Jeffs' court demeanor a contrast to his control over followers
 Docility seen as contrast with status in church
 
By Dave Hawkins
Special to the Standard-Times
San Angelo Standard-Times
 
KINGMAN, Ariz. — Polygamous church sect prophet Warren Jeffs left an impression of detached docility on those who observed his previous legal proceedings outside Texas, an impression that contrasts sharply to his reported actions from within his Big Lake jail cell since he was moved, actions that have included a purge of the church ranks, sharp reassertion of his leadership, and a threatening letter to President Barack Obama.

"Creepy" and "pathetic" are words some Arizona observers used to describe the man who faces trial in San Angelo this summer on charges of sexual assault of a child and bigamy. Jeffs' demeanor in Tom Green County court during several pretrial appearances has been quiet and deferential.

Jeffs, 55, made more than a dozen appearances in Mohave County Superior Court in Kingman before witness reluctance and other issues saw charges against him dismissed last June. The leader of the Northern Arizona-based Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints usually had about a dozen followers attend his hearings, half of them women dressed in customary plain, light-colored full length dresses who radiated beaming smiles of adoration when he entered the courtroom under heavy guard.

"It's apparent that they pretty much think he walks on water," said Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith. "He's the man. He's the prophet."

Kingman defense attorney Sandra Carr was not involved in the Jeffs case, but she also noted the spell Jeffs cast upon his female followers. Lined in a row some four feet behind the defense table, they would rise as Jeffs approached to take his seat by his attorneys.

"He would make eye contact with them one by one and he would smile and blink at each one. It was an affectionate exchange," Carr recalled. "They totally adored him. The men seemed to revere him as well."

Some referred to the Jeffs gallery as the "Serenity Club." Carr viewed the 6-foot, 3-inch, 150-pound Jeffs as puzzlingly frail.

"He just looked so skinny and pathetic, and it was just really odd that somebody with his build and demeanor would have so much control," Carr said.

Onlookers who noted that Jeffs maintained command of his flock indicate he was otherwise a fish out of water in the courtroom.

"It seemed like he was totally out of it and didn't know what was going on," said Gary Engels, the special investigator who helped build the Arizona case against Jeffs. "He was not able to assist in his defense."

Engels attended legal proceedings in Utah that netted Jeffs prison time before his convictions were reversed and punishment erased. He said Jeffs behaved similarly in Salt Lake City.

"At one time he had written a letter to the judge and he wanted to give it to him where he was admitting that he was not the prophet, and of course the defense attorneys stopped that," Engels said. Smith said Jeffs was "detached" during pretrial hearings in Kingman.

"He wasn't engaged at all in what was going on. He was very docile," Smith said. "He seemed depressed to me and he didn't' seem to really care that much about what was going on. He wasn't active in his defense, from what I could tell."

Court Security Manager Bob Lawless said at least a dozen officers were used each time Jeffs was transported to court, stationing themselves inside and outside the courthouse to ensure everyone's safety. Yet Lawless said he never gave any indication of being a security threat.

"Whenever he was there he was always well behaved," Lawless said. "Very quiet, very subdued."
 
gosanangelo.com
Originally published March 29, 2011
 
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