Judge bars evidence in Warren Jeffs hearing in Arizona

KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) — A judge has granted a defense request to bar evidence seized in the raid of a polygamous sect in Texas from being used in polygamist leader Warren Jeffs' trial in Arizona.

Mohave County Superior Court Judge Steven Conn's decision means a Feb. 17 hearing on the request has been vacated.

Prosecutor Matt Smith and Jeffs' attorneys agreed in documents released Monday that no evidence from the April 2008 raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church compound in Eldorado, Texas, will be used directly or indirectly in the Arizona case.

Conn says he believed the issue had been a major obstacle in resolving the case.

Jeffs is awaiting trial in Arizona on four counts of being an accomplice to sexual conduct with a minor, charges filed in 2007.