| Sheriffs compare notes on FLDS | |
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By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News | |
Construction is booming in the Fundamentalist LDS Church's compounds scattered across several states, prompting lawmen in Utah, Arizona, South Dakota and Texas to keep each other informed about what they're seeing. The sheriffs of Schleicher County, Texas, and Custer County, S.D., met with the Washington County Sheriff during a trip to southern Utah late last month to learn more about the FLDS Church. They also briefed each other on what is happening with the FLDS communities in their respective states. "Construction, behavior, things of that nature," Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran said Tuesday. "Understand these aren't your typical citizens." Doran has the FLDS Church's massive YFZ Ranch in his county. It is the site of the polygamist sect's first-ever temple. "YFZ" stands for "Yearn for Zion," after a song written by FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. Doran, Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith and Mohave County, Ariz., Sheriff Tom Sheehan have kept in regular contact, observing that events in the FLDS strongholds of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., often have ripple effects in Texas. During this latest trip, Smith took the sheriffs on a tour of Hildale, where they had lunch at the newly opened Merry Wives Cafe. The Washington County sheriff said the situation surrounding Jeffs and the FLDS Church is often fueled by rumor, innuendo and people with agendas. It's important for lawmen to get the facts. "It's critical to keep everybody from allowing the rumor mill to explode," Smith said. For Custer County Sheriff Rick Wheeler, this was his first trip to Hildale. "It put my mind at ease," he said Tuesday. "I wasn't sure what this was all about. They educated me about the FLDS." Wheeler said he did not know much about the FLDS faith or its people until a compound began appearing in the Black Hills near the town of Pringle. "It's a small community," Wheeler said. "They're doing some building out there. It's residential. They're not going out of the area to work. As far as revenues, that's coming from a different source." Revenue sources Some of that revenue may be coming from businesses tied to the FLDS Church scattered across the West. Writs of garnishment were recently served on a hay farm in Beryl, Iron County, by the court-appointed special fiduciary of the FLDS Church's financial arm, the United Effort Plan Trust. It will satisfy a nearly $9 million judgment against Jeffs and the FLDS Church. In 2005, a judge took control of the $110 million UEP Trust amid allegations that Jeffs and other top FLDS leaders had been fleecing it. A reform plan has been signed by the judge. Meanwhile, business interests with purported ties to the FLDS Church appear to be spreading across Texas. An FLDS member considered loyal to Jeffs has reportedly signed a contract to purchase a 176,000-square-foot industrial facility in Lockney, Texas. Rumors have been flying around the town (population 2,300) ever since the man walked into a local bank and asked for a loan, mentioning that he had 23 children. "People put two and two together," said Phil Cotham, the president of the Lockney Economic Development Corp. "When that happened people started saying, 'How many wives does he have?"' Cotham said the man has not asked them for any economic incentives for what has been described as a cabinetmaking business. Residents have also been perplexed about polygamy and the FLDS. "Multiple wives in Utah may be acceptable, but it's not here," Cotham said. "We're part of the Bible Belt and people are very serious about their faith around here." Reaching out Jeffs, 51, is facing criminal charges in St. George's 5th District Court of rape as an accomplice, a first-degree felony. He is accused of performing a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin. Across the border in Arizona, Jeffs is charged with performing more child-bride marriages. He is also facing a grand-jury indictment of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, stemming from his time on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. The sheriffs say they need to keep a line of communication open with FLDS members in the compounds, to gather information, dispel rumors and prevent trouble. "We've had to work for it. We definitely earned it over the last three years," Doran said. On several occasions, the Schleicher County sheriff has had to go onto the YFZ Ranch, bringing bad news to FLDS faithful. He said relationships were strained when Jeffs was a fugitive but have relaxed lately. Recently, Doran spoke to FLDS members on the ranch about reports that Jeffs has renounced his role as a "prophet." The Deseret Morning News has reported that Jeffs abdicated the title in a jailhouse conversation with one of his brothers and in a note he tried to hand a judge handling the criminal case against him. "They're not saying anything," Doran said. "They're pretty evasive about it." Wheeler said he has begun speaking with a man in the FLDS community near Pringle. "He's in our county. I need to provide him with law enforcement and EMS," Wheeler said. "We've got their kids registered with the state for their home schooling. I feel real well about it right now, as long as I keep an open mind." Smith said he wants to expand the cooperation. He has already extended an invitation to the sheriff of Montezuma County, Colo. The FLDS Church has a compound there near Mancos. E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com | |
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deseretnews.com Originally published Wednesday, May 9, 2007 | |
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