Will they get Montezuma's Revenge?

The Mancos Times

Aerial overview of the FLDS' Mancos, Colorado property (May 21, 2005) shows some activity going on.

In October 2004, another FLDS compound was discovered in southwest Colorado, near the town of Mancos, in remote Montezuma County.   David Allred purchased the land in November 2003, and told the folks in Mancos, Colorado the very same story that he told the folks in Eldorado, Texas.   According to Allred, he was buying the property for use as a hunting retreat.   Yeah, right.   Can false pretenses bring on "Montezuma's Revenge?" In early 2008 more FLDS compounds started getting attention.  Now they are living in Delta County near Crawford, and have several properties in Custer and Fremont Counties near Westcliffe, Wetmore and Penrose. And "Uncle Fred" Jessop died in the hospital in Lone Tree, a suburb south of Denver, so there were FLDS living there, too. Below are news articles on this latest attempt of the FLDS to branch out into Colorado.  These articles are listed in chronological order.

Another FLDS Compound Found

The Eldorado Success myeldorado.net Originally published Friday, October 22, 2004

A second compound associated with he Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) has been uncovered in southwest Colorado, near the town of Mancos.  The compound is located at 15252 CR 39 in remote Montezuma County.   According to officials with the Montezuma County Sheriff's Department, David Allred of Washington County, Utah, purchased a parcel of property near the town of Mancos, in November, 2003, very close to the time when he bought 1,691 acres near Eldorado, Texas.   Allred, using the same tactics he implemented here in Texas, told locals in Colorado that he was buying the property for use as a hunting retreat.   Then, a major construction project began.     Read more

Utah Polygamist Sect Buys Colorado 'Hideaway'

The Associated Press CBS 4 Denver Originally aired October 25, 2004

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) An investigator for disaffected members of a polygamist sect in Utah said an agent for the group bought a 60-acre parcel of land near Mancos, Colo., to use as a "hideaway."   Sam Brower, an investigator for some of the members, said the agent, David Allred, told authorities it would be a corporate hunting retreat.   "There's a few houses there.  I don't know what's going on," Brower said Friday, as he tried to serve amended complaints at the southwestern Colorado property he described as "tucked away."   Allred also bought a 1,691-acre ranch near Eldorado, Texas, last November for a supposed hunting retreat.  But a few months later, leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church acknowledged the Texas ranch was intended to be a refuge from attorneys general in Utah and Arizona who are cracking down on the sect for polygamy-related crimes.     Read more

Rumors swirl over FLDS purchase of Mancos land

By Katharhynn Heidelberg Cortez Journal Originally published October 26, 2004

Local authorities say that though there are rumors of polygamy in the wake of a Mancos land purchase by a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there was no proof of any wrongdoing.  Additionally, they said, members' constitutional rights should not be overlooked.   Others weren't so certain the purchase was innocent.  "Religious tolerance is good, and I am religiously tolerant," Jon Krakauer, Boulder author of the FLDS expose` "Under the Banner of Heaven," said Monday.  "But this is a really scary group.   It's (as if) the Taliban has just moved into Mancos."   Multiple marriage is not legal in Colorado and the traditional Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints disavowed the practice in 1890.   The FLDS Church was founded by excommunicated Mormons more than 60 years ago along the Utah-Arizona border, at a settlement first called Short Creek.  The polygamist community was raided to much negative publicity in 1953, but was later re-christened Colorado City (in Arizona) and Hildale (in Utah).     Read more

Polygamist sect lands by Mancos

By Katharhynn Heidelberg, Cortez Journal and Lindsay Nelson, Herald Staff Writer Durango Herald Originally published October 26, 2004

Members of a polygamist sect living along the Arizona-Utah border have purchased land north of Mancos, but local authorities and a lawyer for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say there's no evidence of illegal activity.   Rod Parker, a Salt Lake City lawyer who represents the sect, a breakaway group of the Mormon church, said he believes members of the church are in Mancos, but he has not had contact with the church concerning the land purchase.   "It's well-known that members of the church practice polygamy as part of their doctrine, but whether specific individuals are practicing it, I can't say," Parker said Monday in a telephone interview.   The Montezuma County Assessor's Office confirmed Monday that David Allred, a Utah man reportedly affiliated with the fundamentalist church, bought 60 forested acres in July 2003 on County Road 39, north of Joe Moore Reservoir.   Scott Davis, a deputy assessor, said Allred allowed him onto the property to conduct an evaluation, but did not allow him inside any buildings, insisting they were all part of a corporate hunting retreat to which he himself did not have access.   Davis said Allred met him at a locked gate, escorted him to the building and then followed Davis out, locking the gate behind him.   "I've been doing this for 10 years.  Nobody's ever done anything remotely like that (locking the gate)," Davis said, although other property owners have turned him away.     Read more

New FLDS Compound Discovered in Colorado

Eldorado Success breaks story on Internet

By Jon Krakauer Exclusive for The Eldorado Success myeldorado.net Originally published October 28, 2004

MANCOS, CO -- The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) has surreptitiously established a polygamous colony in the state of Colorado.  Acting on behalf of the FLDS leadership, a 33-year-old Mormon Fundamentalist named David Steed Allred paid $1,394,000 for two 60-acre parcels of land six miles north of Mancos, a small community in Colorado's southwest corner.  Allred, moreover, is presently maneuvering to purchase a third 60-acre parcel lying between the other properties, which would give the FLDS Church a private inholding of 180 contiguous acres entirely surrounded by publicly owned National Forest.   The leader of the exceedingly secretive polygamist sect is a furtive man named Warren Steed Jeffs.  A self-proclaimed prophet, Jeffs claims to be God's mouthpiece on earth and is married to more than 70 women.  He demands absolute, unquestioning obedience from his estimated 10,000 followers, whom he forbids to have any unnecessary contact with outsiders.  Jeffs has repeatedly prophesied that the Lord will soon unleash a scourge of "pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake" upon the earth, destroying all of humankind except the most zealous of his true believers.     Read more

