Warrant list gives insight into case

By Patrice St. Germain patrices@thespectrum.com

While the Arizona Attorney General's Office is saying relatively little about the search that took place Tuesday at the Colorado City Unified School District No. 14 office, a copy of the search warrant and a list of items seized obtained by The Spectrum on Friday afternoon provides insight into the reasons behind the search. In the documents released to the newspaper, the attorney general's office states that from on or about Jan. 1, 2000, to the present, Arizona officials think probable cause exists to believe that the crime of misuse of public funds is being or has been committed. The search warrant was addressed to Alvin S. Barlow, Oliver B. Barlow and Jeffrey P. Jessop, who hold the positions of superintendent, assistant business manager and business manager, respectively. However, none of the men have been charged with any crimes. In addition to the district office, Oliver Barlow's office at the school on Cottonwood Street was included in the search, in addition to two vehicles owned by the district. A Cessna P210 airplane, which was purchased by the district, was not included on the list of places to search. Andrea Esquer, press secretary for the Arizona Attorney General's Office, said she could not comment on why investigators did not include the airplane on the search warrant. She said the biggest concern for the attorney general's office was that vehicles owned by the district should be used for district purposes only and not for personal or other organizations' business. "The vehicles are still there, and we will be returning the computers as soon as we make copies so the district can continue with their day-to-day functions," Esquer said. While the airplane was not searched, the list of items taken during the execution of the search warrants included airplane hanger records and aircraft records. The nine pages of items seized include computer towers, files containing payroll information and credit card receipts, along with full cans of beer and survey equipment taken from the Ford 4-by-4 pickup which, according to the attorney general's office, was used by Jeffrey Jessop, who also owns a surveying company. The warrant used a variety of information as the basis for probable cause for the search. According to the warrant: The Cessna P210 airplane was purchased Dec. 16, 2002, after the withdrawal of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints students, who were pulled out after church leaders reportedly told its members to remove their children from public schools. That reduction in the number of students left the district looking at a potentially difficult financial future. Although no FLDS students remain at the school, FLDS members have maintained full control of the school district. Family members of Alvin and Oliver Barlow are employed by the district, but are reportedly rarely seen at the school. District vehicles have been observed outside the area, occasionally at restaurants in St. George. Individuals not employed by the district reportedly have keys to the building, yet teachers are not given keys. District bank records for one account, titled "miscellaneous receipts fund," show that between January 2000 and January 2005 it had in excess of $900,000 clear that account. Winston Blackmore reportedly said that he was told in February 2005 by Alvin Barlow that the school secured a grant in the amount of $3 million, yet Barlow stated that the school would see none of the money, and documents received by the Colorado City School District did not mention the grant. Esquer said because of the volume of records the attorney general's office needed to analyze, it would be some time before more information was available. Colorado City and nearby Hildale, Utah, are dominated by the FLDS church, which teaches polygamy as part of its doctrine.

TheSpectrum.com Originally published May 28, 2005

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