Jeffs will stay in jail; hearing set for Nov. 21
 
The Associated Press
KVOA News 4 - Tucson
 
ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Curiosity drew Ezra Draper to the courtroom. It had been four years since he last saw polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs.

"The guy's married to my little sister and it's like, yep, that's him," Draper said Wednesday after Jeffs made his first appearance in 5th District Court on charges related to arranging an underage marriage.

The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes for the self-proclaimed prophet who heads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jeffs is charged with two counts of rape as an accomplice, a first-degree felony that carries life in prison.

Both sides will return Nov. 21 to determine if there is probable cause to send Jeffs, still in jail, to trial in Washington County. His bond status will also be reviewed.

Draper's 24-year-old sister is one of Jeffs' estimated 40-plus wives. The two were married on her 18th birthday, said the brother, who left the FLDS church about three years ago. He doesn't know where she is living.

In court, Jeffs looked "older and grayed up," said Draper, who had last seen him in 2002.

In this case, prosecutors claim Jeffs, 50, forced a teenage girl to enter a spiritual marriage with an older man and submit to sex in order to produce children.

The girl twice told Jeffs she didn't want to marry or have sex, but was told it was her "spiritual duty" to submit because the marriage had been arranged by God, according to court filings.

The victim, who is identified only as Jane Doe No. 4, is expected to testify Nov. 21, said Brian Filter, chief deputy county attorney.

Defense attorney Walter Bugden said "absolutely" when reporters asked if this is a case of religious persecution.

"Let's wait until we can have a trial in this matter before we jump to the conclusion that Mr. Jeffs is guilty of anything," he said outside court.

Wearing a bulletproof vest under his clothes, Jeffs softly said, "Yes, sir. Yes, your honor," when the judge asked if he was willing to wait nearly two months for the preliminary hearing.

Named to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list in May, he was arrested last month during a traffic stop near Las Vegas.

The FLDS is a sect that practices polygamy in marriages determined by its leaders. Church membership numbers nearly 10,000, most of whom live an insular life in the border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., where they've been for nearly 100 years.

Jeffs is said to exercise extraordinary control over followers, who believe he holds the keys to their eternal salvation.

Jeffs' brother, Nephi Jeffs, and FLDS church member Lindsey Barlow, who help carry out the leader's commands, were in the courtroom Wednesday.

Former FLDS insider Richard Holm said Nephi Jeffs acts as a personal secretary for his older brother. Barlow is said to be responsible for organizing moves for members, who live in homes owned by a $100 million church trust and can be ordered to different housing.

Draper suffered one of those relocations about three years ago and then left the community with his family for Bonner's Ferry, Idaho. He returned to Colorado City in March after a Utah court took control of the trust.

Draper still considers himself a member of the faith and wants to see the community revitalized. He believes Jeffs' arrest could nudge people who have been mistreated to find their way out of the FLDS church.

"It's the beginning of a new life, really," Draper said. "It goes to show that there is such a thing as life after Warren."
 
KVOA.com
Originally published September 28, 2006
 
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