $2,000 a month for the first six months and then $100 a month after that to cover the delinquent child support. Frederick Merril Jessop also will pay $2,450 a month to stay current. Carolyn Jessop chronicled her experiences as her husband's fourth wife and her departure from the FLDS Church in her best-selling book "Escape." The FLDS Church broke away from the Mormon church, which renounced polygamy more than a century ago. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TLC's 'Sister Wives' reality show will document a polygamist family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The program about a man, his three wives and their 13 children will premiere in September. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Joe Flint Los Angeles Times Originally published August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Get ready for a reality show version of "Big Love." TLC, the cable network behind hits "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and "19 Kids and Counting," is hoping to strike ratings gold again with "Sister Wives," a series about a polygamist family in Utah that will premiere in September. Much like the HBO drama "Big Love," which follows a polygamist and his three wives, "Sister Wives" is about Kody and his wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their 13 kids. Unlike "Big Love's" Bill Henrickson, though, Kody is looking to add to his family by taking on a fourth wife, Robyn, who has three children of her own. For TLC, "Sister Wives" will likely generate a little controversy, but the network is no stranger to that. Besides its shows about the now-divorced Jon and Kate Gosselin, TLC has been getting some heat for "Sarah Palin's Alaska," a documentary series featuring the 2008 vice presidential nominee, which is expected to premiere this year. "We've never shrunk from a unique opportunity," said TLC President Eileen O'Neill. TLC has ordered seven episodes of the series and has an option to produce more if the ratings merit it. Although the show features several young children, O'Neill said the kids were brought into discussions with Kody and his wives and that going forward with a show was a "thoughtful decision considered over time." As for the motivations of the family in "Sister Wives," O'Neill said they are seeking to change the secrecy of their situation and are "looking for understanding." The show is being produced by Figure 8 Films, the same company behind "Jon & Kate Plus 8." O'Neill said the network had not necessarily been in the market for a show about polygamy but that once they saw footage of Kody and his clan, the network jumped. Although its shows about unusual families generate the most media attention, TLC has also developed a strong roster of programs about cooking, including "Cake Boss" and the brand new "DC Cupcakes." The fading interest in Kate Gosselin and her kids has not hurt TLC yet, because its overall ratings this year are up in viewers and among women, its primary demographic.
joe.flint@latimes.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TLC Orders Polygamist Reality Show | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Chris Jordan TV News TV Squad Originally published August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| There are plenty of reality shows about families with lots of kids -- now here's one about a family with lots of wives. Viewers can learn all about a real-life polygamist family next month on TLC's 'Sister Wives,' the channel has announced. A seven-episode run, starting Sun., Sept. 26, explores the world of Kody Brown, a Utah resident who has three wives and 13 children. Much of the plot of 'Sister Wives' focuses on Brown's courting of a potential fourth wife, who has three kids herself, according to a TLC press release. "'Sister Wives' also captures the intense dynamics surrounding a man juggling three wives while attempting to keep it a secret from the outside world," TLC wrote in the release. Though a reality show, 'Sister Wives' mirrors the plot of HBO's hit 'Big Love,' which essentially depicts a fictional polygamist in Utah juggling his three wives while attempting to keep it a secret from the outside world. Brown and his family are striving to be more open about their lifestyle and are "looking for understanding," said TLC president Eileen O'Neill in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The Brown family was profiled by the BBC in March of 2009. The show is being produced by Figure 8 Films, the folks behind the 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' franchise. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bigger love: TLC tries polygamy reality series | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Gary Levin USA Today Originally published August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kody Brown has three wives, and a fourth on the way, but only one of them is legal. That's the premise of Sister Wives, a new reality show from TLC — home of little people and Kate Gosselin — that amounts to a real-life version of HBO's Big Love. The Brown family, fundamentalist Mormons from Utah, has 13 children between them, some from other marriages, and are keeping their lifestyle a secret, though not for much longer. Three of the wives were raised in "plural marriages," so they're used to sharing the limelight. How do they split their time? "We just have a schedule, I'm still trying to figure it out," says Kody, an advertising executive. "The kids feel awesome about this," says Robyn, 31, who as the series begins is about to become Kody's fourth wife, though she still lives apart. "They call him dad ... there is a constant party going on in this family." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCA: TLC Sets a Date With Sarah Palin, Unveils Polygamy Reality Show | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Hunter Walker The Wrap News Originally published August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TLC announced its final plans for former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin -- and unveiled a polygamy reality show -- at the annual TCA summer press tour Friday. A start date was announced for the travelogue "Sarah Palin's Alaska," which will premiere on the network Nov. 14. TLC President Eileen O'Neill also said that "Kate Plus Eight" star Kate Gosselin will guest on the show. Gosselin will fish for salmon and go hiking with the conservative politician. TLC also unveiled its new seven-episode reality series "Sister Wives," which features the polygamous family of advertising executive Kody Brown. Brown has three wives -- Janelle, Christine and Meri. The trio says they are "fundamentalist Mormons." To avoid trouble with the law, Brown is married to only one of the women. "Sister Wives" debuts on TLC in September. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TLC to air polygamist reality show called 'Sister Wives' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Written by: Dan Metcalf Jr. ABC 4 News Originally broadcast August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A national cable channel will air a reality television show about polygamists in Utah called 'Sister Wives.' According to TLC's web site, 'Sister Wives' will premiere in September. The show will follow a polygamist and his three wives living in Utah, and is produced by the same company that produced 'Jon and Kate Plus 8.' A synopsis of the show says it will feature a polygamist husband Kody Brown, along with his three wives; Meri, Janelle and Christine and their combined 13 children. The program will air half hour episodes, exposing "...the inner workings of a polygamist household, revealing the unexpectedly tight-knit and loving relationships between Kody's wives." The sister wives include Meri (first wife): 39-years old, married 20-years and has one daughter named Mariah 14. Janelle (second wife): 40-years old, married 17-years and has six children - Logan, 15; Madison 14; Hunter, 13; Garrison, 11; Gabriel, 8 and Savanah, 5. Christine (third wife): 37-years old, married 16-years and has five children with one on the way - Aspyn, 14; Mykelti, 13; Paedon, 11; Gwenelyn, 8; Ysabel, 6 and Truely. Robyn: 31-years old, soon to be fourth wife with three children from another husband - Dayton, 10; Aurora, 7 and Breanna, 5.
--- Information from: TLC.com See photos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sister Wives Not Afraid to Reveal Inner Workings of a Polygamist Family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Kate Stanhope TV GUIDE Originally published August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamists may already have a fictional voice, thanks to HBO's Big Love, but Sister Wives, a new TLC series, will raise the stakes when a real polygamist family steps in front of the cameras. "I just didn't want to raise my children with the same fear that I was raised with," Christine Brown told TVGuide.com about her family's decision to go . "I'd rather be open and just open to our society." Sister Wives, which premieres on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 10/9c, goes inside the household of polygamist Kody Brown and his three wives and 13 children as they prepare to welcome a fourth wife — as well as her three children — into the fold. Although Kody said they've told their co-workers about their lifestyle, and that the kids have told their friends, he admitted it's been "scary" to go public. "It's a story that needs to be told. ... We're telling a story the way that it is," Kody said, referring to the recent coming-out of Big Love's fictional family. "We're willing to take the risks, which is why we're here," Christine said. Just because the family is going public with their lifestyle — a risky move since polygamy is illegal in their home state of Utah — doesn't mean this family isn't anything less than true polygamists. "We are four very strong personalities. We chose this," Janelle Brown said. "We have an extremely functional family. Our children are beautiful. We've committed to this." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TLC Preps Show On Polygamy Family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Scott Bomboy Entertainment MyFox Philadelphia Originally published August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The production company that does "Kate Plus 8" will now have a TLC series on the exploits of a polygamist family in Utah. The show will push the bounds of reality TV, since polygamy is illegal in Utah but practiced by an estimated 40,000 people, according to a 2009 BBC report. The Los Angeles Times first reported that Figure 8 Films has a seven-episode deal with TLC to produce "Sister Wives." On Friday, Discovery Communications COO Peter Liguori defended the series to TV critics. "We want to continue to push the avenue of storytelling," he said. "We want to do things that have never been done in the 25 years of the company. TLC does a great job of examining families in every size, color and creed. What they tend to do is show you one common element among all these families -- love." Figure 8 had its first big hit with "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and the exploits of Jon and Kate Gosselin. It then had second hit on TLC with the exploits of the Duggars and their 19 children. But will America warm up to a husband with three wives and 13 children, especially when he wants a fourth wife? The series will focus on Kody Brown and his wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their 13 kids. Brown will tell his wives that he wants to add a sister wife, and the series will show the interaction among Brown’s family to the news. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| More people seeking help from polygamist support group | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE, Utah - Efforts to reach out to people in Utah and Arizona's polygamous communities are showing more success. A coalition of people from all sides of the issue say they're breaking down barriers and getting help to those who really need it. Members of the Safety Net Committee met here on Thursday. The recent troubles in the border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., and the Utah Supreme Court's decision to overturn Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs' criminal convictions were top of mind, but meeting attendees said they did not wish to bring it up. They wanted to keep the peace. "Probably the reason why I didn't bring it up is because there were FLDS people present here that we don't want to alienate here and cause problems here," said Ross Chatwin, an ex-FLDS member. The Safety Net is a committee of social workers, government agencies and polygamists trying to build bridges between worlds that historically haven't trusted each other. It was created years ago when the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona met to discuss "the polygamy problem." Plural wives stormed the meeting, demanding that their voices be heard. "It has evolved," said Marlyne Hammon, a member of the Centennial Park community, near Colorado City. "We can sit here and say things today that we could not in the first Safety Net meeting." Polygamy is illegal, but because of religious freedom issues and prosecution resources, Utah's Attorney General has said he will only prosecute crimes within polygamy (like abuse and fraud) and not polygamy itself. The state-funded committee was created to help abuse victims, who were often reluctant to seek help. Pro-polygamy activists believe the state would have more help in combating crimes, if they would decriminalize polygamy. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS leader to pay $148K in back child support | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By BETSY BLANEY Associated Press Writer Houston Chronicle Originally published August 6, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LUBBOCK, Texas — A polygamist leader in West Texas has agreed to pay child support dating to 2003, when his then-wife left the sect with their eight children. Frederick Merril Jessop, the bishop of the Yearning for Zion Ranch, signed the order in court Thursday. He will pay his former wife $148,000 for seven years of back child support. Natalie Malonis, Carolyn Jessop's attorney, said Friday that the bishop will pay $2,000 a month for the first six months and then $100 a month after that to cover the delinquent child support. Frederick Merril Jessop also will pay $2,450 a month to stay current. Malonis said he only will pay about $90,000 because Carolyn Jessop received some of his Social Security after leaving the sect. Carolyn Jessop did not immediately return a phone call to The Associated Press for comment Friday. Willie Jessop, a sect elder, said Friday that he was grateful for closure in the case but took issue with the venue. "The judge took jurisdiction over a case that was ongoing in Utah, and we object to that," he said. Last September, State District Judge Barbara Walther ordered Frederick Merril Jessop to pay his former wife but he refused to sign the order and did not pay. Then in February, Walther signed the order to compel him to pay the child support from September, Malonis said. A couple of months after that, when money still had not been paid to Carolyn Jessop, Malonis filed a motion to have Frederick Merril Jessop jailed for contempt because of nonpayment. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS: New TLC Show Features Polygamist Family With Four Wives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Radar Online Originally published August 7, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TLC, the network that brought you Jon & Kate Plus 8 and 19 Kids and Counting, is featuring another controversial family and will air the show Sister Wives this fall about a fundamentalist Mormon family with one husband and four "sister wives." Kody Brown is married to Meri and has two other "sister wives," Janelle and Christine. Brown is bringing a fourth wife into the family, Robyn. They have 13 children collectively and live in Utah and the show gives a glimpse into a real life Big Love. "That was a scripted show, we’re real life," Robyn exclusively told RadarOnline.com about the comparison between the hit HBO series and their family. Kody explained that his family is not breaking the law with its polygamist marriages. "It’s one legal marriage and the rest are commitment marriages." On a panel at the Television Critic’s Association on Friday in Los Angeles the family faced a crowd of journalists questioning their lifestyle. "Like every other American family this takes everything we’ve got," Kody said. Robyn, who is becoming the fourth "sister wife" explained their living situation. "There are three [wives] in one home with separate apartments and I’m separate right now. We’re hoping to be all in one home." Kody told reporters the reason the family decided to do the show was because of the secrecy surrounding their lifestyle. "I felt like the secretiveness of the society has been a little bit dangerous for the society, as well as the public. This is part of our reason for essentially coming out. This is a story that needs to be told. I think that by simply telling this story and not getting into prejudices it actually helps the society to understand." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Enforce laws to solve problem | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Letters to the Editor The Spectrum Originally published August 8, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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How about giving kudos to the citizens who will solve the illegal alien problem. Do not listen to the critics. The government isn’t doing this or that (politicians you voted into office). We need our own laws.