FLDS buys another 60-acre parcel in Mancos

By Katharhynn Heidelberg Cortez Journal Originally published October 30, 2004

A man with ties to a fundamentalist Christian sect this month purchased additional property in Mancos, the Cortez Journal and Mancos Times learned recently.   David Allred, thought to be a member and agent of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, purchased a 60-acre parcel at 15252 County Road 39 in Mancos last year for a corporate hunting retreat.   According to records examined Thursday at the Montezuma County Assessor's office, a nearby 60 acres was sold to Sherwood Management Group, Inc., Oct. 8.  A deed of trust for that property, at 15976 County Road 39, is signed by David Allred and also lists him as the president of Sherwood Management, with a postal box address in Mesquite, Nev.   Allred's initial purchase came to local attention when he declined to let Deputy Assessor Scott Davis into buildings at the 15252 address.   Doing so is not illegal, but Davis said that, along with Allred's demeanor, prompted his suspicion.   The Sherwood Management property in Mancos went for considerably above market value - $725,000 for agricultural property situated next to public lands.  Its assessed valuation, for tax purposes, was $156,900, with a possible market value of $200,000, Davis said Friday.     Read more

Fundamentalist LDS Church Moving East?

KCSG Channel 6 - St. George KCSG.com Originally broadcast November 9, 2004

You may not have heard of a little town in southwestern Colorado called Mancos.  But the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has, and a reported member of the church has purchased 60 acres of land there.   David Allred is thought to be a member and an agent of the church, and his signature is on a deed of trust for the purchased property.   In a story from the Cortez Journal, Montezuma County records indicate that the purchase occurred on October 8th.   Since that time, a hay shed on the property has purportedly been remodeled, and now includes four bedrooms and four bathrooms.   There is also a three bedroom home on the property, according to reports.   Critics of the FLDS church have voiced concerns that Mancos could become a refuge for members leaving the FLDS communities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona due to recent legal pressures put on the church.

Polygamists Selling Utah-Arizona Parcel To Help Buy Colorado Land

Mormon Church Excommunicates Those Who Advocate Polygamy

The Associated Press TheDenverChannel.com Originally published November 10, 2004

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A polygamous sect on the Utah-Arizona border is selling 1,300 acres of surplus land to finance other purchases in Colorado and Texas.   "It doesn't really fit in well with their community," Rodney Parker, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' attorney, said Tuesday.  "They can use that money for these other projects."   An agent for the church, David Allred, purchased a 60-acre parcel of land near Mancos, Colo.   Allred also bought a 1,691-acre ranch near Eldorado, Texas, a year ago for a supposed hunting retreat.  But a few months later, FLDS leaders acknowledged to Texas authorities that ranch was intended as refuge from pressure from officials in Utah and Arizona because of the church's tenet of polygamy.   The Texas compound has since grown to a dozen buildings.   About the same time as the Texas purchase, Allred bought the 60 acres of land in Colorado midway between Cortez and Durango, also supposedly for a hunting retreat.   The two Colorado parcels each had a few existing buildings, one of which has been remodeled into a four-bedroom, four-bath home, and a couple of new structures have been added.   The Arizona Strip parcel for sale doesn't border the church's base in the twin cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., where an estimated 10,000 members live.  It's listed for $4.6 million.     Read more

Polygamist sect buys property in Colorado

By Deborah Frazier Rocky Mountain News Originally published November 12, 2004

A polygamist sect ousted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has bought 120 acres near Mancos, a southwestern Colorado town that prides itself on tolerance, up to a point.   "We've got a lot of folks around here who aren't in legally sanctioned relationships, but child brides would be an issue of concern," said Tom Vaughan, editor of the weekly Mancos Times.   The Fundamentalist Church of the Latter-day Saints (FDLS) was founded in the 1950s by excommunicated Mormons living with multiple wives on the Utah-Arizona border. The FDLS, with about 10,000 members, began selling their land near Colorado City, Ariz., last year, and buying parcels in Texas, Colorado and Canada.   Prosecutors in Arizona and Utah are investigating the FDLS for child sexual abuse, welfare fraud, tax evasion and other felony violations.   "If we found out, as it's alleged in Colorado City, that they packed the welfare system, that would get our attention," said Vaughan.     Read more

FLDS purchases land in Mancos

By John R. Crane Cortez Journal Originally published January 1, 2005

In October, the Journal learned that a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought two swaths of land in Mancos, prompting rumors of polygamy and warnings from a well-known author of a book about the radical Mormon sect.   The Montezuma County Assessor's office confirmed in late October that David Allred of Utah purchased 60 acres of land on block 15252 of County Road 39 in July 2003, several miles north of Joe Moore Reservoir.  But a few days later, an additional 60 acres were confirmed to have been purchased Oct. 8 by Sherwood Management Group Inc., of which Allred is president.  A deed of trust for the property at 15976 County Road 39 is signed by Allred.   Though Scott Davis, county deputy assessor, was not allowed inside any buildings on the property, Montezuma County Sheriff Joey Chavez said there was no reason to investigate the owner for criminal activity.   But Jon Krakauer, author of the FLDS expose´ "Under the Banner of Heaven," compared the sect's "prophet," Warren Jeffs, to a ruthless monarch and said he was a force to be reckoned with.   "He's like Richard III, like something out of a Shakespeare play," Krakauer told the Journal in October . "You guys down there should be worried ... He has thousands of followers who would die for him. He would never deign to be brought before a Gentile judge."   The FLDS Church was founded more than 60 years ago along the Utah-Arizona border, and also has land in Bountiful, Canada, near the Idaho border, and owns a 1,691-acre ranch near Eldorado, Texas, where another community is being built.

