SAN ANGELO (TX)
Jackson Hole Star-Tribune
By The Associated Press Monday, June 13, 2005
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) -- A West Texas sheriff says he doesn't intend to raid the Eldorado compound of a polygamist sect to arrest the group's leader, who has been indicted on sex-crime charges in Arizona.
Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran said Sunday he will arrest Warren Jeffs on an Arizona warrant if he's pulled over for a traffic violation.
On Friday, an Arizona grand jury indicted Jeffs, 49, on charges of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. If convicted, he would face a prison sentence ranging from four months to two years.
The reclusive church leader is accused of arranging the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a 28-year-old married man, said Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith. He is not accused of having sex with the girl, Smith said.
"We're not going to take any drastic measures," said Doran, adding that he's not even certain Jeffs is on the sect's property. "We have a lot of out-of-state warrants issued. We're not going to treat this one any different."
Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has not been seen in public for months, and officials aren't sure where he lives.
Posted by kshaw at June 13, 2005 06:24 PM