How about enforcing the law against businesses hiring illegals for their own greed? No jobs, no more illegals. Would you go to a foreign country looking for work if you knew through the grapevine your chance of obtaining employment was slim to none? Solution: Visit every suspected business and obtain documentation on their employees to determine if they are legit. Profiling? Not if we aren’t singling out a certain race. How come it’s OK for polygamists to run rampant in Utah and collect welfare, Medicaid and education for their two or four wives and 15-plus children as we pay the taxes. Get real. Polygamy has been against the law for decades. Anyone who aides or condones the same are just as guilty as the parties practicing it. Talk about hypocrisy. Love your neighbor as yourself? You are nothing! Native to all the greedy politicians and the people who support them, you will answer to God. George LaDamus, St. George | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real 'Love' | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamous family gets reality TV show | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By MICHAEL STARR Entertainment New York Post Originally published August 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kody is a salesman who loves to spend time with his kids and his dog, putter around the house and do yard work on weekends. Oh yeah, and he's got three wives and 13 kids -- with a fourth wife and her three kids on the way. Meet the cast of "Sister Wives," TLC's new reality show which follows a family of fundamentalist Mormons practicing polygamy somewhere in Utah. The seven-episode series, a cross between HBO's polygamy drama "Big Love" and any of TLC's huge-family shows ("Kate Plus Eight," "19 Kids and Counting"), tracks gregarious Kody, wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their kids (of assorted ages), who all live under one roof in a modern, ginormous house. (Each "wife" has her own floor.) TLC president/GM Eileen O'Neill says the network got involved in "Sister Wives" after it was shown a tape by two independent producers who were shopping the story of Kody and his brood as a TV show. "This is not something we casted for," she says. "When watching the family, they were unexpected, unfiltered and engaging in a rather unique way, and that's what captured our attention. "It intrigued us and left us with a lot of questions, and I think our audience will have similar questions." In the first episode, which airs Sept. 26, Kody, who's in ad sales, introduces his family: Meri, his first (and only legal) wife, who was raised in the polygamist lifestyle; Janelle, his second wife, who was raised in a typical nuclear family; and third wife Christine, also raised in the polygamist lifestyle. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warrant Issued For Driver In SD Cheese Spill | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keloland Television - Sioux Falls, South Dakota Originally published August 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALEM, SD - A Utah man charged in a semitrailer crash that dumped more than eight tons of cheese onto Interstate 90 in South Dakota failed to show at a court hearing this week. A warrant has been issued for 25-year-old Ronald Jessop, of Washington, Utah. Jessop faces charges in the July 8 crash near Salem, including driving with a suspended commercial driver's license. No telephone number is listed for him. Authorities allege Jessop fell asleep at the wheel and struck a vehicle being towed behind an RV. The semi rolled and ended up in a ditch, spilling 25 blocks of cheese weighing about 700 pounds each. The interstate was closed for about five hours. Two people in the RV suffered non-life-threatening injuries. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attorney general seeks rehearing in Warren Jeffs case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Aaron Falk Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — In the wake of the Utah Supreme Court's decision last month to toss a pair of rape convictions against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, the Utah Attorney General's Office is seeking a rehearing before the high court. Prosecutors were granted a two-week extension to file a petition for a rehearing, a court official said Tuesday. The petition is due Aug. 23. Scott Troxel, a spokesman for Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, said his office would not comment on the cause "until the petition is filed." Late last month, the Utah Supreme Court reversed Jeffs' 2007 conviction of rape as an accomplice for his role in the "spiritual" wedding of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. In ordering a new trial, the court cited an erroneous jury instruction that focused too heavily on Jeffs' relationship with the girl. At the time, Shurtleff said his office would not seek a rehearing before the Supreme Court and said it would be difficult to retry the case given the court's interpretation of the law. Jeffs is currently being held in the Utah State Prison's Olympus facility, the prison's mental health unit, said Department of Corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke. When or where Jeffs could be moved from the Draper site was unknown. If prosecutors decide to retry the case, Jeffs could be moved to the Washington County Jail. Texas officials, meanwhile, are working to bring Jeffs to their state to face charges of bigamy and sexual abuse. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gov. Gary Herbert signs warrant extraditing Warren Jeffs to Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamous leader had refused to sign extradition papers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Aaron Falk Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert has signed a warrant to extradite polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs back to Texas, officials announced Tuesday. Texas officials had been working to bring Jeffs to that state to face charges of bigamy and sexual abuse. Jeffs had refused to sign extradition papers delivered to him at the Utah State Prison last month by Texas authorities. The warrant gives Utah officials the option of bringing Jeffs back to Utah at the conclusion of the Texas case. It comes after the Utah Supreme Court's decision last month to toss out a pair of rape convictions against Jeffs. The Utah Attorney General's office was attempting to seek a rehearing before the high court when the extradition warrant was signed Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors were granted a two-week extension to file a petition for a rehearing, a court official said Tuesday. The petition is due Aug. 23. Scott Troxel, a spokesman for Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, said his office would not comment on the cause "until the petition is filed." Calls to the Utah Attorney General's office regarding the extradition warrant were not returned by press time Tuesday night. Late last month, the Utah Supreme Court reversed Jeffs' 2007 conviction of rape as an accomplice for his role in the "spiritual" wedding of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. In ordering a new trial, the court cited an erroneous jury instruction that focused too heavily on Jeffs' relationship with the girl. At the time, Shurtleff said his office would not seek a rehearing before the Supreme Court and said it would be difficult to retry the case, given the court's interpretation of the law. Jeffs is currently being held in the Utah State Prison's Olympus facility, the prison's mental health unit, said Department of Corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke. The timing for Jeffs removal from the Draper site was unknown. If prosecutors decide to retry the case, Jeffs could be moved to the Washington County Jail on his return to Utah.
e-mail: afalk@desnews.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor signs extradition warrant to send polygamist leader to Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow Fox 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast August 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SALT LAKE CITY - Governor Gary Herbert has signed an extradition warrant to send polygamist leader Warren Jeffs to Texas to face charges there, Fox 13 has learned. The governor signed the warrant late Tuesday, a spokeswoman confirmed. "The governor received the request and after careful review, he signed it," said governor's spokeswoman Angie Welling. "It's also accompanied by an executive agreement which allows the state to bring Mr. Jeffs back to Utah once the Texas case is concluded." Jeffs, 54, is facing child sex assault and bigamy charges in Texas, accused of marrying an underage girl. A copy of the warrant obtained by Fox 13 under a public records request in Texas, seeks to have him handed over to Texas Rangers from either the Utah State Prison in Draper or Washington County's Purgatory Jail. Jeffs' defense team has previously said they would fight efforts to extradite the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader to the Lone Star state. Meanwhile, the Utah Attorney General's Office said it planned to seek a rehearing before the Utah Supreme Court, which overturned Jeffs' convictions here on rape as an accomplice. The court cited improper jury instructions. The Washington County Attorney's Office in St. George told Fox 13 that it is still considering whether or not to re-try Jeffs, who was accused of performing a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin.
FOX 13's Ben Winslow reports | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah governor signs warrant sending Jeffs to Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By JENNIFER DOBNER Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published August 11, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs won’t face a retrial in his Utah accomplice rape case until his criminal charges in Texas are resolved, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said today. The Utah Supreme Court last month overturned Jeffs’ 2007 convictions on accomplice rape charges. The court said faulty jury instructions denied Jeffs a fair trial, and the justices sent the case back for retrial. After talking with Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap and Texas authorities, Shurtleff said all sides agreed to let Texas step in. "The plan is we all want him tried there first," Shurtleff told The Associated Press. "Then if it looks like we need to try him up here, we’ll bring him back." Jeffs, 54, is the ecclesiastical head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints, a southern Utah-based church that practices polygamy in marriages arranged by church leaders. Historically, some marriages have involved underage girls, although church leaders say the practice has stopped. Texas authorities have charged Jeffs with bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault based on alleged incidents with underage girls at a church ranch near Eldorado, Texas. The information that led to the charges was gleaned from church and family records seized during a raid on the Yearning for Zion ranch in 2008. Texas Gov. Rick Perry sent Herbert a letter July 29 demanding that Jeffs be arrested and turned over to Texas authorities. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Herbert Agrees to Have Jeffs Extradited | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Whittney Evans KCPW Public Radio 88.3 FM and 105.3 FM Originally broadcast August 11, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (KCPW News) FLDS church leader Warren Jeffs will be tried in Texas before facing any possible re-trial in Utah, after Governor Gary Herbert signed an extradition request Tuesday. Herbert’s spokeswoman, Angie Welling, says Utah and Texas have a separate agreement as well. "The two states have also signed an executive agreement that gives Utah the option to bring Mr. Jeffs back to Utah at the conclusion of the Texas Case, so he is comfortable that the interest of justice in both states have been preserved and will be served," Welling says. Jeffs’ convictions on two charges of rape as an accomplice were overturned last month by the Utah Supreme Court. In Texas, he’s charged with bigamy, assault, and aggravated sexual assault. Welling says the governor has no position on whether Jeffs should eventually be re-tried in Utah. "He understands that it falls under the area of responsibility of the Attorney Generals office, and he trusts that the decisions they make on that particular case will be in the best interest of the state," She says. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told the Associated Press that he, the Washington County attorney and authorities in Texas all agreed to have Jeffs stand trial in Texas first. He added that his office will ask the Utah Supreme Court to re-consider the case. Jeffs’ attorney, Walter Bugden, wasn’t available to comment. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utahan Governor Firms Up A Warrant That Will Deport The Polygamous Jeffs To Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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News Sampurn Wire New Kerala - Kerala, India Originally published August 11, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington, August 11, 2010: The Governor of the state of Utah happens to be Gary Herbert. He happens to be a member of the conservative Republican Party. It has been reported that Herbert has firmed up a warrant of deportation that will transport the polygamous church leader, Warren Jeffs, to Texas to cope with the criminal indictments. Jeffs happens to be the 54-year-old boss of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints. The spokesperson of Herbert happens to be Angie Welling. Welling has divulged that the warrant and an executive concurrence were formalized by Herbert on Tuesday evening. What had happened was that the Texan powers that be had discharged a series of indictments against Jeffs, who had been indicted with bigamy, motivated sexual attack and assault. These indictments were anchored in suspected incidents involving Jeffs with juvenile girls at a church farm in Texas. The Utah legal representatives of Jeffs have asserted that they would initiate a legal fight against the extradition. Jeffs presently is in the Utah State Prison in anticipation of a judicial verdict on a retrial of his criminal case of 2007. In the preceding month, the Utahan Supreme Court knocked over the convictions of Jeffs on two counts of collaborationist rape. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs' extradition approved | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published August 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - The timing of polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs' return to Washington County for a retrial on charges of rape as an accomplice remains uncertain after Gov. Gary Herbert signed an extradition warrant Tuesday turning Jeffs over to the custody of law enforcement officials in Texas. Texas Gov. Rick Perry sent Herbert a letter July 29 asking that Jeffs be turned over to Texas authorities after prosecutors filed charges of bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault based on alleged incidents involving underage girls at a church ranch near Eldorado, Texas. "The plan is we all want him tried there first," Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Wednesday. "Then if it looks like we need to try him up here, we'll bring him back." Jeffs, 54, is the ecclesiastical head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints, a polygamy-practicing church based in the adjoining towns of Hildale and Colorado City at the Utah-Arizona border east of Hurricane. He is incarcerated at the Utah State Prison in Draper, where he was moved in June after Arizona prosecutors dropped charges of sexual misconduct against him. Jeffs' 2006 arrest in southern Nevada and 2007 conviction on two charges of rape in Washington County for his alleged role in arranging the marriage of an underage girl to her 19-year-old cousin began the legal tug-of-war between the states as each sought to try Jeffs on similar allegations. Last month, the Utah Supreme Court overturned Jeffs' conviction on the rape charges, stating there were "serious errors in the instructions given to the jury that deprived Jeffs of the fair trial to which all are entitled under our laws." Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap said his office is working with the Attorney General's Office on a petition for rehearing and Tuesday won an extension until Aug. 24 to complete the petition. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamist sect leader Jeffs to be extradited to Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By the CNN Wire Staff CNN Originally published August 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (CNN) -- At the urging of the Texas governor, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed an extradition warrant that will send polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs to Texas to face criminal charges, according to Gov. Herbert's office. There is no word on when Jeffs might be taken to Texas. Jeffs was indicted in Texas in 2008 on a felony charge of sexual assault of a child. The indictment accuses Jeffs of assaulting a child "younger than 17 years of age and not legally married to the defendant" in January 2005. If convicted on the Texas charges, Jeffs could face a maximum penalty of five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of $10,000. It has been a summer of legal action involving cases against Jeffs. June 9, an Arizona judge dismissed charges against Jeffs after the Mohave County prosecutor requested they be thrown out, citing "much more serious charges" against him in Texas. The prosecutor said Jeffs' alledged victims in Arizona wanted him to "face these more serious charges as soon as possible." Jeffs had been awaiting trial in Arizona on four charges of being an accomplice to sexual conduct with a minor. July 28, the Utah Supreme Court overturned Jeffs' 2007 convictions and ordered a new trial, saying instructions given to jurors were erroneous. Jeffs had been convicted on two counts of being an accomplice to rape. He was accused of using his religious influence over his followers to coerce a 14-year-old girl into marrying her 19-year-old cousin. Jeffs was sentenced to two consecutive prison terms of five years to life. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamist Leader May Face Tougher Case in Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Sanjiv Bhattacharya AOL News Originally published August 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Aug. 12) -- Utah will have to wait in line before it gets a chance to retry polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. First he's going to a state where prosecution has been more vigorous. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he believes the case against Jeffs is stronger in Texas, where he will be extradited. Jeffs, 54, is the head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a Utah-based group that practices polygamy according to the Mormon tradition (the LDS Church disavowed the practice a century ago). Numerous reports allege that the group has arranged marriages in the past between men and underage girls. He was convicted on two counts of rape as an accomplice in Utah, but both charges were overturned by the Utah Supreme Court on July 27. A hearing Aug. 23 will determine whether he will face a retrial there. "We want to retry him," Shurtleff told AOL News. "We think we can. But we're going to let Texas go first because their case is not an accomplice issue, it's Warren Jeffs personally who's been accused." Jeffs' attorneys have said they will fight the extradition order. Texas prosecutors have successfully convicted seven FLDS men on crimes such as sexual assault against a child and bigamy -- a 100 percent record. The sentencing has been harsh, too. Jeffs has been charged in Texas with bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault based on alleged incidents with underage girls at a church ranch near Eldorado, Texas. If convicted, he could face 99 years in prison. The success rate in Texas as been largely a result of using DNA evidence to link men with underage victims. But that evidence was acquired during a raid on the FLDS ranch in Eldorado in April 2008. Church and family documents were also seized in the raid. Shurtleff remains a vocal critic of that tactic. "I don't think that what they put those children through justifies the end," he said. "That whole SWAT team, guns drawn approach is not something that we would contemplate in Utah." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 51st DISTRICT COURT - SCHLEICHER COUNTY (FLDS CRIMINAL) PRE-TRIAL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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District Courts Calendar co.tom-green.tx.us Last Updated on: August 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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When: Tue, August 24, 10am – 12pm Where: COURTROOM C - JUDGE WALTHER 1013 The State of Texas VS Wendell Nielsen PTH E.NICHOLS/K.SCHAEFFER/N.DEBORDE 1014 The State of Texas VS Wendell Nielsen PTH E.NICHOLS/K.SCHAEFFER/N.DEBORDE 1015 The State of Texas VS Wendell Nielsen PTH E.NICHOLS/K.SCHAEFFER/N.DEBORDE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 51st DISTRICT COURT - SCHLEICHER COUNTY FLDS – PTH #9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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District Courts Calendar co.tom-green.tx.us Last Updated on: August 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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When: Tue, September 28, 10am – 5pm Where: COURTROOM C - JUDGE WALTHER 1016 The State of Texas VS Frederick Merril Jessop PTH E/Nichols/A.Goodwin/G.Goldstein | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Local film festival opens with 'Cleanflix' documentary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Sandy Schaefer Arts The Daily Utah Chronicle - University of Utah Originally published Thursday, August 12, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Salt Lake City Film Festival — a creative outlet for both international and local Utah filmmakers — was held for the first time last year. This year, the festival begins at the end of this week. Screenings will begin Thursday, Aug. 12 and will continue through to the 15. More than 40 films will be shown during that time period, including 10 documentaries, nine narratives and 22 shorts. These features will be shown at not only the festival’s "home base"” of the Tower Theatre, but also the Post Theatre on the U campus; Brewvies Cinema Pub; and the Broadway Theater in downtown Salt Lake City. Festival directors Chris Bradshaw and Matt Whittaker were both relatively accomplished film and video producers in their own right when they took it upon themselves to begin the event in 2009. With the assistance of a collection of local cinephiles and film lovers, the two have attracted a sizable number of sponsors to help market and support the festivities. One of the films likely to attract sizable crowds at the event is that of the opening-night feature, "Cleanflix," a documentary about the Utah family-friendly video store that edited movies for profit — despite not having legal permission to do so. Another real-life tale that should connect with local attendees is that of "Sons of Perdition," a film that chronicles the plight of a group of boys that left their polygamist compound in order to try to survive in the real world. Ticket prices vary for different films and the full schedule can be viewed online at the Salt Lake City Film Festival’s website www.slcff.com. Tickets can be purchased online and are available at the Tower and Broadway theater box offices during certain hours, which are also listed on the website.
s.schaefer@chronicle.utah.edu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs' extradition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opinion The Spectrum Originally published August 13, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Utah attorney general and prosecutors in Washington County made a rational decision by working with Gov. Gary Herbert to turn over Warren Jeffs for trial in Texas. Jeffs, the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was convicted in 2007 on two charges of rape as an accomplice for his alleged role in arranging the marriage of an underage girl to her 19-year-old cousin. In July, the Utah Supreme Court overturned the conviction based on what it said were errors in the instructions given to jurors in the case. Since then, Texas Gov. Rick Perry sent a letter to Herbert asking that Jeffs be turned over to face charges of bigamy and assault involving underage girls at a ranch near Eldorado, Texas. Shurtleff said the plan is to have him tried next in Texas. "Then if it looks like we need to try him up here, we'll bring him back," he told The Associated Press. The decision is the right one for Utah taxpayers. First, Jeffs already has been behind bars since 2006. The overturned conviction carried a sentence of five years to life in prison, although it's highly unlikely that Jeffs would have served the maximum. By the time a new trial would have started in Utah, he likely would have been incarcerated for the full minimum amount of time under the sentencing laws. Second, another trial is likely to be costly because of the extra security that would be necessary. By signing the extradition warrant, Herbert is allowing prosecutors here to take a wait-and-see approach. If Jeffs is convicted in Texas, he likely would serve a prison term there. If he's acquitted or given a lighter sentence, Utah can exercise its option to refile charges here. What happens in Texas will play a big part in the decisions that are made here. Some critics might not like the delayed approach, but it makes sense to save the county and state money on another trial that may not be necessary. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas asks to try notorious polygamist Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Daphne Bramham, Postmedia News Vancouver Sun Originally published August 13, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thank heavens for Texas. At the request of the Texas governor, notorious polygamist Warren Jeffs will be extradited from Utah to face charges of bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault involving two under-aged girls, who were his "celestial wives," in the Lonestar state. Jeffs is the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) — the largest polygamous group in North America — with large chapters in Utah, Texas, Arizona and Colorado. Last month, Jeffs’ conviction in Utah for being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old was overturned by the state’s Supreme Court. Though a Utah court is set to hear his request for a speedy retrial on Aug. 23, there are questions about whether Utah will proceed. And one month earlier, Arizona had dropped its own charges — including sexual conduct with minors and incest — against Jeffs. So now it’s up to Texas, which isn’t lumbered by a history of polygamy. Unlike Utah and Arizona — where mainstream Mormons are a substantial proportion of the population, many who have polygamous ancestry dating back before the church banned polygamy in 1890 — Texas has few Mormons. For decades, legislators in Utah, Arizona and, strangely, British Columbia have had a policy of don’t-ask-don’t-tell regarding the FLDS, despite the leaders’ growing penchant for forcing young girls into marriages with much older men and pushing surplus men to the edges of society. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EXCLUSIVE: Shurtleff running for re-election? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Chris Vanocur ABC 4 News Originally broadcast August 13, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Despite repeatedly having said he would not run for re-election in 2012, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff now tells ABC 4 he is "keeping his options open." Mark Shurtleff is in his tenth year as attorney general. He's the only one ever elected to serve three four year terms. But now, after telling other he wouldn't run again, he tells ABC 4 he might. ABC 4 went to interview Mark Shurtleff about the decision to send FLDS leader Warren Jeffs to Texas to stand trial. First, Shurtleff told us, "Texas has said, well, we want to go first and we've said absolutely. We'll send him down there for some Texas justice." Before long, though, the attorney general was telling us he worries about what will happen to the polygamist community when Jeffs leaves Utah and when Shurtleff leaves office in 2012. "I don't want to leave things undone and we're still so far away from resolving that and bringing some peace back to that community. I would like to see that resolved." But something in the way he said that made ABC 4 wonder if Shurtleff was thinking about running for re-election in 2012. So, we asked him, ABC 4: "Does that mean you're going to run for another term?" Shurtleff: "I am going to keep my options open." To give you some idea of how big a political surprise this is, apparently, even Mark Shurtleff's closest advisors didn’t know he was thinking making another run in 2012. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas in line for next trial with FLDS polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Edward Lane Wichita Falls Law Enforcement Examiner Originally published August 14, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It's beginning to look like the State of Texas is all that stands between FLDS polygamist prophet and leader Warren Jeffs and his freedom. The man who inherited twenty wives and has countless children will probably be sent to Texas after Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed an extradition warrant Tuesday evening. A provision in the warrant allows Utah to bring the church leader back to the land of the Utes after Texas tries him. There has been some speculation among Utah authorities it might be difficult to re-try the polygamist chief on the charges which have been thrown out based on problems with the jury charges. A spokesperson for Governor Herbert said attorneys for Jeffs have the right to challenge the extradition to Texas by filing a writ of habeas corpus. Defense lawyers are evidently not anxious for a trip to the Lone Star State for their client as they have said they will oppose any extradition to Texas. Because of the announced intention to fight extradition a timeline is difficult to compute at this time how soon the reluctant polygamist will return to Texas soil. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtlef said Texas has the strongest case against Jeffs. "The Texas case will be easier to prosecute because it is based on Jeffs' personal actions. The Utah cases are based on Jeffs being an accomplice," Shurtleff said, explaining why Utah was willing to allow the Lone Star State to try its case before Utah tries the polygamist a second time. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NOTICE OF PROPOSED TAX INCREASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legal Ads The Spectrum Originally published August 15, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Following entities are proposing to increase property tax revenues within Washington County.