FLDS action is everywhere but here

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published January 11, 2005

Warren Jeffs can be excused if he feels he is beset on all sides by critics - he is.   The 49-year-old self-appointed prophet of perhaps 10,000 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is said to have total control over both the lives and the assets of his flock.  That includes resident communities in the twin cities of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah; a community in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada; a fast-growing compound outside Eldorado, Texas - and land in the Mancos Valley.   Despite the conjecture by some FLDS-watchers that the land north of Mancos was purchased as a potential hideout for Jeffs, there is no evidence that this has become a reality.  In fact, there are few clues as to what the plans are for the property.  The Montezuma County Sheriff's Office has repeatedly stated that no allegations of law-breaking have been made and no investigations are under way regarding the CR 39 properties.     Read more

Polygamists putting Mancos on the map

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published January 25, 2005

Like it or not, the quiet purchase of two 60-acre Mancos Valley parcels by an agent of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is drawing attention to Mancos from as far away as British Columbia, Canada.   Just last week, the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona jointly published "The Primer: Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities."   The 50-page document (available to download at http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/polygamy.html) is intended to "assist human services professionals, law enforcement officers and others in helping victims of domestic violence and child abuse from polygamous communities in Arizona and Utah."   Following the introductory material, the handbook includes a brief history of polygamy, a glossary and seven pages on fundamentalist groups, followed by chapters on typical practices and the special problems of dealing with victims of domestic violence and child abuse who are members of fundamentalist, polygamous groups.   The first three pages of the listing of groups is taken up by the FLDS and its offshoots.  Mancos appears in the second paragraph: "The FLDS Church claims 8,000 to 10,000 members residing in the sister cities of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona; Eldorado, Texas; Mancos, Colorado and Creston and Bountiful, British Columbia.     Read more

Mancos properties are question mark in polygamous sect accounting

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published March 2, 2005

The Mancos Valley continues to play a small part in an international legal struggle over the assets of a polygamous religious sect.   Warren Jeffs, leader and self-proclaimed Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a polygamous sect that bought two 60-acre parcels in the Mancos Valley in July 2003 and October 2004, has failed to respond to notifications that he is a defendant in two civil suits filed in Utah state courts.  On Thursday, Feb. 17, attorneys for the plaintiffs in those suits filed a memorandum requesting the court to appoint a receiver and a substitute board of trustees to oversee the assets of the United Effort Plan trust, the fiscal arm of the FLDS.  The FLDS properties in Mancos and in Schleicher County, Texas, may be among the factors weighed in the upcoming battle for control of UEP assets; both represent large FLDS investments that are not carried in the name of the UEP and may represent illegal conversion of trust assets by Jeffs.   Complicating the process is the fact that Jeffs is presently without legal representation.  His long-time attorney, Rodney R. Parker of Snow, Christensen & Martineau, Salt Lake City, Utah, filed a request in Utah state court in December, asking to be allowed to withdraw as FLDS counsel in the Brent Jeffs and "Lost Boys" suits (Brent Jeffs has accused Warren Jeffs and others of sexually molesting him; six young men — the Lost Boys — claim in a separate suit that Warren Jeffs and others caused them to be excommunicated from the FLDS in order to "perpetuate Warren Jeffs' and the FLDS Church’s increasingly abusive and illegal practice of polygamy, which requires women to outnumber men," as stated in the Feb. 17 memorandum).  In his request, Parker cited fundamental differences in strategy, as well as indicating that Jeffs had already fired his firm.     Read more

FLDS move to Texas said to be gaining momentum; ‘Uncle’ Fred Jessop dies

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published March 23, 2005

Recent news stories in Arizona and Texas have heightened the speculation that Warren Jeffs, self-proclaimed Prophet and leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is relocating his most faithful followers from their homes in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah (a community known as Short Creek, with a state line running through it) to his fast-growing compound in Schleicher County, Texas.   The FLDS congregation that follows Jeffs is one of a number of polygamous groups that broke away from the LDS Church when it suspended the practice of polygamy in 1890 and banned it in 1904.  The Jeffs group is estimated to number anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 adherents, mainly concentrated in Short Creek, with other settlements near Creston, British Columbia; Beryl, Utah, and now the YFZ compound near Eldorado, Texas (YFZ is thought to be the initials of a song written by Jeffs, "Yearn for Zion").  Two 60-acre parcels several miles north of Mancos have been bought by Jeffs’ son-in-law, David Allred, and the group is thought to have holdings in Mexico, as do other polygamous groups.   The Allred purchase of the first Mancos parcel in July 2003, followed several months later by his purchase of the 1,691-acre property in Texas, set off a flurry of construction in both locations.  In a few short months, working round-the-clock, workers at the 15252 CR 39 parcel north of Joe Moore Reservoir remodeled a barn and added two additional residences to the one on the property at time of purchase.  They increased the lodging capacity from two bedrooms, two baths to 16 of each, increasing the assessed value of the property tenfold in the process.     Read more

What will today mean for the FLDS?

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published April 6, 2005

Today is the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  On this day in 1830, six men met in the Seneca County, N.Y., home of Peter Whitmer and formed what they at first called the "Church of Christ."  Those men were Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith, Samuel H. Smith, David Whitmer and Peter Whitmer.   The LDS faith has persevered, adapted, fragmented and spread to become a significant denomination in the United States and worldwide.  The founding date is significant to all branches that trace lineage to that 1830 meeting, but that may be all some of them have in common.   In particular, after the LDS church officially stopped performing plural marriages in 1890 and banned the practice in 1904, there have been numerous groups, some as small as a single family, that have continued to be polygamists.  One of those groups, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has grown to an estimated 10,000 adherents, give or take a few thousand.   The uncertainty as to the true size of the FLDS is a function both of the secrecy surrounding the sect’s activities and membership and the proclivity of its authoritarian leader, Warren Jeffs, to expel people from the group.  Those two factors have also focused the attention of media and law enforcement today on the little town of Eldorado, in Schleicher County, Texas.   There, the question is what, if anything, will happen on this date at a nearby 1,691-acre spread where Jeffs is thought to be hiding to evade lawsuits in Utah.     Read more

