| FLDS accussed of harassment | |
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By Norma Najacht Custer County Chronicle | |
The Fifth Judicial District Court in Washington County, Utah, has notified legal counsel for Warren Jeffs, as well as the state, that persons are making unwanted, and, in some cases, harassing attempts to contact jurors and members of jurors’ families in Jeffs’ case. Jeffs, prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), was found guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice last month in the Utah court. The court has ordered that no person shall attempt to harass, intimidate or otherwise annoy members of the jury regarding matters in this case. According to an Associated Press (AP) report, jurors who convicted Jeffs have been bothered by phone calls from a private investigator working for Jeffs. The AP report quoted the foreman of the jury, David Finch, as saying that he and other jurors had received unwanted calls from an investigator hired by Jeffs’ attorneys, looking for something that would impeach the jurors so they could file an appeal. Finch alone received three phone calls, which he termed "annoying." That activity was called to a halt when Finch and another juror called the judge to report that they were having problems with the calls. Neighbors to the local FLDS compound have also been annoyed by the activities of the FLDS. Suzie Von Rump said the FLDS is jackhammering rock and using a bucket long after dusk, although they promised the Custer County Sheriff’s Department they would quit at dusk. "They don’t stop until 11, 12, 1 or 2 a.m., whatever suits them," she said. "It’s not fun," she added. "There’s noise going on all the time. They work from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. the next morning. She said if she or her husband, Karl, go down by the fence line that borders the FLDS, or if they have company, the FLDS shines a spotlight on them." "They have to have motion detectors," Suzie said. "They know when anyone approaches the fence.v She notes that a fleet of four-wheelers patrol the fence line at all times. Suzie and Karl have talked about selling their property, she said, but they worked a long time to be able to buy it. "We just wanted to enjoy the quiet and the wildlife, but there’s no wildlife here anymore. We can’t sit out on the deck to enjoy the evening," said Suzie. The question is, who would want to buy their property, situated next to the FLDS. Nor would the FLDS be interested in buying their property, she believes, because of the restrictive covenants placed on the property by Jim Farmer, who sold them the land. The covenants require that only one residence per 40 acres can be built and there can be only two outbuildings. A fence can enclose only 10 acres and only wooden or rock structures can be built. The FLDS has built a dirt berm along the fence line next to the Von Rump property so the Von Rumps can’t see onto the property except from the upstairs. From there, they can see at least five, but they believe seven, fifth- wheel campers with wood siding that people are living in permanently. "We know they’re living in there because we can see lights in them at night," Suzie said. David Green, county planning director, said living in a fifth-wheeler is not illegal. The only thing illegal would be if they are dumping raw sewage onto the ground. In that case, someone would have to either see it or smell it and make a complaint. The last time the Von Rumps talked to Ben Ed Johnson, the person in charge at the compound, during Labor Day weekend, they asked him when they were going to stop building. "Not until we’re finished," he replied. "I don’t think it’s ever going to happen," Suzie said. "Holy buckets. These aren’t homes. They’re motels. It’s ridiculous." The Von Rumps also questioned Johnson about the tunnels they are digging. Although Johnson denied it, the Von Rumps have seen 8-foot culverts on the ground and believe they are used for tunnels. "When we asked for Ben, they got on the radio and Ben came out of there," Suzie said. "We know he’s coming from somewhere." The FLDS has tunnels at its other compounds, so the Von Rumps are sure it has them here, too. "There are piles of dirt," she said. "Look at the dirt, where it comes from. You can’t get that much dirt from digging a basement. It doesn’t come from on top of the ground. They are using them to get from one structure to another." Suzie also believes the tunnels are used to hide people when planes fly over and to hide the children. "We know they feel like that’s what they were put on this earth for — to have all those hundreds of kids," she said. Ask Suzie what can be done, and she is quick to answer, "First, stop giving out building permits," she said. "Also we need to call to a halt the water situation. Besides Custer, they’re also hitting Edgemont and Hot Springs." The farmers are prohibited from taking water from Angostura Reservoir for their livestock and crops, but the FLDS is still hauling all its water for its orchards, gardens and animals. "You know they’re not hauling all of this water for personal uses," Suzie said. The jurors and the neighbors aren’t the only ones who feel they are being harassed by the FLDS. Former FLDS members living in Colorado City, Ariz., are also claiming harassment. According to an article in The Spectrum, Colorado City resident and former FLDS member Isaac Wyler heard three gunshots Oct. 5. Wyler, who has been hired by Bruce Wisan to post tax notices in Colorado City, was working at a horse corral on property owned by the United Effort Plan, the financial arm of the FLDS, at the time the shots were fired. Nor is it the first time he and others have been harassed. The Spectrum said a vehicle broke into Wyler’s corral and hit a stallion worth approximately $25,000, and took down about 200 feet of fence. Although the incident was investigated by the Colorado City police, nothing was ever done about it. Wyler and another man, Bruce Chatwin, are suing Colorado City and the police department. Wyler, who has been out of town, was not available for comment. | |
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CusterCountyNews.com Originally published October 18, 2007 | |
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