Data is based on a county-wide average home/business value of $193,000. Concerned citizens are invited to attend public hearings on their tax increases. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT THE INDIVIDUAL ENTITIES AT THE NUMBERS LISTED BELOW. Entities Proposing a tax increase Hildale Town If approved, tax will increase From $178.33 to $601.02 home From $324.24 to $1,092.77 business Public Hearing Information 8/17/2010 - 6:00 pm Hildale Town Offices 320 E. Newell Ave. Hildale, Utah 435-874-2323 Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tax hikes are few, but steep | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 governments consider raising property taxes to combat job, revenue loss | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Lee Davidson Deseret News Originally published Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — For those who think their property taxes are rising too high, it could be worse. Try living in Hildale, the well-known polygamist enclave on the Arizona border. It is proposing to more than triple its property tax this year, going from $231 to $779 on a $250,000 home — an increase of $548. "I know some people seeing that here are probably falling over," Mayor David Zitting said. "But it's a matter of trying to make our budget work." Hildale is one of just 28 local governments in Utah proposing to raise their overall property tax revenues this year, according to data collected by the Utah Tax Commission. They represent about 5 percent of the 520-or-so local governments in the state that charge such tax, ranging from cities to counties, school districts, water districts, cemetery districts and even mosquito abatement districts. The number of increases is down from recent years as governments appear to be trying to hold the budget line during tough times in the recession. Last year, twice as many local governments — 56 — raised property taxes. The year before that, 81 did. Those proposing raises list reasons ranging from loss of business revenue during the recession to the need for local public works projects. Hildale's problems seem to be unique in size and source. Zitting would not talk in detail about the problems of his city, population 1,956. He did say the city had not raised taxes in 15 years, and that helped to create a budget hole. He said some local firms had gone out of business, and that cost the city tax revenue. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real Progressive: John Dougherty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goddard hails Dougherty’s courage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Three Sonorans Election 2010 Tucson Citizen Originally published August 17, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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AZ Attorney General Goddard lauds "courage" of U.S. Senate candidate John Dougherty in probe of FLDS frauds and abuses
Remarks boost energetic grassroots Dougherty campaign Green Valley, Ariz.(Aug. 16) — Arizona Attorney General and Democratic candidate for Governor Terry Goddard on Sunday hailed fellow Democrat John Dougherty’s "courage" in exposing "fraud" in the face of extreme danger during Dougherty’s groundbreaking investigation of the fundamentalist polygamists in Colorado City. "There were people in that community, and many of them, that would have cheerfully eliminated his life for simply being there and questioning their style of life," Goddard told Democrats gathered for a fundraiser at the home of Nan and Richard Walden. "And it’s for courage like that that I think we owe John a great debt of gratitude." Goddard’s remarks provide a powerful boost to Dougherty’s surging grassroots campaign to win the Aug. 24 four-way Democratic Senatorial primary. Goddard said Dougherty’s investigation "showed there was fraud and abuse in the school system and basically showed it was being run as a wholly owned subsidiary of the FLDS, which he showed, in a number of articles." Dougherty began his investigation of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) in 2002 while working as a journalist for the Phoenix New Times. It was the first in-depth inquiry in more than 50 years into the isolated community on the Arizona Strip. FLDS religious leaders have a long history of routinely ordering underage girls to enter into "spiritual marriages" with already married men. Dougherty’s investigation of the Colorado City school system uncovered a litany of financial abuses. Goddard used the information uncovered by Dougherty to lobby the Arizona Legislature to pass a law that allowed the Attorney General’s Office to place the Colorado City school district into receivership. The school district is now operating outside control of the FLDS. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hildale to meet, discuss tax hike | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brian Ahern The Spectrum Originally published August 17, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE - The town of Hildale will have a public hearing tonight to discuss increasing its share of property taxes by more than 300 percent. Under the proposal, homes would go from paying the town $178.33 annually to $601.02. For businesses, the town's portion of property taxes would increase from $324.24 annually to $1,092.77. Town Manager Jerry Barlow said revenue has dropped significantly in recent years and officials had cut as much from the budget as possible. "It's a skeleton budget at this point," he said. "We were cutting the budget to the point of essential services." Mayor David Zitting said the cuts were so severe that it was affecting public safety. "The police department had to cut patrols because of the budget," he said. "They're not having patrols in certain night hours that they had in the past." Barlow added all the additional tax revenue would go toward police and fire services. The amount taxes will be hiked, however, has yet to be nailed down. The town council still has to determine an exact number following today's public hearing. "It could change if the council doesn't want to go forward with it," Barlow said. Before they do, the council still has to face what officials expect to be a full house of residents at tonight's meeting. "We anticipate quite a bit of participation," Zitting said. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at Hildale Town Offices, 320 E. Newell Ave. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hildale town council raises property taxes 237 percent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ben Winslow FOX 13 News KSTU-TV Originally broadcast August 17, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE, Utah - The town council in the polygamous border community of Hildale voted to raise property taxes Tuesday night by a whopping 237 percent. The council did it to make up for a significant budget shortfall. Hildale city officials said they have not raised taxes in 15 years. The tax hike means about $550 would be added to the annual bill for a home valued at $250,000. Property in Hildale and neighboring Colorado City, Ariz. is communally owned. It is a part of the United Effort Plan Trust, which is the real estate holding arm of the Fundamentalist LDS Church. The UEP Trust was taken over by a judge in Salt Lake City 3rd District Court back in 2005, over allegations that Warren Jeffs and other FLDS leaders mismanaged it. On Tuesday, a court appointed accountant overseeing the trust objected to the tax hike. "This proposed tax increase is unprecedented in size," said Bruce Wisan in a statement to FOX 13. "To the extent that the increase is being used to shift the tax burden to those who are actually paying their tax, it is totally discriminatory." Wisan blamed delinquent tax payers in the community for much of the problem. He threatened to release a list of delinquent tax payers in the town, which he said included members of the town council and the mayor. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hildale OKs 300 percent tax increase | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brian Ahern The Spectrum Originally published August 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE – The Hildale Town Council unanimously approved a property tax hike of more than 300 percent Tuesday, garnering scowls and disapproval from the residents in attendance. "It’s just disgusting," said local business owner Richard Holm. "These local governments are just numb to the will of the people." Mayor David Zitting said the increases were necessary, however, as the town had cut deeply into essential services like its police and fire departments in recent years. "We’re in a situation that’s tough on everybody," he said. "It’s going to hurt a lot of people, but I don’t know what else to do about it." The new tax rate will go into effect in October and raise annual property taxes to $601.02 for homes and $1,092.77 for businesses. It’s the first property tax hike the town has made in more than 15 years. "One-hundred percent of that would go into public safety," Town Manager Jerry Barlow said. Former Utah Lt. Gov. Val Oveson said the tax increase would be devastating during the current economic climate. "I understand why you’re doing it and why you need it," he said. "But it’s not a good time to raise property taxes in any shape or form." Holm expressed similar sentiments. "It’s extremely hard to feel good about these taxes, especially with an unfriendly business environment," he said. "I would suggest we look over these policies and make it more friendly toward the business environment here." Zitting agreed it might not be an ideal time for a tax hike, but said the new taxes wouldn’t hinder businesses as much as people might think. "I don’t know if it’s going to be a factor," he said. "The amount of increases on businesses isn’t going to be enough to drive them out." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs hearing postponed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published August 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE — A hearing to address the request for a retrial of former polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs in 5th District Court was postponed Wednesday until an undetermined date. Jeffs was convicted in 2007 on two charges of rape in Washington County for his alleged role in arranging the marriage of an underage girl to her 19-year-old cousin. However, the Utah Supreme Court overturned Jeffs’ conviction last month on appeal, stating there were "serious errors in the instructions given to the jury that deprived Jeffs of the fair trial to which all are entitled under our laws." Jeffs’ attorney, Walter Bugden, requested the hearing — which was scheduled to take place Monday — for a speedy trial in the case following the high court’s decision. However, Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap requested the hearing be delayed until after the Utah Supreme Court completes its involvement with the case. "Basically, the rules are that only one court at a time has jurisdiction," Belnap said. "The district court doesn’t get jurisdiction back until the appeals court is completely done with the case and turns it back over." Belnap is working with the Attorney General’s Office on a petition for a rehearing of the high court’s decision to overturn the conviction and has until Monday to complete the petition. Belnap’s motion before Judge James Shumate states Bugden agreed to not argue against the motion. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UT judge cancels polygamous sect leader's hearing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By JENNIFER DOBNER Associated Press Dallas Morning News Originally published August 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — A judge has canceled a scheduled hearing on polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs' request for a speedy trial. Fifth District Judge James Shumate's order Wednesday canceling the Aug. 23 hearing was in response to a joint request from Washington County prosecutors and defense attorneys. Jeffs is the 54-year-old head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints, a southern Utah-based church that practices polygamy. His 2007 convictions on two counts of rape as an accomplice were overturned by the Utah Supreme Court last month. Citing faulty jury instructions, the court sent the case back to the district court. Prosecutors have not yet said whether they plan to retry Jeffs, but defense attorneys immediately sought the speedy trial hearing. It's unclear when a hearing might be rescheduled. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has said his office will ask justices for a rehearing of the appeal. Texas authorities have charged Jeffs with bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault based on alleged incidents with underage girls at a church ranch near Eldorado, Texas. The information that led to the charges was gleaned from church and family records seized during a raid on the Yearning for Zion ranch in 2008. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed a warrant for Jeffs extradition to Texas, but Jeffs attorneys have said they will fight extradition. Jeffs remained in the Utah State Prison on Wednesday. Shurtleff has said Utah authorities have decided to let Texas prosecute Jeffs before attempting to try him again. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs Hearing in Utah District Court Continued Indefinitely | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Morgan Skinner KCSG News KCSG Television - St. George Originally broadcast August 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Salt Lake City, UT) - Nancy Volmer, Public Information Officer for the Utah State Courts said Tuesday that the status conference hearing scheduled for Monday, August 23 in the case of State of Utah vs. Warren Steed Jeffs has been continued without date (indefinitely). The request for a speedy trial was set after the District Court's receipt of remittitur from the Utah Supreme Court. Jeffs, a polygamy leader now in a Utah prison is headed to Texas where he will face new sexual assault charges. The 54-year old is accused of bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault, based on alleged incidents with under-age girls at a church ranch. A 2007 conviction for conspiracy to rape was later overturned, but Jeffs is awaiting a retrial in Utah where officials have said he could be tried in Texas before the retrial takes place. Jeffs, part of a breakaway Mormon sect that married young girls to church leaders, was arrested in 2006 while he was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. He was convicted by a Utah court of two counts of conspiracy to rape, including using his religious influence to force a 14-year-old girl to marry her cousin. He received two five-year to life terms. Last month the Utah Supreme Court ordered a retrial, ruling that the judge did not give instructions to the jury correctly at the original trial. Officials in Texas now want Jeffs and four unnamed men to go on trial over the sexual assault of girls under the age of 17. The indictment lodged in 2008 accuses Jeffs of assaulting a child in January 2005. Jeffs, currently incarcerated at the Utah state prison, is head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). The 10,000-member sect, which dominates the towns of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, split from the mainstream Mormon Church more than a century ago. See photo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF MOHAVE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legal Notices The Spectrum Originally published August 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF MOHAVE
UNITED EFFORT PLAN TRUST by Bruce R. Wisan, as the Court-Appointed Special Fiduciary, Plaintiff, vs. KEVIN BARLOW; RICHARD ALLRED; DONALD RICHTER; and LYLE JEFFS; individually or collectively doing business as UZONA HOME SCHOOL; JOHN DOES I-X and JANE DOES I-X; and, OCCUPANTS Defendants. No. CV 2010-1631 REPLACEMENT SUMMONS (Special Detainer Action) IN THE NAME OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA TO: KEVIN BARLOW and RICHARD ALLRED and DONALD RICHTER and LYLE JEFFS individually or collectively doing business as UZONA HOME SCHOOL and OCCUPANTS of 25 North Carling Street and 180 East Township Avenue Colorado City, AZ 86021 YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and commanded to appear before the Superior Court, Division I, Mohave County, Arizona, on Wednesday, the 29th day of September, 2010, at the hour of 10:00 o'clock a.m., in the Courtroom of the above-entitled Court, 401 Spring Street, Kingman, Arizona, then and there to answer and defend against the Complaint for Special Detainer Action, a copy of such Complaint being attached hereto, and you are notified that if you fail to so appear and defend such action, that the relief sought will be taken against you by default. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hildale councilmen hike tax; accused of not paying own taxes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast August 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE, Utah (ABC 4 News) - In a town where half of the people are already behind on their property taxes, the town council voted unanimously to more than triple property taxes. The enormity of the tax hike was apparently lost on all but a handful of town residents. Only about a dozen people showed up for the council meeting where the tax hike was discussed and ultimately approved. What's more, only three spoke in opposition to it in this town dominated by the FLDS polygamous group. Hildale is the Utah half of the FLDS community that straddles the border with Arizona. Jeremiah Barlow, the town manager, said property taxes in the town have been stable for more than a decade. But no more. Under the new rules set down by the state's "Truth in Taxation" law, Hildale's new property tax rate is 237% higher. It is far and away the largest property tax hike in the state. The town also has one of the highest delinquency rates in the state: 53%. A big reason for the big tax hike is that most people in the town are behind on their taxes. Among the few who spoke out against the tax increase was Val Oveson. Oveson is a former state auditor, tax commission chairman and lieutenant governor who now helps manage the UEP Trust. The trust owns just about all the land in Hildale and its twin town of Colorado City, Arizona. In 2005, a Utah judge took control of the trust declaring that Warren Jeffs (at the time the sole UEP trustee) had "abandoned" it. The court appointed Bruce Wisan as special fiduciary to the trust and Oveson signed on to help Wisan. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brent Hunsaker - Hildale town council meeting just for show? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally published August 18, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It is remarkable when a town council votes to increase taxes -- especially by 237%. But when they do it without any discussion among the members of the council, that approaches the unbelievable. And yet, that's exactly what happened Tuesday evening in the polygamist enclave of Hildale, Utah. Town manager Jeremiah Barlow made a brief PowerPoint presentation on why the city needed the tax hike. Mayor David Ziting played "master of ceremonies" amiably bantering with the few in the audience who had concerns. And the town councilmen? They were mute. As I watched it all unfold, I wondered if this decision wasn't made at another time and in another place ... perhaps even by other people ... Here are a couple reasons for my suspicion:
