| Arizona drops charges against FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs to facilitate Texas prosecution | |
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Dave Hawkins Special to the Standard-Times San Angelo Standard-Times | |
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Polygamous church sect prophet Warren Jeffs could arrive in Texas for prosecution much sooner than expected. Jeffs, 54, will no longer be prosecuted in Arizona where he has been awaiting trial since February 2008. Mohave County, Ariz., Attorney Matt Smyth filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss sexual misconduct with a minor charges against the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). Arizona poured well more than 1,000 man hours into the investigation and prosecution of Jeffs and case dismissal comes with disappointment. "I would say it is with a lot of regrets," Smith said. "We certainly wanted to have our day in court here in Mohave County, but I have to give a lot of respect to what the victim’s wishes are." Smith explained that the victims understand that Jeffs has already spent more time in jail in Mohave County than he could be ordered to serve if convicted on both counts and given the maximum sentence. He said neither of the victims, Elyssa Wall nor Susie Barlow, wants to go through the pressure of additional trials under those circumstances. "They know that Mr. Jeffs is wanted very badly in Texas and is facing more serious charges there, which are cases directly linking him to births by underage kids with DNA evidence," Smith said. "Those are some of the considerations that have gone into this." Jeffs was not accused of any direct sexual misconduct in Arizona. He was, however, prosecuted under the theory that he facilitated illegal sexual relations with underage girls for assigning teenagers to male adults in FLDS-sanctioned "celestial marriages". Smith’s cases were based on allegations that Wall was just 16 years-old when assigned to her 19 year-old cousin, and that Barlow also was 16 when united with her 51 year-old cousin. Jeffs was previously convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice in Utah and ordered to serve consecutive 5-years-to life prison sentences. Smith said it is uncertain whether Jeffs will first be returned to Utah, or extradited to Texas directly from Kingman. Jeffs was indicted by a Schleicher County grand jury in July 2008, three months after the state’s raid on the YFZ Ranch near Eldorado which resulted in the removal of more than 400 out of concern for the children’s welfare. Jeffs faces a first-degree felony charge of sexual assault of a child related to allegations that he had sex with a girl under 16 in January 2005. He is also charged with first-degree felony bigamy on allegations of an illegal marriage in July 2006. | |
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gosanangelo.com Originally published June 9, 2010 | |
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