April 07, 2006

Polygamist charged with rape

ST. GEORGE (UT)
Deseret Morning News

By Ben Winslow and Nancy Perkins
Deseret Morning News
ST. GEORGE — The legal troubles surrounding the fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist LDS Church got much worse on Thursday, as Washington County prosecutors filed a pair of first-degree felony rape as an accomplice charges against Warren Jeffs.
Authorities across the state hailed the charges filed late Wednesday in St. George's 5th District Court, which accuse Jeffs of arranging a child-bride marriage. And prosecutors expect the alleged victim to be their star witness.
"The victim in this case, Jane Doe, came to us," said Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap. "We have been working with her for the past few months. Jane Doe said she will testify at trial if and when it happens, and I believe that she will do that."
Belnap said the Washington County Sheriff's Office began investigating Jeffs, who is also wanted on sexual misconduct charges in Arizona, from January to March 2006 for arranging a "spiritual" marriage with an underage girl and an older man.

Posted by kshaw at April 7, 2006 06:18 AM