JEFFS CAPTURED Manhunt ends on the side of Interstate 15 north of Las Vegas

By Patrice St. Germain patrices@thespectrum.com

During a press conference outside the offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday in Las Vegas, FBI Special Agent in Charge Steve Martines announces that Warren Jeffs was apprehended Monday during a traffic stop in Nevada.   ON THE WEB ABOUT THE FLDS CHURCH The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is not affiliated in any way with the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based in Salt Lake City. The FLDS church has been led by fugitive and self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs since his father died in 2002. While the bulk of its approximately 10,000 followers reside in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., the church also has compounds in British Columbia and Eldorado, Texas. It is known to have purchased land in South Dakota and in Colorado. Its Teachings In many ways, the FLDS church teaches the same theology as the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, there are some major differences. Polygamy - It is most famous for its doctrine of men marrying multiple wives. The fugitive Warren Jeffs is believed to have about 80 wives, some of which were believed to have been married to his father, Rulon Jeffs. One belief is that a man should have at least three wives to fulfill the requirement for the highest tier of salvation for men. Only the prophet can conduct marriages. Women - Women are expected to be subordinate to husbands. How they dress - Men and women have a dress code. Women are known for their conservative dresses, most of which are ankle length. Most resemble 19th century attire. Most women wear their hair up in a coif style. Men should wear a shirt with a collar, most of the time with long sleeves, even in the heat of the Southern Utah/Northern Arizona summer.   The temporary license tag on the back of the Cadillac Escalade in which Warren Jeffs was riding when he was apprehended by the Nevada Highway Patrol and the FBI is still in place in the license plate holder on the back of the vehicle as it sits in the garage at the FBI offices in Las Vegas on Tuesday.   During a press conference outside the offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tuesday, in Las Vegas, FBI Special Agent in Charge Steve Martines announces that Warren Jeffs was apprehended Monday during a traffic stop in Nevada.   Members of the press crowd around the podium during a press conference outside the offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tuesday in Las Vegas as the Director of Nevada Public Safety, George Togliatti, right, answer questions regarding the apprehension of Warren Jeffs.   Jud Burkett/ The Spectrum The Cadillac Escalade in which Warren Jeffs was riding when he was apprehended by the Nevada Highway Patrol and the FBI sits in the garage at the FBI offices in Las Vegas on Tuesday. HURRICANE - The manhunt for Warren Steed Jeffs, 50, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, did not end as some had speculated - in a hail of gunfire, leaving the polygamist sect with a martyr. Instead, it happened quietly on the side of Interstate 15 just north of Las Vegas as the sun was setting behind the sharp hills off to the west at 9:04 p.m. Monday. Jeffs was traveling with one of his wives, Naomi, and his brother, Isaac, both 32, in a 2007 Cadillac Escalade filled with cellular telephones, laptop computers, women's wigs and cash in excess of $50,000. The SUV had temporary license plates from Colorado and a license plate frame indicating it was purchased from or associated in some way with a dealership in Lone Tree, Colo. Nevada State Trooper Eddie Dutchover, who instigated the arrest in the northbound lane of Interstate 15 at mile marker 60, said he did so because he could not read the vehicle's temporary license plate. Jeffs was wanted in Arizona for allegedly arranging a marriage between a 16-year-old girl and a married man. He faces charges in Utah of rape as an accomplice for allegedly arranging the marriage of a teenage girl to a Nevada man. Jeffs also faces federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he felt great after hearing about Jeffs' arrest. "I am delighted, first of all, that he (Jeffs) was caught without violence and now he can answer on the charges (against him)," Shurtleff said. It was unclear Tuesday afternoon where Jeffs will go first to face charges, although Shurtleff said he certainly will argue for Utah. He said the biggest concern is to keep Jeffs in custody. "We are trying to go in and ask for no bail," Shurtleff said. "I think he could make $500,000 bail and he has demonstrated he is a threat to the community and a flight risk." Shurtleff applauded the cooperative effort between federal and state agencies in Jeffs' apprehension, however he said he would like to know why Naomi and Isaac Jeffs were questioned and released. "I don't know why they were not detained. That's a good question, but I did hear that they would be interviewed again," Shurtleff said. Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap said his office was still trying to sort out the details between which agency would get Jeffs first, but because Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith was in court all day, Belnap did not expect to know where Jeffs would first go until Wednesday. "We will work cooperatively," Belnap said. Belnap said Jeffs' bail in Utah is $500,000 cash, the same as in Mohave County. Smith, who was in court Tuesday prosecuting a trial against Randy Barlow, another Colorado City defendant, said in a press release that if Jeffs fights extradition, his office would have to get a Governor's Warrant and it could take a couple of months before Jeffs has to appear in court. Like Belnap, Smith said he did not know where Jeffs would go first, but said he would be seen in both courts and have the opportunity to post bond in both places. "There is no possibility of a no-bond in Arizona because you can't do that and the charges do not warrant it," Smith said in his press release. Belnap also said it would be difficult at this point to get Jeffs' bail raised or changed to a no-bail warrant. In April, when the Washington County Attorney's Office filed charges against Jeffs, Belnap's office asked for a no-bail warrant. However Judge James E. Shumate issued a $500,000 cash-only warrant. Belnap said the bail schedule for those charges normally command a $20,000 cash or bond warrant. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard also issued a press release applauding the arrest of the leader of the nation's largest polygamist sect. Although the number of Jeffs' followers ranges from 6,000 to 10,000, most of the members live in the twin cities of Hildale and Colorado City, which was previously called Short Creek. The area has been home to members of the polygamist FLDS church since the early 1900s. The church has expanded its property holdings and has compounds in Eldorado, Texas, Mancos, Colo., Pringle, S.D. and British Columbia, Canada.

TheSpectrum.com Originally published August 30, 2006

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