From Deseret News archives:
Jeffs now faces Arizona charge of being fugitive
Attorney says case relates to extradition to state for trial
The fugitive complaint was filed Thursday morning in St. George's 5th District Court. That afternoon, Jeffs made his first appearance on the charge via closed-circuit TV from the Purgatory Jail.
"I assume you will be contacting your attorneys and letting them know that this case has been filed also?" Judge G. Rand Beacham asked him.
"Yes, I have my Nevada attorney," Jeffs replied.
The case will be reviewed at an Oct. 25 hearing.
The two page complaint reminded Washington County authorities that the Mohave County Sheriff's Office had a pair of active warrants for Jeffs' arrest.
"It just has to do with returning him to the state of Arizona and whether he's going to fight extradition or not," deputy Washington County Attorney Brian Filter told the Deseret Morning News on Thursday.
The warrants stem from cases filed in Kingman, Ariz., where Jeffs is charged with sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, both class 6 felonies there. Jeffs is accused of arranging child-bride marriages.
The Fundamentalist LDS Church leader was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list until he was arrested last month in a simple traffic stop outside Las Vegas.
Judge Beacham told Jeffs that the Arizona case would likely be on hold as long as Jeffs is facing charges in Utah.
In St. George's 5th District Court, Jeffs is currently facing two counts of rape as an accomplice, a first-degree felony. He is accused of forcing a teenage girl into a polygamous marriage with an older man. Jeffs faces up to life in prison, if convicted.
Jeffs is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 21, when a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to make him stand trial.
Federal prosecutors in Utah and Arizona also have active warrants against Jeffs, accusing him of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah has threatened to indict Jeffs should he be granted bail.
Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith could not be reached for comment Thursday. In a recent e-mail to the Deseret Morning News, he indicated he would keep in touch with Washington County prosecutors and wait for Jeffs to come to Arizona.
"I really have no idea when Warren Jeffs is going to come to Mohave County," Smith wrote. "No decision has been made. He's in Utah now, and we will just have to see what happens."
Contributing: Russell Wilde, KCSG-TV
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