'Business as usual' on April 6

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published April 13, 2005

The earth didn’t end on April 6, nor did members of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now based near Eldorado, Texas, engage in mass acts of self-immolation or other violence.  According to Eldorado Success Editor Randy Mankin, it was quite a zoo in Eldorado, as media representatives came to Schleicher County from all over the United States and several foreign countries, including Sweden.   Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran entered the FLDS compound with two Texas rangers Wednesday and reported "It’s business as usual," according to Pamela Manson’s report in the Salt Lake Tribune.   The Success reported Doran’s estimate that 80-150 people were living in the compound.  Regarding the anticipated convocation to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Mormon Church, Doran told the Times "there was speculation that it was being held elsewhere, but (the location was) never disclosed."  Regarding the whereabouts of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, Doran added that there "has never been any evidence of him being here, other than hearsay and some of his family members are here."   Stories in The Spectrum, published in St. George, Utah, also described the media impact on the twin towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, as well as in Eldorado.  Patrice St. Germain quoted Hildale Mayor David Zitting’s description of it as a "circus," and Rachel Olsen, reporting from Eldorado, said the main economic impact of the FLDS there was the money spent in the town by the media representatives.     Read more

Polygamists under pressure, establish new colony in Colorado

By Andrew Resnik KUSA 9 News Denver Originally broadcast April 30, 2005

MANCOS, Colo. - Scott Davis understands that when he shows up on somebody's doorstep, he's likely to get a bleak response.   Davis is the deputy county assessor for Montezuma County, Colo.   But when he approached a plot of land about five miles north of Mancos that had recently been purchased by David Allred, he got the type of reception he'd never received.   "He did not act like a typical person does when I come out to evaluate the property," said Davis.   The property consists of two 60-acre plots, with a barn, a few houses and several outbuildings.  Davis said he was not permitted inside any of the buildings, which he described as unusual, but not illegal.   At first, Davis suspected Allred was hiding a methamphetamine lab, which Davis says is not uncommon in the area.  But then he did some research on the purchaser.   "After that, to me, we were thinking about a cult," said Davis.   Allred's name led Davis to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a spinoff sect that broke off from the mainstream Mormon Church more than a century ago.  The fundamentalists openly practice polygamy, touting the practice as the true path to Heaven.     Read more

Mancos is on the map - the wrong one

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published May 10, 2005

Mancos is in the news more and more often lately, but it's a notoriety many residents could do without.   On May 1, the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center released its latest map of "Active U.S. Hate Groups in 2004" (www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp).   There, in the southwest corner of the Colorado map, is a pin marking the location of Mancos.   The reason Mancos made the hate map is because the SPLC has designated the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a hate group, based on derogatory remarks about African-Americans in tape-recorded speeches by FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs.  And, in July 2003, David Allred, an FLDS member and son-in-law of Jeffs, bought 60 acres off CR 39 in the north end of the Mancos Valley.  Last fall, Allred bought another 60 acres nearby.   So, all of the outposts of the Jeffs faction of the FLDS have been identified as hate group sites on the map - Eldorado, Texas; Hildale, Utah; Colorado City, Ariz., and Mancos.   Though there was a flurry of round-the-clock building activity for several months after Allred purchased the first 60-acre parcel, expanding the residential capacity of the place from three bedrooms and two baths to 10 bedrooms and 10 baths, for at least six months there has been little indication that there is anyone but a caretaker living there.     Read more

Officials keep eye on sect's property

By Jim Hughes Denver Post Originally published June 19, 2005

Law enforcement officials across the Southwest anticipate a lengthy search for the leader of a rebel Mormon polygamist sect who recently was indicted on accusations of arranging a teen's marriage to a man.   Warren Jeffs, through his Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, is known to own property in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Texas.  But the controversial church leader has been keeping out of sight.   "Nobody has seen him in six months," said Andrea Esquer, spokeswoman for the Arizona attorney general's office.   Authorities are keeping tabs on known FLDS properties in the U.S., but there could be others here and abroad, said Gary Engels, an investigator in Arizona's Mohave County.   "I firmly believe he has places we don't know about," he said.   Engels, who has been investigating the church for nine months, said he is seeking evidence for additional indictments in the FLDS enclaves of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah.   In Colorado, local law enforcement officials continue to monitor church property in the high country north of Mancos, which they say has seen little use by anyone other than caretakers.   On Thursday, Montezuma County Undersheriff David Hart saw a couple of cars parked in the driveway but no sign of activity, he said.     Read more

Problems pile up for polygamist prophet

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published July 6, 2005

Other than the plants growing in the neatly fenced gardens on his property at 15252 CR 39 north of Mancos, nothing seems to be going right for Warren Jeffs, self-proclaimed prophet of the polygamous sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   Jeffs himself is on the run or holed up evading arrest on a criminal warrant for illegally marrying a 16-year-old girl in Arizona to an already-married 28-year-old man.  The FLDS leader has not definitely been seen in public in more than a year, and he has failed to respond or to engage counsel to defend him against three civil suits in Utah.   Winston Blackmore, leader of an FLDS community in British Columbia who was ousted by Warren Jeffs’ father, Rulon Jeffs, while he ruled as Prophet, says in his Share The Light blog (www.sharethelight.ca/b2/?m=200505), "I really think he is in Canada.  I’ll bet they have a nice little private location right here in Canada.  If he was trying not to get caught, he would just stay here."   Meanwhile, back at the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, Texas, the place where Jeffs has had his followers work day and night for 20 months building 20,000-square-foot residences and a huge temple building on a 1,691-acre parcel purchased as a "hunting ranch," the Eldorado Success reported last week that drillers have found oil on an adjacent ranch.  Since Jeffs’ son-in-law, David Allred, did not acquire the mineral rights when he purchased the YFZ Ranch for the FLDS, the secretive sect may be forced by Texas law to allow wildcatters to drill for oil in their compound.     Read more