1) When Mayor Ziting invited discussion of the council on the tax hike, they just stared at each other. After a long, awkward pause, Councilman Winford Barlow mumbled a motion that was seconded. They voted unanimously in favor of the tax hike. No questions. No speeches about how they regretted the necessity of such a huge hike. Nothing. 2) When Val Oveson, a CPA representing the UEP Trust (which holds title to much of the land in the town), asked to see a detailed budget explaining how the increased tax revenue would be spent, Mayor Ziting said they didn't have it -- never seen it. But just a few minutes later, they also voted -- again without discussion -- on a new budget that included the revenues from the just approved tax hike! If that was indeed the first time they'd seen the new, improved budget, I would think that they would have gone over at least a few of the major line items. But again, nothing. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New in Paperback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lost Boy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Donna Marchetti The Plain Dealer - Cleveland Live Originally published Friday, August 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lost Boy
Brent W. Jeffs with Maia Szalavitz (Broadway, 235 pp.) $14.99 Author Brent Jeffs is the nephew of Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who was found guilty of acting as an accomplice to rape in 2007. (Last month, the verdict was overturned, and he faces a retrial.) Brent, who was the first person to file sexual-abuse charges against his uncle, tells the story of his childhood and adolescence in the polygamist sect, one in a household of 25 that included his father, his father's three wives -- two of whom were sisters -- and 21 children. While Warren Jeffs may be known best by the public for arranging marriages of underage girls to older men, the wrongdoings described here are even darker. Brent writes of being raped as a preschooler repeatedly by his uncle, and of his prolonged suffering. Eventually, he says, he learned that the elder Jeffs had raped two of his brothers as well. One committed suicide. The emotions in this account are raw, and it is wrenching to read. But it sheds a great deal of light on why even the most severely victimized find it difficult to leave their abuser, and why they often crumble if they do. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jailers ready for Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published August 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — The jail is set and the schedule cleared. Preparations are underway in the Texas courts to receive Warren Jeffs, the spiritual leader of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The governor of Utah has signed extradition papers to get Jeffs to Texas, a process which Jeffs’ attorneys have said they will fight. The FLDS former leader remains in Utah after convictions on which he was sent to prison were overturned by the state Supreme Court in Utah. One expert described Jeffs’ defense team’s plan to fight the Texas extradition as "a long shot." "He would have to file a writ of habeas corpus in the Utah court to test the legality of his arrest, to assert that there is no probable cause for his arrest," said Clifford Rosky, a criminal law professor at the University of Utah. Jeffs’ attorney has said that is the route he will pursue. Rosky guessed that the process might take a few weeks before he is sent to Texas. Jeffs remains incarcerated in the mental health unit of the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah, while awaiting a hearing to consider a new trial on the Utah charges that were dismissed by the state supreme court there in late July. According to a Friday story in the Salt Lake Tribune, Walter F. Bugden, one of Jeffs’ attorneys, said he will file a habeas corpus motion opposing the extradition until there is a resolution in the Utah case. "It is not only a question of fairness but of constitutional proportion to shuttle him back and forth between states," Bugden said. "I think that the decision should be made and shouldn’t just be left pending until after he has a trial in Texas. I think it is fundamentally unfair to not finish what they started." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS propety dispute gets complicated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ABC 4 News Originally broadcast August 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HILDALE, Utah (ABC 4 News) – A property dispute with FLDS church lands in southern Utah and northern Arizona became even more complicated Friday. Right before Friday’s property claims hearing an attorney for the United Effort Plan Trust, UEP, filed a motion to disqualify the judge. That means the judge could do little else, except hand the case over to a different judge. Virtually all the land in Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona is at stake. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EXCLUSIVE: Extradition hearing set for Warren Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reported by: Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News Originally broadcast August 21, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Warren Jeffs is a step closer to Texas. ABC 4 News has learned a court hearing on extradition to Texas will be held on Thursday, August 26 at 1:00pm in the West Jordan courtroom of Judge Terry Christiansen. Jeffs is indicted in Texas on three counts: Sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child and bigamy. Attorneys for Jeffs will argue against extradition. But legal experts tell ABC 4 that really the only way they can succeed in getting the Texas warrant quashed is by proving the Warren Jeffs now being held in the Utah State Prison is not the same Warren Jeffs named in the warrant. Meanwhile in Texas, sources tell ABC 4 the decks are being cleared in anticipation of Jeffs' arrival. Judge Barbara Walther will delay the scheduled trial of another FLDS leader, Wendell Nielsen, so the Jeffs case can be moved "to the front of the class." Nielsen was scheduled for a pretrial hearing next week. Word is Judge Walther wants to have the Jeffs trial wrapped up in 120 days. Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran told the San Angelo Standard-Times his office hasn’t heard whether Jeffs will be coming to his jail, but he is ready nonetheless. Much of the evidence against Jeffs was obtained in the controversial 2008 raid on the FLDS Yearning for Zion ranch outside of Eldorado, Texas. So far the Texas Attorney General is six for six in cases against FLDS leaders. See mug shot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs may be sent back to Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published August 21, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge has taken a step toward sending polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs to Texas to stand trial on charges of bigamy and sexual assault. Judge Terry Christiansen signed a warrant for Jeffs’ arrest on Friday following an extradition request from Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The charges stem from alleged sexual relations with two underage girls at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. The Utah Supreme Court reversed Jeffs convictions on accomplice to rape charges last month and sent the case back for a new trial. Jeffs remains in the mental health unit at the Utah State Prison in Draper. His initial appearance is set for Thursday in Third District court. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greens may push to decriminalize polygamy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By LAURA PAYTON, QMI Agency Toronto Sun Originally published August 21, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Green Party of Canada will consider a motion Sunday on whether or not they will push to decriminalize polygamy. Party members in a workshop on Saturday evening voted to send the motion to the full-Party plenary, where they'll debate and vote on it. Speakers in the workshop were careful to define polygamy as a marriage between multiple spouses. They made a clear distinction between polygamy between consenting adults and a polygamist sect in Bountiful, B.C., where domestic abuse has been alleged, though charges were thrown out in 2009. "It's a human rights issue," said Trey Capnerhurst, a Green Party candidate in Edmonton East, noting that she is polyamorous. Polyamory is the process of having more than one intimate relationship at the same time, according to the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association. Capnerhurst says in cases where police suspect domestic abuse against multiple wives and children, that should be the subject of criminal charges. "We should be not be charging people with polygamy," she said. Several Green members in the workshop argued the policy is impossible to sell to voters and could mean losing support at a time when they hit record numbers in the last election. Those who spoke in favour said the party should treat it as a human rights issue, just as they did with same-sex marriage rights. Green Party leader Elizabeth May says the party is open and democratic, allowing any motion with enough support to be discussed. "It certainly isn't a motion I voted for," she said. "It's something I continue to oppose." A spokeswoman for May says she doesn't expect the motion to pass the full party plenary on Sunday. Capnerhurst says there's a bias against those in polyamorous relationships, of which she estimates number in the tens of thousands in Canada. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How did the polygamy motion make it so far? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By LAURA PAYTON Blogs - The Hill Toronto Sun Originally published Sunday, August 22, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Some people, including Green Party members, are wondering how the polygamy/polyamorous motion made it through the workshop stage and back to full plenary, where everyone at the convention will vote on it later this morning. A couple of Greens approached me to say the workshop was pretty small, with a lot of other sessions going on at the same time. The polygamy motion came up in a workshop specifically for policy resolutions, which was held at the same time as training for electoral district associations and the workshop for constitutional motions. The constitutional workshop was where the resolutions on the length of the party leader’s term were being discussed, another issue some people are pretty passionate about. There was also candidate training and the youth summit. So the argument is that party members were really split between different sessions. One person said a group of people who really cared about the motion hijacked the session. Essentially, those who cared showed up because they knew the motion was coming up for discussion. I didn’t count at the time, but I would say there were 15-20 people in the room. That’s out of a little over 300 at the convention. It was an interesting debate to sit in on because the arguments were passionate. For the people who support the motion, it’s about human rights and staying out of people’s relationships. Why cover up support for those who choose a second or third life partner? They also said it’s about being the party of integrity, and not backing down over a controversial issue. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Greens defeat polygamy motion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By LAURA PAYTON, Parliamentary Bureau Toronto Sun Originally published Sunday, August 22, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| OTTAWA – The Green Party voted down a motion to push to decriminalize polygamy Sunday morning. The vast majority of over 300 members voted against the motion, with 82% against and 18% in favour. The motion called for the party to push to decriminalize "polyamorous" relationships, where people are intimately involved and living with more than one partner. Party leader Elizabeth May says she used to practice family law and isn't convinced the criminal code makes polyamorous relationships illegal. She urged the party to reject the motion. "I have huge issues with not knowing what this (motion) means," she said. "I'm very unclear as to what kind of rights would ensue to a polyamorous unit as a family and what that means for the interests of a child and how that gets judged in terms of custody issues." May said there's "a morass of questions" for which she's confident they don't have the answers. Party members in a workshop session Saturday evening voted to send the motion to the full party plenary where they could debate and vote on it. Saturday's workshop vote was 14-8 to send the motion to plenary. Speakers in the workshop were careful to define polygamy as a marriage between multiple spouses. They made a clear distinction between polygamy between consenting adults and a polygamist sect in Bountiful, B.C., where domestic abuse has been alleged. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Library committee to receive update on BHC expansion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By JIM SECKLER Mohave Daily News Originally published Sunday, August 22, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KINGMAN — The Mohave County Library District committee will hear updates today on the progress of the Bullhead City and Mohave Valley library expansion projects. Meeting in Bullhead City, the committee will hear another update on the county’s plan to triple the size of the existing 8,669-square-foot library branch in Bullhead City and turn it into a 30,819-square-foot facility. The project on the 20-year-old library will be done in three phases and take 12 to 14 months to complete. The county is evaluating 15 construction firms to build the project, which could begin by October, Mohave County Library Director Bob Shupe said. Two Fort Mohave and one Mohave Valley firm are competing with a Kingman company and four Las Vegas construction companies for the project. Also vying for the contract are six Phoenix area firms and a Yuma company. The project bids range from $3.4 million from one Fort Mohave firm to a $6 million bid from the Kingman firm. Most of the rest of the bids range from $3.8 to $4.4 million. The bids also include 16 alternatives to the design. The county will evaluate the lowest bidder, Larry Builders of Fort Mohave, and if satisfied with that company’s bid, a contract with the firm will go before the county supervisors for approval. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For The Family That Has Everything: FLDS "Prophet" Warren Jeffs' Sermons For Sale On eBay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Craig Malisow Crime Houston Press Originally published Mon., Aug. 23 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If you never had a chance to hear Fundamentalist Mormon prophet/alleged child-rapist Warren Jeffs wax philosophical on such heady issues like marrying your underage cousin and why blacks are an inferior race, now's your chance: cassettes of Jeffs' sermons are now available on eBay. Jay Beswick, a child welfare advocate and professional thorn in the side of the FLDS said that, over the years, he's bought 550 tapes from folks who were kicked out of the church. He says he's donated some to libraries and given some to state attorneys general in Utah and Arizona, who have tried unsuccessfully to prosecute Jeffs for being a really creepy dude. And now, he says, he's given some to Texas prosecutors in advance of Jeffs' upcoming extradition to the Lone Star state, where he's been charged with bigamy and aggravated sexual assault of two underage girls in the Yearning for Zion compound in West Texas. So far, there are no bids on a tape of Jeffs' March 12, 2002 sermon -- which actually might be a good thing, since, Beswick says, it's historically been FLDS members doing all the buying in order to suppress the tapes. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff wants clarity from rehearing in Warren Jeffs case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Aaron Falk Deseret News Originally published Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — Should Utah prosecutors decide to ever retry polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, the state's top lawyer wants the Utah Supreme Court to clarify why last month it tossed Jeffs' 2007 conviction of rape as an accomplice. "The state does not seek to change the result of the court's opinion," Attorney General Mark Shurtleff wrote in a petition for a rehearing filed Monday. "The state only seeks clarification on how to properly instruct a jury in this and other accomplice liability cases." Citing an erroneous jury instruction, the state's high court overturned Jeffs' conviction on two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in the "spiritual" wedding of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. In order for a jury to convict Jeffs of rape as an accomplice, the court ruled, "the jury must find that Jeffs 'intended that the result of his conduct would be that' " a rape occurred. Earlier this month, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed an extradition warrant to send Jeffs to Texas, where he faces charges of bigamy and sexual assault. Shurtleff said that Utah prosecutors would wait until proceedings in Texas were finished before deciding whether to retry Jeffs in Utah. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Girls treated like 'poison snakes' in B.C. polygamous community, ex-member says | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Man who lived in Bountiful makes claim in landmark constitutional case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Wendy Stueck The Globe and Mail - Toronto, Ontario Originally published Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vancouver — Girls in the polygamous community of Bountiful "were to be treated like poison snakes" and taught that their role was to "have lots of children and obey the men," says an affidavit filed in the B.C. Supreme Court in connection to a landmark polygamy case. "The boys were taught not to interact with the girls and that the girls were to be treated like ‘poison snakes,’ " says the affidavit, filed earlier this month by Truman Oler, 28, who grew up in Bountiful and left the community when he was about 21. "We were not allowed to talk or play with [girls]," the document says. "That seems stupid to me when I think about it now because in my situation we were all related to each other – those girls were our nieces or cousins or sisters. "I never remember being taught that being related to someone means that morally you should not think of that person as someone you would marry or have kids with." The affidavit is among a large amount of material, including videotaped interviews with people who grew up in polygamous communities in Canada and the U.S., filed in connection with a constitutional reference case expected to pit the right to religious freedom against arguments that polygamy harms women, children and society. The affidavit contains allegations that have not been proven in court. Lawyers involved in the case are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday to discuss scheduling. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AG asks for clarification in Warren Jeffs' case | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published August 24, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's attorney general has asked the state Supreme Court for a clarification on jury instructions in polygamist leader Warren Jeffs' trial on accomplice rape charges. The court overturned Jeffs' 2007 conviction last month, saying faulty jury instructions denied Jeffs a fair trial. The state asked the court in a petition Monday to revisit the case, but specified it was not asking for a change of opinion. Assistant Attorney General Laura Dupaix (doo-PAY') says the state wants the court to clarify how the jury should be instructed in the Jeffs case and others involving accomplice liability. Utah's attorney general has said he will not seek a retrial until criminal charges Jeffs faces in Texas are resolved. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Thursday in 3rd District Court. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FLDS to target state bigamy laws | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen’s next hearing is Sept. 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Matthew Waller San Angelo Standard-Times Originally published August 24, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SAN ANGELO, Texas — Attorneys for Wendell Loy Nielsen, the next member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to go to criminal trial, said at a hearing Tuesday they intend to challenge the Texas bigamy laws their client is charged with violating under amended indictments. The pretrial hearing Tuesday in San Angelo before 51st District Judge Barbara Walther set a trial date of Oct. 25 in Schleicher County. Nielsen, 69, faces three charges of bigamy, to which he pleaded not guilty. The prosecution amended the indictments to more closely reference Texas laws on bigamy, and the defense, headed by Houston attorney Kent Schaffer, said it would challenge the constitutionality of those amendments and thus the Texas bigamy laws in general. A hearing was set for that matter to take place Sept. 13. The defense Tuesday went over motions meant to set the stage for how the Oct. 25 trial will go. "We reached an agreement on almost every motion," Schaffer said. One such motion included preventing the prosecution from using the word "rapist." And the prosecution protested the motion if it meant that the state could not insinuate a connection between Nielsen and what the state alleges is participation in underage marriages. Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st District, who has presided over all the previous trials of FLDS men, denied the motion. Another motion sought to compel the prosecution to provide the defense with whatever evidence prosecutors give its expert witnesses for examination. Walther granted that motion. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polygamous way of life harmful, former Bountiful, B.C., residents allege | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sunny Dhillon The Canadian Press Times & Transcript - Moncton, New Brunswick Originally published Tuesday August 24th, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER - Lorna Blackmore was 18 when she was forced to marry a man more than twice her age, despite the fact he already had a wife. Truman Oler was just a boy when he was taught that girls were like "poison snakes," unfit to play with or even talk to. Both Blackmore and Oler grew up in the polygamous southeastern British Columbia community of Bountiful and their experiences are chronicled in recently filed court documents. The pair contend Bountiful condones a harmful way of life that gives men control over women and forces teenagers into marriage. Their affidavits are part of a B.C. Supreme Court case that will test Canada's law against polygamy. Blackmore said in her affidavit she did not want to marry the 41-year-old man to whom she was promised. She tried to argue with the church's prophet, but eventually gave in and wed. She had her first of five surviving children at 22. Blackmore, now 67, said in the affidavit she was unhappy throughout the marriage, during which her husband married two more women. Blackmore's marriage ended in 1980 and she now resides in the nearby town of Creston. Two of her children remain in Bountiful, along with 21 of her grandchildren. "I do believe that polygamy has been a harmful way of life for me and many others in Bountiful, both men and women," she said in the affidavit. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jeffs Hearing Rescheduled to September 7th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Nancy Volumer, Contributor KCSG Television Originally published August 24, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Salt Lake City, UT) - At the request of counsel, the heaing in the case of State of Utah vs Warren Steed Jeffs that was scheduled for this Thursday has been continued to September 7th at 1:00PM at the West Jordan Courthouse with Judge Terry Christiansen. The hearing before Utah Third District Court Judge Terry Christiansen is in reference an arrest warrant for Warren S. Jeffs that will send Jeffs to Texas to stand trial on charges of bigamy and sexual assault. Charges filed in Texas are for alleged sexual relations with two underage girls at the FLDS Yearning For Zion Ranch, near Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extradition hearing delayed for sect leader, Jeffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Spectrum Originally published August 25, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A state judge has postponed an extradition hearing for polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs. The head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was scheduled for a 3rd District Court hearing in West Jordan on Thursday. On Tuesday, however, the court rescheduled the hearing for Sept. 7. Defense attorneys for the 54-year-old church leader requested the delay. They have said they will fight Jeffs' extradition to face criminal charges in Texas. Authorities have charged Jeffs with bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault related to alleged incidents with underage girls at a church ranch. The Utah Supreme Court reversed Jeffs' 2007 convictions on accomplice to rape charges last month and sent the case back for a new trial. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prosecution seeks clarity in Jeffs' trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Jenkins The Spectrum Originally published August 25, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ST. GEORGE - The Utah Attorney General's Office filed a petition Monday asking the state Supreme Court to clarify two words used in its decision to overturn the conviction of former polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs on rape as an accomplice charges. The Petition for Rehearing specifies the prosecution is not seeking to change the results of the high court's July opinion that the jury was not properly instructed during Jeffs' 2007 trial, in which he was accused of marrying an underage girl to her older cousin without her consent. The appeals court's opinion led the attorney for the 54-year-old former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints to pursue a speedy retrial in Washington County. Instead, the prosecution is asking the court to clarify what words should be used during jury instruction, not only in Jeffs' anticipated retrial but in other cases as well in which anyone may be alleged to have acted as an accomplice in a way that makes the person criminally liable. The results of a retrial for Jeffs, then, could largely hinge on jurors' understanding of the words "intend" and "rape." "The instruction proposed by Jeffs and mandated by this court ... requires the jury to find that Jeffs must have 'intended that the result of his conduct would be that Allen Steed rape Elissa Wall,'" the petition stated, referring to the marriage between Steed and Wall in which Jeffs was accused of being an accomplice. "As this court noted, 'intent' in this context is 'a legal term of art' that merely refers to the 'state of mind accompanying an act' and 'should not be confused with the mental state designated as intentionally.' A lay jury, however, will not understand that legal distinction," the petition states. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Court case won't just look at Mormon polygamists; Muslims under scrunity too | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Sunny Dhillon The Canadian Press Winnepeg Free Press Originally published August 25, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VANCOUVER - A court case to determine whether Canada's polygamy laws violate religious protection might have been sparked by a fundamentalist Mormon sect in southeastern British Columbia, but the legal challenge will also examine rarely discussed polygamous practices among North America's Muslims. The B.C. government asked the province's Supreme Court last year to decide if the section of the Criminal Code prohibiting polygamy also contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The province launched the constitutional question after polygamy charges were dropped against two Bountiful, B.C., religious leaders. A formal start date for the hearings has not yet been determined, but several affidavits for the case have been sworn in recent weeks. One of them is from Mohammad Fadel, Canada research chair in Islamic law at the University of Toronto. Fadel was asked by the B.C. attorney general to address the relationship between polygamy and Islam. He said as a matter of religious doctrine, the marriage of a Muslim man to up to four wives is disfavoured, but not morally forbidden. "This conclusion is based on texts of the Qur'an that appear to allow a man to marry more than one wife simultaneously," he said in the affidavit. Fadel said polygamy is generally taboo among Muslims in Canada, both because it's illegal and sometimes viewed as shameful. But Alia Hogben, executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, said in her affidavit she occasionally receives telephone calls from women that pertain to polygamy. She said some of the Muslim women have refused to leave their "oppressive marital relationships" because they fear social stigma from other members of the community. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abuses are bountiful: Docs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Canadian Press Metro News Metro Canada - Vancouver Originally published August 25, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A polygamous community in B.C. gives men control over women and forces teenagers into marriage, former residents allege in recently filed court documents. Lorna Blackmore and Truman Oler, both raised in Bountiful, have sworn affidavits for a B.C. Supreme Court case that will test Canada’s law against polygamy. Blackmore was 18 when she was told to marry a man more than twice her age, despite the fact that he already had one wife. She adds that girls as young as 15 were married and that the average age seems to go up only when there is media or law enforcement attention on the community. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supreme Court says FLDS waited too long to object to land sale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Aaron Falk Deseret News Originally published Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — The Fundamentalist LDS Church waited too long to fight the state's takeover of the church's finances, the Utah Supreme Court ruled Friday. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints waited more than three years to challenge the dealings of the United Effort Plan Trust. The trust was established in 1942 and fashioned after the United Order, a 19th-century religious concept under which church members donate all their assets to a communal organization. Utah took over financial oversight of the trust in 2005 amid allegations of mismanagement by the group's leader, Warren Jeffs. When the sale of Berry Knoll Farm, a 438-acre stretch of land set aside as a building site for a temple, was proposed in 2008, the FLDS filed a lawsuit to block the sale. Third District Judge Denise Lindberg authorized the sale of that land in August 2009, a decision that the church asked the Supreme Court to reverse. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Watch Fox 13's Tamara Vaifanua's coverage of the Utah Supreme Court's decision on the UEP Trust | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah top court says FLDS waited too long to object to land sale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Aaron Falk Deseret News Originally published Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY — The Fundamentalist LDS Church waited too long to fight the state's takeover of the polygamous sect's finances, the Utah Supreme Court ruled Friday. The FLDS filed its suit in 2008, three years after the state took control of the United Effort Plan trust amid allegations of mismanagement by then-FLDS president Warren Jeffs. "The FLDS Association was not diligent in challenging the district court's modification of the UEP trust," the court wrote in its unanimous decision, "and that lack of diligence has resulted in prejudice to numerous parties." The trust has been valued at $110 million and holds most of the property in twin polygamist communities of Hildale and Colorado City as well as land in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada. Tensions between the FLDS and the state have grown steadily since a judge appointed Bruce Wisan as the special fiduciary in charge of the trust. When the sale of Berry Knoll Farm — a 438-acre stretch of land set aside as a building site for a temple — was proposed in 2008, the FLDS filed a lawsuit to block the sale. Third District Judge Denise Lindberg authorized the sale of that land in August 2009, a decision that the church asked the Supreme Court to reverse. In light of Friday's ruling, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he hoped both sides would resume talks and begin working toward a settlement outside of court. "We never meant to be in litigation for five years on this thing," Shurtleff said. "It's hurting everybody. Everything is being spent on attorneys and litigation. In the meantime, things in that community just keep getting worse." Talks between the FLDS and the special fiduciary nearly led to an agreement last year before negotiations fell apart, Shurtleff said. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Supreme Court Rules in Favor of UEP Trust | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Court denies petition from FLDS Association as untimely and unripe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: Jeffrey L. Shields (801) 530-7300 August 27, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(Salt Lake City, Utah) – The Utah Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling today denying the FLDS Association’ Petition for Extraordinary Writ, asserting the FLDS were not diligent in petitioning the Supreme Court in a timely manner. The decision means the Special Fiduciary will continue to administer the trust and its assets, eventually distributing the assets to beneficiaries.
