Jeffs charges announced on day 'sacred' to church

Coincidence or not, Washington County prosecutors announced the criminal charges against fugitive polygamous leader Warren Jeffs on a day considered "sacred" by many fundamentalist Mormons.

On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith founded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890. Splinter groups, such as the Fundamentalist LDS Church, continue to practice plural marriage and contend the mainstream LDS Church does not follow Smith's fundamental teachings.

Last year, rumors swirled around the FLDS Church's ranch in Eldorado, Texas, about a dedication of the group's temple and even a prophecy by Jeffs about the end of the world. Texas Rangers and the Schleicher County sheriff paid a visit to the YFZ ranch and reported the people inside were simply praying. YFZ stands for "Yearn for Zion," after a song reportedly written by Jeffs.

On Thursday, the winds howled across the Texas prairie, kicking up dust, but all was quiet on the YFZ Ranch, Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran told the Deseret Morning News.

"It's business as usual," he said. "We haven't seen anything out of the ordinary happening. It's the same daily routine of construction out there."

The sheriff said there has been no sign of Jeffs, either.

Recently, a dairy, grain silos and orchards began appearing on the FLDS compound. Construction appears to be picking up, said JD Doyle, a local pilot who frequently flies over the YFZ Ranch. He provided the Deseret Morning News with photographs taken of the construction last week.

"Reminds me of early temple construction days," he said.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he suspects Jeffs has been in Eldorado within the past few months.

"I suspect that he has spent time in the west Texas compound," Shurtleff said. "I know the (Schleicher County) sheriff says he doesn't think so, but it would be a good place for him to hide. Nobody goes in there. But he could be anywhere."

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com