FLDS pays Montezuma County taxes

By Tom Vaughan The Mancos Times Originally published July 13, 2005

In last week’s story on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Mancos Times reported tax delinquency on the properties owned by representatives of the polygamous sect in the Mancos Valley.  That situation has been corrected.  According to the county treasurer’s office, David Allred — the 2003 purchaser of record of 60 acres at 15252 CR 39, and son-in-law of FLDS Prophet Warren Jeffs — paid the taxes on that parcel on April 28 with a check that was returned for insufficient funds.  On June 27, Allred sent a cashier’s check for the $6,389.77 tax bill, plus $127.80 in interest accrued while the bill was delinquent.   Allred is also president of Sherwood Management Group, Inc., the firm with a Mesquite, Nevada, postal box address that purchased another 60-acre parcel at 15976 CR 39 in 2004.  The $824.42 county tax bill on that property was paid by money order on April 28.   In the meantime, legal actions beset the FLDS leaders on two fronts.  A Utah court is scheduled on July 21 to name new trustees to manage the United Effort Plan Trust, a charitable trust that holds assets in Utah, Arizona and British Columbia estimated to be worth millions of dollars.   The UEP has appeared to be under the sole control of Jeffs for more than two years, and the attorney generals of Utah and Arizona have gone to court to stop his alleged looting of the trust.     Read more

Secrets behind the gate

As work continues on a secluded compound in southwestern Colorado, authorities and neighbors worry what the nations largest polygamist group is really doing inside its guarded fences.

By Deborah Frazier & Gwen Florio Rocky Mountain News Originally published July 16, 2005

MANCOS - The mystery begins 10 miles north of town, up a twisted dirt road, past the turn for Joe Moore Reservoir and the San Juan Bible Camp.   Shielded by a barbed-wire fence, screened by trees, the nation's largest polygamist sect is stepping up its construction in Colorado this summer.   A cacophony of hammers and power saws rings from the site as workers erect log-style lodges for a woodland retreat started two years ago for a man said to have 75 wives and 100 children.   Not that all of them would be here at the same time, presumably.   But even that is uncertain.   Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is facing felony child sex abuse charges in Arizona for his role in arranging a marriage between a teenage girl and a 28-year-old married man.   He has not been seen publicly in the United States since January.   His outriders in Colorado, including a skinny guy named Ben who patrols the fenceline here on an ATV, do not speak his name.   Not to strangers.     Read more

Mormon fugitive's brother arrested

Jeffs allegedly harbors polygamist leader

Staff and wire report Cortez Journal Originally published Saturday, November 5th 2005

A federal judge ruled Thursday that there is enough evidence to pursue charges against Seth Steed Jeffs, who's accused of harboring his brother and fugitive polygamist leader, Warren Jeffs.   The brothers have ties to Mancos through the Leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   Formal charges came a week after police arrested Seth Jeffs, 32, of Hildale, Utah, during a traffic stop in Colorado and seized $142,000 in cash, thousands of dollars in prepaid debit cards and his older brother’s personal records and correspondence.   The younger Jeffs and a man in the SUV with him were arrested in Pueblo on Oct. 28 on charges of prostitution and solicitation for prostitution.   Jeffs will be arraigned Nov. 17. The U.S. attorney’s office will pursue a federal indictment against him.     Read more

Cult leader placed on FBI’s Most Wanted list

By Reed Upton KOB-TV Channel 4 - Albuquerque, New Mexico Originally broadcast May 8, 2006

A polygamist cult leader with ties to the Four Corners area has been included in the FBI’s list of the ten most wanted fugitives in the country.   When Warren Jeffs was placed on the top ten list, the federal reward for information leading to his capture went up to $100,000.   And that’s in addition to the $10,000 being offered by the states of Utah and Arizona where he faces state sex charges.   "It puts him in some extraordinary company, including people like Osama bin Laden," said Paul Charlton, an attorney for the State of Arizona.   Jeffs is charged with commanding polygamous marriages and directing sexual intercourse between underage girls and married men.   Jeffs’ fundamentalist sect of the LDS church broke away from the mainstream Mormon Church.  The mainstream church discontinued polygamy in the 19th century.   Jeffs' followers have built a new temple in west Texas and the sect has a compound in Mancos, Colorado, about an hour from Farmington.   "We have no information that he is at that location," said FBI Special Agent Keith Bennett.  "If we had that information then we could take appropriate steps.  At this time we believe he is in transit between several different locations."  Jeffs’ brother, Seth, pleaded guilty last week to helping his brother elude capture.  Seth, though, told federal agents that he does not know where his brother is.   Officials consider Jeffs to be very dangerous and have received reports that he travels with armed bodyguards.

FBI searches Lakewood home for polygamist

By Jim Kirksey Denver Post Originally published May 10, 2006

Warren Jeffs, the polygamous leader wanted by authorities, apparently wasn't home when federal agents came knocking at the door of a small ranch home in a modest Lakewood neighborhood Tuesday morning.   Jeffs, 50, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is wanted in Utah and Arizona on charges that he arranged polygamist marriages for underage girls.  Federal charges of unlawful flight have recently been added against him.   He has not been seen publicly in nearly two years.   This past weekend, the FBI added Jeffs to its list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, and he was also profiled on the "America's Most Wanted" television program.   A tip from out of town was called in to local authorities Tuesday morning that Jeffs was seen at a Lakewood home in the 2600 block of South Flower Street, 9News was told.     Read more

Most Wanted

FBI hunts polygamist with Mancos ties

By Tom Vaughan - Mancos Times Editor Cortez Journal Originally published Thursday, May 11, 2006

