Arizona praises Utah for Jeffs' rape charges

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard is praising Washington County prosecutors for filing criminal charges against Warren Jeffs, the fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist LDS Church.

Wednesday, the Washington County Attorney filed two counts against Jeffs, charging first-degree felony rape as an accomplice. The charges were filed in St. George's 5th District Court. Jeffs also is facing charges in Mohave County, Ariz., on sexual misconduct charges. Federal authorities have charged him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

"These charges are evidence that victims are slowly coming forward, and it is my hope that this will encourage other victims from the area to come forward," Goddard said in a statement Friday. The charges involve a teenage girl who claims she was forced into an unwanted marriage.

The Arizona and Utah attorneys general and the FBI are jointly offering a $60,000 reward for information that leads to Jeffs' arrest and conviction. He is currently on the FBI's Most Wanted List.