"We are pleased that the Supreme Court agreed with the arguments of the Utah Attorney General, the Arizona Attorney General and the Special Fiduciary, and ruled in our favor," said Jeffrey L. Shields, attorney for the UEP Trust. "The reformation of the Trust was a long process, beginning over five years ago, and I am glad to see that the Court has agreed that the petitioners should have taken part in the process, as invited by the Third District Court, rather than waiting for years, then taking the litigious route." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Court rejects appeal from polygamous sect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Jennifer Dobner Associated Press The Spectrum Originally published August 28, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah's Supreme Court on Friday rejected a petition from members of a southern Utah-based polygamous sect seeking a reversal of changes made to its communal land trust. In an unanimous ruling, justices said members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints waited too long to challenge the state's intervention in the United Effort Plan Trust. FLDS members -- referred to in court documents as the FLDS Association -- waited nearly three years to act and then failed to explain that delay in arguments made before the court, justices said. "The FLDS Association has shown a lack of diligence in challenging the modification of the trust and this lack of diligence has operated to the detriment of others," justices wrote in a 19-page decision. The Utah courts began a takeover of the trust in 2005 and a judge approved reforms the following year. The sect's failure to act left the district court with "every reason to believe the reformation occurred without opposition," the court opinion states. FLDS attorney Rod Parker expressed disappointment in the ruling, but noted that justices "carefully avoided taking a stand on the way the state courts have modified the trust." It's unclear what the FLDS' next steps might be. The sect could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling, or consider taking the case to the federal court. Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| More than a middle child | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author to present memoir on growing up in a polygamous family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By SABINA DANA PLASSE Arts & Events Idaho Mountain Express and Guide - Ketchum, Idaho Originally published Wednesday, September 1, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author Susanna Barlow grew up in a Mormon fundamentalist home. Her upbringing shaped her life values and views. She was raised in a busy city neighborhood in Utah but was not allowed past her front gate. She says she suffered a great deal of abuse as a young child — the 23rd of 46 children. Barlow managed to escape her family and the grips of the Mormon fundamentalist religion. As part of her healing process, she wrote a memoir, "What Peace There May Be." She will present her story at The Community Library in Ketchum on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m. The presentation is free. "This publication needed to happen," Barlow said. "It was important for me to free myself from the secret that was my life." Barlow's book is a peek into a world that is an extreme religious organization. "It's tribal," she said. "Everyone must conform for the survival of the whole. We were not allowed to talk with each other." Barlow's account reveals that no matter how hard her family tried to keep out the rest of the world, it was impossible. She writes about how the world crashed into her house, breaking barriers. "My parents have not read the book," Barlow said. "They are devastated." Read more | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What Peace There May Be" by Susanna Barlow Susanna Barlow's book is available for sale from The HOPE Organization Order it now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The HOPE Organization has received a Creative Ministries of Presbyterian Women Thank Offering grant to fund a 2-year "Jump Start" life-skills program for children in the Hildale/Colorado City/Centennial Park communities. Read our press release Read our program flyer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| FLDS documentary 3 years in the making - Banking on Heaven | |
| Watch the Banking on Heaven trailer | |
| Watch the documentary Damned to Heaven | |
| Watch the documentary Banished: The Lost Boys of Polygamy | |
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National Geographic Channel's "Inside Polygamy: Life Is Bountiful" documentary first broadcast February 10, 2010 | |
2. FLDS Secrets - Beyond The Reach from Brett Buchanan on Vimeo. | |
| Follow the TEXAS case on charges that Warren personally "spiritually married" little girls ranging in age from 12 to 14 and read the Court filings for and against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Follow the ARIZONA trial on charges of incest and charges of sexual contact with a minor and read the Court filings for and against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Follow the UTAH "Rape as an Accomplice" trial and read the Court filings for and against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Follow the numerous Texas cases of the YFZ men indicted for molesting little girls and read the Court filings regarding these men | |
| Listen to Warren Jeffs speak about the black race | |
| Listen to Warren Jeffs speak about the "Seed of Cain" and "pingy pangy" music from the black race | |
| Read the Press Release of the Original Interested Parties regarding the Utah Supreme Court's decision dismissing the FLDS' appeal of the UEP Trust, dated August 27, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court's decision dismissing the FLDS' Petition for Extraordinary Writ regarding the UEP Trust, dated August 27, 2010 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's UEP Trust's Response in Opposition to Petition for Emergency Relief filed in the Utah Supreme Court August 24, 2010 | |
| Read the State of Utah's Petition for Rehearing in the Warren Jeffs case filed in the Utah Supreme Court August 23, 2010 | |
| Read Texas Governor Rick Perry's Extradition Warrant for Warren Steed Jeffs sent to Utah Governor Gary Herbert on July 29, 2010 | |
| Read the original Texas Capias (arrest warrants) for Warren Jeffs issued in July, August and November 2008 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Request for a Speedy Trial filed in Fifth District Court on July 28, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court's Decision on Warren Jeffs' Utah Conviction filed July 27, 2010 | |
| Read the court transcript of Judge Lindberg's telephonic Status Conference regarding the UEP Trust, dated July 22, 2010 | |
| Read the Arizona Attorney General's Supplement to Emergency Report and Recommendation for Expedited Status Conference regarding the UEP Trust, filed in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 19, 2010 | |
| Read the Arizona Attorney General's Emergency Report and Recommendation for Expedited Status Conference regarding the UEP Trust, filed in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 8, 2010 | |
| Read the Arizona Attorney General's Exhibits for the Emergency Report and Recommendation for Expedited Status Conference regarding the UEP Trust, filed in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 8, 2010 | |
| Read the Arizona Attorney General Civil Rights Division's Discrimination Lawsuit filed against the City of Hildale, Town of Colorado City, and the utility, water and power companies dated June 25, 2010 | |
| Watch the Eldorado Success June 23, 2010 video of the press conference after the sentencing of Abram Harker Jeffs | |
| Read the June 2010 UEP Trust Beneficiary Update Newsletter from Special Fiduciary Bruce Wisan | |
| Watch the June 15, 2010 KSL News report on Warren Steed Jeffs arriving back at the Utah State Prison Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |
| Watch the June 9, 2010 KSL News report on Arizona dropping the charges against Warren Steed Jeffs Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |
| Watch the June 9, 2010 KSAZ interview of Terry Goddard on Arizona dropping the charges against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Watch the June 9, 2010 KNXV-TV News report on Arizona dropping the charges against Warren Steed Jeffs | |
| Watch the June 8, 2010 interview of Carolyn Jessop on "Good Day Atlanta" on Fox 5 TV Atlanta, Georgia | |
| Read the State of Texas vs. Merril Leroy Jessop State's Post-Hearing Briefing on Defendant's Request for Free Record and Court-Appointed Counsel on Appeal filed in Schleicher County, Texas May 18, 2010 | |
| Watch the May 18, 2010 interview of Carolyn Jessop on the "Morning Show" on Fox 10 TV Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Read the State of Texas vs. Abram Harker Jeffs Notice of State's Intent to Introduce Extraneous Offenses filed in Schleicher County, Texas May 5, 2010 | |
| Read the brochure for the Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child Abuse 2010 Joining Together Conference to be held May 3-5, 2010 | |
| Watch the Sons of Perdition documentary trailer | |
| Watch the NBC New York video on the Sons of Perdition documentary April 23, 2010 | |
| Read the Motion for Other Substituted Service to serve deadbeat dad Merril Jessop so he'll show up at court and finally start paying Carolyn Jessop overdue child support, filed in Schleicher County, Texas April 9, 2010 | |
| Watch FOX 13 Ben Winslow's April 8, 2010 story on the Mohave County Attorney's Ofice investigating the misuse of public funds by Colorado City Fire District Chief Jake Barlow and City Manager David Darger.
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| Read Merril Leroy Jessop's Motion for New Trial filed in Schleicher County, Texas April 7, 2010 | |
| Read Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan's Special Press Release about serving warrants on Colorado City and Hildale officials for misuse of public funds and fraudulent schemes dated April 6, 2010 | |
| Read the Mohave County April 5, 2010 Affidavit For Search Warrant which led to serving warrants on Colorado City and Hildale Fire Department officials on April 6, 2010 for misuse of public funds | |
| See The Spectrum photographer Jud Burkett's photos taken while law enforcement from Mohave County and Washington County served search warrants on the Hildale and Colorado City Fire Departments on April 6, 2010 | |
| Read the Arizona Attorney General Civil Rights Division's Reasonable Cause Determination alleging the FLDS-run public utility companies are in violation of state and federal fair housing laws, dated April 5, 2010 | |
| Read Mohave Superior Court's Notice/Decision/Ruling regarding the trespassing charges against Bruce Wisan and Jethro Barlow, dated March 25, 2010 | |
| Read the Letter by FLDS attorney Michael D. Zimmerman admitting to misrepresentations made to the Utah Supreme Court, dated March 24, 2010 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's Memorandum Opposing Motion to Strike Exhibits and Arguments From Specified Pleadings dated March 22, 2010 | |
| Read Val Oveson's Press Release UEP Trust and State Used as Unwitting Tools dated March 20, 2010 | |
| Watch the Eldorado Success video of Daniel Hurley made March 19, 2010 where he comments on the testimony given that the child bride victim of Leroy Jessop was "developmentally delayed" | |
| Read Judge Lindberg's Memorandum Decision and Order filed March 18, 2010 | |
| Read the Arizona Attorney General's Memorandum in Response and Objection to Motion to Strike Exhibits and Related Arguments From Specified Pleadings filed March 10, 2010 | |
| Read the Motion for Enforcement of Child Support Order and Order to Appear requiring deadbeat dad Merril Jessop show up at court to finally start paying Carolyn Jessop overdue child support, filed in Schleicher County, Texas March 9, 2010 | |
| Read the Original Interested Individuals' Memorandum Opposing Motion to Strike Exhibits and Arguments From Specified Pleadings dated March 8, 2010 | |
| Read Willie Jessop's Objection and Motion for Mistrial and his Affidavit in the State of Texas vs. Merril Leroy Jessop, filed in Schleicher County, Texas March 8, 2010 | |
| Read the Application for Turnover Relief against deadbeat dad Merril Jessop and his attorneys Amy Hennington and Gerald Goldstein to turnover their retainers for legal services to Carolyn Jessop for overdue child support, filed in Schleicher County, Texas March 7, 2010 | |
| Watch FOX 13 Ben Winslow's March 7, 2010 story on Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff investigating the Twin City Water Works for misuse of public funds | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's UEP Trust Beneficiary Update dated March 2010 | |
| See the KSTU-TV Fox 13 Utah Photo Gallery Polygamist Fashions | |
| Read Mike Emack's Motion to Dismiss his bigamy charge filed in Schleicher County, Texas March 5, 2010 | |
| Watch FOX 13's Ben Winslow's February 28, 2010 story about the deadline passing to settle the UEP battle | |
| Read the Attorney General of British Columbia's Statement of Position on the Constitutional Questions Referred and the Preliminary Summary of Facts Asserted filed in the BC Supreme Court February 24, 2010 | |
| Watch FOX 13's Katy Carlyle's February 22, 2010 story about Heber Holm's Polygamy Tour of Short Creek | |
| Read the State of Texas vs. Merril Leroy Jessop State's Intent to Introduce Extraneous Offenses or Acts (Prior Bad Acts) filed in Schleicher County, Texas February 22, 2010 | |
| Read the State of Texas vs. Merril Leroy Jessop State's Motion In Limine filed in Schleicher County, Texas February 22, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Third District Court's letter from attorney R. Blake Hamilton to Judge Lingberg In the Matter of the United Plan Trust et al regarding her ruling on the UEP Trust Motion for Contempt and Sanctions Against Twin City Water Authority, dated February 19, 2010 | |
| Read the Order for Child Support requiring deadbeat dad Merril Jessop to finally start paying Carolyn Jessop overdue child support, filed in Schleicher County, Texas February 18, 2010 | |
| Read the Chief Justice Bauman's Order filed in the BC Supreme Court February 18, 2010 | |
| Read Lake Havasu Consolidated Court's Order assigning Judge Pro Tempore Paul Julian to serve as judge on the trespassing charges against Bruce Wisan and Jethro Barlow, dated February 18, 2010 | |
| Read Moccasin Consolidated Court's Objection to assigning Judge Pro Tempore Paul Julian to serve as judge on the trespassing charges against Bruce Wisan and Jethro Barlow, dated February 18, 2010 | |
