Utah Attorney General considered Texas-style raid on Kingston clan
 
Reported by: Chris Vanocur
ABC 4 News
ABC 4 News
Mark Shurtleff

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - What is happening in El Dorado, Texas almost happened here in Utah. ABC 4 News has learned recently that Utah's Attorney General almost launched a raid in Salt Lake against another polygamist group.

Tuesday, ABC 4 asked Attorney General Mark Shurtleff had he ever thought about doing what Texas did, and Shurtleff said, "It occurred to us, we thought about it. I'll tell you with another polygamous sect."

He then confirmed he was talking about the Kingstons.

The Kingstons aren't in the news as much these days, but back in the late 90's the family definitely was.

And Shurtleff now confirms that a year and a half ago, 80 warrants had been issued by the courts and that he was "gearing up" to serve them.

Shurtleff said, "We considered going in a similar, SWAT type - I guess for lack of a better word - operation into a church meeting and bar the doors and start collecting evidence."

Shurtleff says the plan was to take dozens and dozens of DNA swabs from the Kingston family.

According to the attorney general, the goal of this raid was to try and determine if any acts of incest had been committed.

But in the end, Shurtleff decided against a Texas-style raid.

Although, in talking about it, it almost seems like Utah's Attorney General sometimes wonders...what if?

"We elected not to do that to try and work with their attorney. And, of course, the result of that was all our subjects disappeared, our targets disappeared and we didn't get the warrants served like we hoped to do," said Shurtleff.

Shurtleff suggests the state may still have its eye on the Kingstons.

But he also says leaders of that clan are now believed to be living out of state.

Ironically, Shurtleff was in Texas just a few weeks ago talking about polygamy related issues.
 
ABC4.com
Originally broadcast April 8, 2008
 
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