Every major network news program Monday was exploring the FBI's Saturday elevation of Warren Steed Jeffs from the agency's Most Wanted list to a place on the Top 10 list.   Jeffs may be almost as unusual a Most Wanted fugitive as Osama bin Laden, a companion on the Top 10 list.  He’s not a mad bomber, bank robber or serial killer; he’s the self-styled "prophet" who rules the Fundamental ist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — a polygamous sect estimated at about 10,000 souls — with an iron hand.   His elevation to the Top 10 puts a larger price on the head of Jeffs.  He’s now worth $100,000 to whoever provides the information leading to his arrest and conviction.  He is a fugitive from Arizona with indictments for his role in arranging illegal marriages of underage women to be the plural wives of men two or three times their age.   He has also abandoned his defense in civil suits in Utah that accuse him of sexually molesting a young nephew in Sunday School, of casting young men out of the FLDS to reduce competition for young brides and of firing and blacklisting an employee of an FLDS-owned company for his apostasy.   In a broader — and largely noncriminal — context, Jeffs is accused of demanding such allegiance to his interpretation of religious beliefs that his followers live in walled-off compounds that are virtual police states.     Read more

Jeffs gets probation for FLDS harboring

Brothers share Mancos ties through church

Staff Report Cortez Journal Originally published July 15, 2006

A U.S. District Court judge in Denver sentenced Seth Steed Jeffs, the man accused of harboring his brother and fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, to three years of supervised probation Friday.   Judge Robert E. Blackburn also ordered Seth Jeffs, 33, of Hildale, Utah, to pay a $2,500 fine, as well as a $100 special assessment to a victims-of-crime fund for harboring and aiding and abetting the harboring of his brother.   The brothers have ties to Mancos through the leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   According to the original affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, as well as the subsequent stipulated facts outlined in the plea agreement, on Oct. 28, 2005 at approximately 3 a.m., the Pueblo County Colorado Sheriff's Office received a citizen report about a suspected intoxicated driver on Interstate 25 near U.S. Highway 50 in southern Colorado.   A Pueblo County Sheriff's Deputy located and stopped the suspicious vehicle.  The driver of the vehicle, Nathaniel Steed Allred, and the passenger, Seth Jeffs, gave the deputy inconsistent answers to questions regarding their travel plans and where they were earlier that evening.     Read more

Warren Jeff's Nephew Jailed For Contempt

By Jennifer Dobner The Associated Press KUTV Channel 2 Originally published July 28, 2006

A nephew of fugitive Warren Jeffs has been jailed on contempt charges in Arizona – the sixth person connected to the exiled polygamist church leader to refuse to answer questions before a federal grand jury investigating Jeffs.   Benjamin Jeffs Nielsen, 25, was booked into the Central Arizona Detention Facility in Florence on July 14 by the U.S. Marshal's Service of Phoenix, prison officials confirmed Thursday.   Patrick Schneider, chief of the criminal investigations division for the U.S. Attorney's office in Phoenix could not confirm that Nielsen was among those subpoenaed by federal authorities over the past seven months.   "We don't discuss any ongoing investigation and anything related to a grand jury is not a matter of public record," Schneider said.   It could not be immediately determined if Nielsen has an attorney.     Read more

One dead in roll-over wreck

By Jennifer Denevan The Mountain Mail - Salida, Colorado Originally published January 14, 2008

A 10-year-old girl died and a 5-year-old was seriously injured in a single vehicle roll-over wreck on U.S. 50 Monarch Pass Thursday morning.  Both were from Las Vegas, Nev.  Master Sgt. David Long of the Colorado State Patrol reported Wayne Fischer, 38, of Las Vegas, was driving westbound about 11 a.m. when he lost control of his 2007 pickup on the icy, uphill road, about 13 miles west of Salida.  It slid off the south side of the road and down a steep embankment rolling onto its side and hitting a large rock.  Long reported the four-door pickup cab held nine occupants.  In addition, six children, including the two victims, were riding in the camper shell-covered bed.  Private citizens and Chaffee County Emergency Medical Services personnel transported all vehicle occupants except the driver, to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida.  Doctors pronounced the 10-year-old girl dead at the hospital.  The seriously injured 5-year-old was later flown by fixed-wing aircraft to Children's Hospital in Denver.  The nature of her injuries were unreported.  Chaffee County Emergency Services, Chaffee County Fire Protection District, Chaffee County Sheriff's Deputies, 11th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Chaffee County Health and Human Services, Salida Police Department and Chaffee County Victim's Assistance Unit responded.  Although investigation continues, officers said drugs or alcohol aren't a factor in the crash.

Girl's death in crash sparks abuse probe

By Julie Poppen Rocky Mountain News Originally published Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Chaffee County child abuse investigators are looking into the death of a 10-year-old girl who was riding in the back of a pickup carrying 14 other people, a Colorado State Patrol sergeant said Tuesday.  The State Patrol referred the case to the Chaffee County Health and Human Services Department after officers learned that six children were in sleeping bags beneath a camper shell in the bed of the truck when the crash occurred Thursday morning on Monarch Pass.  There were nine other people - including more children and the driver, 38-year-old Wayne Fischer, of Las Vegas - in the cab of the 2008 four-door Chevrolet pickup when it slid off the road and landed on its side.  State Patrol Sgt. David Long said Fischer was driving west on an ice-slicked U.S. 50, 13 miles west of Salida, when he lost control.  Veronica Fischer, of Las Vegas, died at a hospital.   poppenj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5176

Driver in court after crashing truck with 15 people inside

By Jeffrey Wolf KUSA TV 9 News - Denver Originally broadcast Wednesday, January 23, 2008

SALIDA – A 38-year-old man from Las Vegas who was driving a pickup truck with 15 people in it when it slid off an icy mountain pass appeared in court on Wednesday.  Wayne Fischer's 10-year-old daughter was killed in the Jan. 10 accident.  His truck crashed on Monarch Pass on Highway 50 about 13 miles west of Salida.  Chaffee County investigators say Fischer was driving with family when the truck crashed, including two women and 12 children.  According to the arrest affidavit, nine people were in the cab of the Chevy pickup and six children were in sleeping bags in the truck bed, which was covered by a camper shell.  None of the children were in seat belts or child seats.  Fischer was advised of his rights on Wednesday, but Chaffee County prosecutors say they are waiting to file charges against him until the investigation is complete.  "It's inappropriate for me to discuss any issues related to what charges may be filed until I have all the reports and information on hand," said Chafee County Deputy District Attorney Rex Kindall.     Read more