| Read Moccasin Consolidated Court's Objection to Trial Being Vacated and Judge Haney Being Removed regarding the trespassing charges against Bruce Wisan and Jethro Barlow, dated February 18, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Third District Court Affidavit of Texas Ranger J. Nick Hanna regarding the care and custody of Warren Jeffs' dictations, submitted to the Utah Supreme Court February 18, 2010 | |
| Watch Ben Winslow's coverage of the UEP Trust hearing before the Utah Supreme Court February 17, 2010 | |
| Watch John Hollenhorst's coverage of the UEP Trust hearing before the Utah Supreme Court February 17, 2010 Video Courtesy of KSL.com | |
| Read various Court filings to remove the judge JP Benjamin Haney, address due process issues and stay the trial regarding the trespassing charges against Bruce Wisan and Jethro Barlow, dated February 15 and 16, 2010 | |
| Read the Tom Green County, Texas Court's Affidavit of Nick Hanna sent to Natalie Malonis providing Records of Warren Jeffs discussing child bride marriages and other FLDS crimes, faxed February 15, 2010 | |
| Read the Tom Green County, Texas Court's Subpoena of Nick Hanna by Natalie Malonis to provide Records of Warren Jeffs discussing child bride marriages and other FLDS crimes, dated February 13, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court UEP Trust's Response to Motion to Strike Exhibits and Related Arguments regarding the inclusion of Warren Jeffs' dictations in Bruce Wisan's court filings, dated February 11, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court Order regarding "certain specified documents" in the FLDS vs Judge Denise Lindberg case, filed in the Utah Appellate Courts February 10, 2010 | |
| Read Colorado City Magistrate Court's Order denying the Motion to Dismiss or Sanctions regarding the trespassing charges against Bruce Wisan and Jethro Barlow, dated February 10, 2010 | |
| Read the State of Texas vs. Merril Leroy Jessop State's Application for Subpoenas for trial witnesses, filed in Schleicher County, Texas February 8, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court Order regarding three Motions to Strike in the FLDS vs Judge Denise Lindberg case, filed in the Utah Appellate Court February 8, 2010 | |
| Read the Cross-Claim in the M.J. (Elissa Wall) v. Warren Jeffs, the UEP Trust and Allen Steed case filed in Salt Lake City Third District Court on February 3, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court Memorandum in Support of Motion to Strike Exhibits and Related Arguments regarding the inclusion of Warren Jeffs' dictations in the Utah AG's and Bruce Wisan's court filings, dated February 1, 2010 | |
| Read Peter Stirba's Letter to Mark Shurtleff regarding disincorporation of Hildale dated January 29, 2010 | |
| Read the State of Texas vs. Raymond Merril Jessop Notice of Appeal filed in Schleicher County, Texas January 28, 2010 | |
| Read Mark Shurtleff's Letter to FLDS attorneys regarding settlement of the UEP Trust feud within 30 days dated January 26, 2010 | |
| Read Val Oveson's Press Release Response Memo from UEP Trust Documents Warren Jeffs' Jail House Directives dated January 22, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court Notice regarding time alloted for each group to present their oral arguments regarding the UEP Trust, filed January 22, 2010 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's Reply Memorandum and Memorandum in Opposition to Motion to Stay dated January 21, 2010 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's Letter to UEP Property Occupants regarding payments of 2010 UEP property taxes, dated January 18, 2010 | |
| Read the "Lost Boys'" Original Interested Individuals' Recommended Action Regarding Continuing and Proliferating Litigation regarding the UEP Trust, dated January 14, 2010 | |
| Utah Department of Commerce Certificate claiming Wendell Nielsen is the President of the FLDS, filed January 13, 2010 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court's Order denying the Petition for Emergency Relief on selling the cows, filed January 13, 2010 | |
| Read the Winston Blackmore vs Her Majesty the Queen Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim sueing the BC government, filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia January 12, 2010 | |
| Read the City of Canby, Oregon City Council Meeting Agenda Authorizing Contract with R & W Excavating, Inc. in the Amount of $2,250,704.00 for Improvements to the City’s Wastewater Treatment Facility - held January 6, 2010 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's Utah Supreme Court UEP Trust's Response in Opposition to Petition for Emergency Relief filed January 4, 2010 | |
| Read Warren Jeff's letter to Merril Jessop with instructions for Willie Jessop et al to file numerous complaints with the court regarding the UEP Trust included in Bruce Wisan's Response above filed with the Utah Supreme Court January 4, 2010 | |
| Read Harker Dairy, LLC's Utah Supreme Court Memorandum in Opposition to Petition for Emergency Relief filed January 4, 2010 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's Report of the Special Fiduciary filed December 31, 2009 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's Report of the Special Fiduciary - Exhibits 1-108 filed December 31, 2009 (This is a HUGE file and will take time to download) | |
| Read Val Oveson's Press Release UEP Trust Files Yearly Report From Special Fiduciary dated December 31, 2009 | |
| Read the Office of the Arizona Attorney General's Memorandum in Response and Objection to Petition for Emergency Relief filed in the Utah Supreme Court December 30, 2009 | |
| Read the Utah Supreme Court's Order regarding the Petition for Emergency Relief on selling the cows, filed December 30, 2009 | |
| Read Bruce Wisan's Opposition of the United Effort Plan Trust to Petition for Extraordinary Relief filed in the Utah Supreme Court December 23, 2009 | |
| Read Judge Lindberg's Response to Motion for Stay dated December 23, 2009 | |
| Read Judge Lindberg's Response to Petition for Extraordinary Relief dated December 23, 2009 | |
| Read Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard's Memorandum in Support of Motion for Partial Lift of Stay and for Order Authorizing and Directing Discovery and Recommendations dated December 21, 2009 | |
| Read Bruce Wisans's Supplement to Motion for: (many things) dated December 18, 2009 | |
| Video by The Eldorado Success Deputy Attorney General Eric Nichols comments on the 33 year sentence given to Allan Keate. | |
| Video by The Eldorado Success Willie Jessop comments on the 33 year sentence handed down to Allan Keate after his conviction on a charge of Sexual Assault of a Child by a Schleicher County Texas jury on Thursday, December 17, 2009. | |
| Read the flyer for The Polygamy Experience Tour | |
| Listen to the Utah Supreme Court hearing on Warren Jeff's appeal - oral arguments held November 3, 2009 | |
| Read the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the United Order of Texas (creating ANOTHER new FLDS Church and religious Trust) filed in Schleicher County, Texas October 30, 2009 | |
| From CBS News - A member of a polygamous religious compound in Texas is on trial on charges of child sex abuse and bigamy. Don Teague reports. Watch CBS News Videos Online | |
| Read Sam Brower's memo comparing the FLDS to the Mafia written October, 2009 | |
| Read Special Warranty Deed (transferring the YFZ Ranch from the Texas Heritage Trust to the new Texas Stake of Zion Trust) filed in Schleicher County, Texas September 30, 2009 | |
| Read the December 31, 2008 Declaration of Trust of the Texas Stake of Zion (creating a new FLDS Church and religious Trust) filed in Schleicher County, Texas September 30, 2009 | |
| Read the Court Transcript of the Testimony of Merril Jessop regarding Carolyn Jessop's Petition for Child Support discussing the YFZ Ranch property and the Texas Heritage Trust, given in Schleicher County, Texas September 28, 2009 | |
| Watch the July 29, 2009 FOX 13 Utah video by Katy Carlyle on the UEP court hearing regarding the sale of the Berry Knoll Farm | |
| Watch the July 29, 2009 FOX 13 Utah video on the UEP court hearing regarding the sale of the Berry Knoll Farm | |
Watch some of Willie Jessop's testimony at the April 14, 2009 Texas House Human Services Committee hearing on the YFZ raid courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman | |
| Watch Jenny Hoff with KXAN 36 News Austin talk about the Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing the FLDS re-labeled for the anniversary of the YFZ Ranch raid | |
| Video Courtesy of KSL.com Watch the KSL Video Last FLDS youth in custody could soon return to family broadcast on March 13, 2009 | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One item was a budget from the Short Creek Stake reporting their tithings paid and how these monies were being spent to support the other FLDS compounds | |
| Read the Budget Estimates from the Short Creek Stake and see where their hard-earned money was going | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One collection was Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record from January 16, 2007 - June 6, 2007. Excerpts of this included the "History of events of Warren Steed Jeffs while in prison (Purgatory Jail) in Washington County, Utah." Below are some of these Personal Priesthood Records | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 1 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 2 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 3 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 4 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 5 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Priesthood Record PART 6 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One collection was Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations Below are some of these Personal Dictations fom 2005 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 1 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 2 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 3 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 4 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| Read Warren Jeffs' Personal Dictations PART 5 court exhibit released February 9, 2009 | |
| During the January 23, 2009 deposition of Merril Jessop, court exhibits were included in his deposition. One item was Warren Jeffs' directive to his brother Lyle Jeffs to notify faithful followers they no longer held the Priesthood | |
| Read the bad news given to some FLDS members who were told that they had to repent from afar (leave UEP property) and their families were "released" from them in the Short Creek Assignment from July 12, 2005 | |
| Read the FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop's deposition court transcript recorded January 26, 2009 | |
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MR. SCHAFFER: At this time Mr. Jessop will refuse to answer that question based upon his Fifth Amendment privilege as well — under the federal constitution as well as the state constitution. As counsel propounding these questions knows there are federal investigations involving money laundering, mail fraud, wire fraud, Mann Act violations in federal court, in addition to any allegations being investigated by the state authorities.
MS. MALONIS: For the record, this counsel is not aware of that. MR. SCHAFFER: You are now. | |
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Watch a video of Willie Jessop taken during his deposition January 26, 2009 | |
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Watch more of the video of Willie Jessop taken during his deposition January 26, 2009 | |
| Read YFZ Ranch leader Merril Jessop's deposition court transcript recorded January 23, 2009 | |
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Watch a video of Merril Jessop taken during his deposition January 23, 2009 | |
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Watch more of the video of Merril Jessop taken during his deposition January 23, 2009 | |
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Watch even more of the video of Merril Jessop taken during his deposition January 23, 2009 | |
| Read the court Notice of Intention to take Oral Deposition from Merril Jessop filed January 16, 2009 | |
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Watch the Eldorado Success Video of Willie Jessop meeting with Schleicher County Commissioners on January 12, 2009 | |
| Read the court Subpoena to Compel Appearance for Depostion for Merril Jessop dated January 12, 2009 | |
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Watch a video on FORA.tv with Steve Singular (author of When Men Become Gods) and Laura Chapman filmed September 16, 2008 during a book signing event at the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colorado | |
| Read the Statement of Dan Fischer dated August 1, 2008 | |
| Watch the CBS 48 Hours Mystery YFZ Ranch video where Peter Van Sant talks with Willie Jessop about the April 2008 raid of the YFZ ranch. | |
| Read the Bishop's Record of Families at the YFZ Ranch released May 1, 2008 | |
| Watch the CBS Early Show video where the YFZ Ranch men speak out from April 26, 2008 | |
| Watch the April 16, 2008 Good Morning America interview with Nancy, Marie and Esther from the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas | |
| Watch the April 15, 2008 CBS Evening News coverage by Hari Sreenivasan on the YFZ raid and the removal of the FLDS children | |
| Watch Neal Karlinsky's April 14, 2008 report for ABC World News Tonight | |
| Read the Statement for the Media sent by Wally Bugden on December 5, 2007 - announcing Warren has resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Inc. | |
| Read the July 9, 2007 Memorandum in Support of Motion in Limine Regarding Statements of the Defendant unsealed by the court on November 6, 2007 - This is the "I am not the Prophet" confession | |
| Watch Warren Jeffs tell Nephi that he is "not the prophet" and "never was the prophet" | |
| See the Los Angeles Time's Photo Gallery from stories published May 2006 | |
| Read the February 21, 2005 Training Given by President Warren S. Jeffs On the Places of Refuge to a Group of Men regarding the "keep sweet" training on "how to live and be Zion" and be invited to live on the lands of refuge | |
| See the Photo Gallery from Alta Academy 1988 to 1996 | |
| For more information on the April 2008 raid on the FLDS YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, visit our web page
Don't Mess with Texas | |
| For more information on the trials of the FLDS men from the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, visit our web page
Texas Hold'em | |
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| "Religion" is no excuse for committing child abuse | |
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