LEBARONS MAY AGAIN ERUPT ON 3 AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES

Some bloody anniversaries occur next month for disciples of dead polygamist leader Ervil LeBaron, and police throughout the West worry they may trigger more violence unless more members of the LeBaron family are rounded up.

That's because last month at 4 p.m. on June 27 - the exact date and time of the murder of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith - four people who had left Le-Baron's Church of the Lamb of God were gunned down in simultaneous attacks hundreds of miles apart in the Texas cities of Houston and Irving.Next month, anniversaries of the deaths of Ervil Le-Baron and two of his brothers - Verlan and Joel - occur on Aug. 16, 19 and 20. Police hope those dates are not commemorated with murders, too.

Aug. 16 is the seventh anniversary of Ervil's death by heart attack in Utah State Prison while serving a life sentence for ordering the death of polygamist Rulon Allred and for attempted conspiracy to kill his rival and brother Verlan.

Ironically, Verlan was involved in a fatal crash near Mexico City on the same day that Ervil died in 1981. Verlan lived for a few days but finally died Aug. 19 - the second major anniversary next month.

The third anniversary is Aug. 20. On that day in 1972, another brother and rival of Ervil's, Joel LeBaron, was murdered in Mexico, supposedly by some of Ervil's followers.

"We're very aware of all of those dates," said Houston Police Lt. Richard Holland. "We don't want to comment on how concerned we are about them."

But Irving Police Lt. K.L. Rowe said, "It would concern me very much if I had any other relatives of the LeBarons living around here, but most are down around Houston. I would worry especially because many of the LeBarons that we want to talk to about the murders are still at large."

But several were picked up by luck recently in Phoenix. They include Ervil's son, Heber; a stepson, Doug Barlow; and other family members Cynthia, Teresa and Richard LeBaron.

The five were arrested for allegedly running an auto theft ring, and they gave false names to police. Law officers learned their true identities Wednesday after studying fingerprints.

Bail for Heber LeBaron and Doug Barlow was increased Friday to $560,000 each, while the other three in custody have had a federal hold placed on them at the request of the FBI to ensure they remain in custody after the federal charges are resolved.