Driver of pickup truck arraigned in court

By Jennifer Denevan The Mountain Mail - Salida, Colorado Originally published January 24, 2008

Wayne Fischer, 38 of Las Vegas, Nev., was arraigned in Chaffee County Court Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 10 traffic death of a 10-year-old girl and injury to others.  In addition, a 5-year-old girl, one of 15 people in the pickup truck driven by Fischer when it rolled on Monarch Pass, was seriously injured and two others received minor injuries requiring treatment at Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida.  Chaffee County Judge William Alderton continued the case to March 12 for a status conference to allow Rex Kindall, deputy 11th Judicial District Attorney, time to complete his report against Fischer.  During the appearance Wednesday, Fischer, free on $1,000 bail, received official notification of 15 criminal charges stemming from the vehicle crash.  Charges include one count of careless driving causing death and two counts of careless driving causing bodily injury.  In addition, there are four counts of failure to provide or properly use child restraint systems and eight counts of failure to provide or properly use seatbelts for 6- to 17-year-olds.     Read more

Driver in fatal wreck pleads no contest

By Jennifer Denevan The Mountain Mail - Salida, Colorado Originally published March 13, 2008

Wayne Fischer, 38 of Las Vegas, Nev., pleaded no contest to 15 traffic charges when he appeared in Chaffee County Court Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 10 death of a 10-year-old girl.  Chaffee County Judge William Alderton conducted the status conference and accepted the list of complaints filed by Deputy 11th Judicial District Attorney Rex Kindall.  Fischer represented himself.  Fischer faced one count of careless driving resulting in death and two counts of careless driving resulting in injury.  Other charges were three counts of no child restraint for children younger than 4 years old and nine counts of no child restraint for 6- to 17-year-old children.  Alderton set sentencing for 3 p.m. May 7 in Chaffee County Court.  Kindall said Fischer may face a sentence of as many as 30 days in jail and a two-year probation.  How and where probation would occur was discussed, but won't be determined until the sentencing hearing.  Fischer was driving a 2007 pickup on U.S. 50 Monarch Pass with a total of 15 passengers in the cabin and camper shell-covered bed of the vehicle when he lost control and went off the road.  The pickup rolled onto its side against a large boulder, crushing the shell.     Read more

FLDS search ties to Mancos

Owner of west Texas compound also owns Montezuma property

By Steve Grazier Cortez Journal - Cortez, Colorado Originally published Tuesday, April 8th 2008

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints member who purchased a west Texas ranch from which nearly 200 people were removed over the weekend for alleged physical abuse has ties to two properties northwest of Mancos.  David Steed Allred, a known FLDS member, has his signature on the warranty deed of trust for one parcel of two FLDS properties in Montezuma County, according to the county assessor’s office.  Another property has Sherwood Management Group Inc. named as primary owner.  An Oct. 30, 2004, Journal report listed Allred as president of the company.  Deputy County Assessor Scott Davis said Monday the assessor’s office has made requests to visit the properties over the past few years as per normal procedure.  He has never heard back from the owner or any residents on the inquiries and said there appears to be ongoing expansion of facilities on the two properties.  "I suspect there are things going on there," he said.  "They recently have added two more big log houses."  Allred paid about $1.4 million combined for both Mancos-area properties.  However, that amount has more than doubled to $3.1 million since the purchase dates a few years ago, according to the assessor’s office.  The 60-acre parcel at 15252 County Road 39 is valued at $2.65 million since it now consists of five homes and multiple outbuildings, said Assessor Mark Vanderpool.  Forty acres at 15976 Road 39 are valued at about $450,000.  It has three homes, multiple sheds and a pre-fabricated steel building.  Property at 15976 Road 39 was purchased in October 2004.  Sherwood Management Group Inc., of Mesquite, Nev., is the listed owner of the parcel.  A 2004 Journal report noted Allred as president of Sherwood Management.  The parcel at 15252 Road 39 was originally purchased in July 2003 for a corporate hunting retreat.  That land was conveyed from Allred to Elite Management Group, of Cheyenne, Wyo., on Jan. 18, 2007, according to Vanderpool.     Read more

Town worried ranch is home to polygamists

Authorities have no grounds for investigation, sheriff says

By MIKE SACCONE The Daily Sentinel - Grand Junction, Colorado Originally published Friday, April 11, 2008

CRAWFORD — Residents in southeastern Delta County have alerted local law enforcement a polygamous fundamentalist Mormon group might have moved into the area.  Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee said several Crawford residents have contacted his office about a series of structures, including a lengthy privacy fence, that have sprung up on a 35-acre property nearly 10 miles west of here.  "The activity with the fence and some of these things are naturally drawing the curiosity of the local citizens, but certainly nothing that would require us to conduct an investigation," McKee said.  He said neighbors have been worried the property, located west of 3350 Road and south of B50 Road, has become home to a compound housing a polygamous fundamentalist sect of the Mormon church, similar to the one recently raided by state law enforcement in western Texas.  "There’s been some information relayed to us, not information we went out and sought, that there are people living there that have been connected to other groups that were a part of that religious group," he said.  McKee said he has not visited the property nor met with the owner, who public records identify as Neph Barlow.  Barlow’s mailing address, according to Delta County Assessor’s Office records, is a post office box in Henderson, Nev.     Read more

Town worried ranch home to polygamists

Written by: Colleen Locke, Producer Reported by: Jace Larson, Investigative Reporter and: Eric Kehe, Chief Photographer 9News - Denver Originally broadcast Sunday, April 13, 2008

CRAWFORD - Residents in southeastern Delta County are concerned that a polygamous fundamentalist group, similar to the one recently raided by law enforcement in western Texas, might have moved into the area.  Residents don't have any proof that anything illegal is happening on the 35-acre property, located west of 3350 Road and south of B50 Road, but wonder why a privacy fence that's at least 6 feet tall has been put up even though nothing else is around. The fence also blocks the view of the mountains.  "Look at that and tell me you wouldn't like to look at that," said neighbor Mike Hart.  "It's an absolutely beautiful view. ... There are very few people who are out here. Why do you need to conceal your activities to that extent?"  9Wants To Know observed people walking outside buildings near that fence Sunday afternoon.  One of those buildings is under construction.  Gates into the compound are chained and locked.  No trespassing signs are up as well.  One neighbor tells 9Wants to Know he has seen a large passenger van drive by.  The windows were either blacked out or heavily tinted.  9Wants to Know has confirmed the owner of the property shares the same last name with known members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), including Dale Barlow, the man wanted in connection with last week's raid in Texas.  "If they are following the same practices as other groups throughout the country, there are children and women in there who are being abused, mentally, physically, who knows at this time, and that really, really bothers me," said Hart.     Read more

Sheriffs eye West Slope land tied to polygamists

By Electa Draper The Denver Post Originally published April 15, 2008

Two Colorado sheriffs are watching acreage near Crawford and Mancos owned by people associated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the polygamous sect targeted by Texas authorities.  A child-welfare raid that began April 3 at a 1,700-acre church compound in Eldorado, Texas, led to the removal of 416 children, the state's largest-ever child-custody case.  Officials there are investigating allegations of forced underage marriage, sexual abuse and domestic violence.  Polygamy is illegal under federal law.  Sheriffs for both Delta and Montezuma counties say they haven't seen any evidence of communal living, plural marriages or any unlawful acts at the Colorado compounds.  Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee said Monday that he planned to tour the 35-acre property, which was purchased near Crawford in August 2007.  "It's at the invitation of the owner and not part of any investigation. We have no cause to investigate," McKee said.  "I don't know how many people are staying there, but it seems to be fewer than 10."  The Delta County Assessor's Office said the land, at 1253 3350 Road near Crawford, belongs to Neph Barlow of Henderson, Nev.  At least one building is under construction on the property. The property is surrounded by a tall privacy fence.     Read more

Other FLDS enclaves are feeling scrutiny

By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Thursday, April 17, 2008

DELTA COUNTY, Colorado — When Nephi Barlow got word that his neighbors were worried about him and his family, he called the local sheriff.  "He's active FLDS," said Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee.  The news of the raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's compound in the tiny town of Eldorado, Texas, has stirred up emotions and fears in many communities that have become home to FLDS enclaves.  Expansion appears to be under way in at least two known compounds of the FLDS Church outside of Texas and rumors continue to swirl about so-called "safe houses" scattered throughout the West.  It's an oft-repeated claim that those familiar with the FLDS people adamantly deny.  "They're not safe houses.  They're homes. A community," said Rod Parker, an attorney who has represented the FLDS Church and is acting as their spokesman.  At Barlow's invitation, McKee and Delta County Commissioner Olen Lund toured the man's 35-acre property on B25 road just south of Crawford, Colo.  The single-family home with a barn sits behind a large-sized privacy fence.  "He just wanted to assure his neighbors that he didn't have any criminal activity going on there. It's just him and his family and a few hired hands," the sheriff said, adding that he did not press Barlow to reveal if he was a polygamist.  "We were introduced to one wife," McKee said.  Barlow told the men that he moved to the area last year from Nevada, where he works in the construction business.  He said he had family in Colorado City, Ariz., and in Texas.  Barlow did not wish to speak to reporters, and the sheriff said he did not believe there was anything criminal happening on the man's property.  "It's a free country. It's private property. They can use that property as they see fit, as long as it's not illegal," Lund said.     Read more

Polygamist sect builds compound in Four Corners

By: Tom Joles, Eyewitness News 4, and Reed Upton, KOB.com KOB-TV Channel 4 - Albuquerque, New Mexico Originally broadcast Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A member of a polygamist sect based in Texas that has been making national headlines owns a 100-acre property with several buildings in the Four Corners area.  The land near Mancos, Colorado – about an hour north of Farmington – was quietly purchased in 2003 by a man named David Allred, the son-in-law of self proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs.  Their sect – the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints – broke away from the Mormon Church when it renounced polygamy.  Jeffs is currently in prison for arranging marriages between underage girls and older men, but other sect members are still circulating.  Tom Vaughn, the retired editor of the Mancos Times, has been following the development of the property since its purchase and says he has no idea how many people live there.  While the population remains a mystery, Vaughn knows a lot about the buildings.  "There’s a salmon colored house, original property that the previous owner built," says Vaughn.  Then there’s what used to be a barn with its first floor open: "They closed in the barn, and so now it’s carried on the tax rolls as a four-bedroom, four-bath residence," says Vaughn.  "Then there’s this little house that’s speculated Uncle Freddy was hidden out in," he adds.     Read more

Polygamous sect buying land in 2 Colorado counties

By Tillie Fong Rocky Mountain News Originally published Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Members of a polygamous sect have been quietly buying up property in Custer and Fremont counties and settling in, according to the Custer County sheriff.  "We have reason to believe that they are the same organization that was in Texas that has been in the news," said Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe.  Last month, federal authorities raided a Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints ranch in Texas and removed 462 children amid allegations that young girls were forced into polygamous marriages to older relatives.  Last year, Warren Jeffs, who headed the sect that broke away from the Mormon church, was convicted in Utah on two counts of being an accomplice to rape and was sentenced to serve at least 10 years in prison.  He was accused of influencing his followers to coerce a 14-year-old girl to marry her 19-year-old cousin in 2001.  The FLDS already has a presence in Colorado.  In 2005, sect members purchased land outside Mancos, west of Durango, to build a retreat for Jeffs.  In the past two years, a senior aide to Jeffs has purchased three properties in Custer County, near the town of Westcliffe.  Jobe said that one property is northeast of Westcliffe, where there is a good-size community of FLDS members.  A house on a piece of property to the west of the town is also being remodeled.     Read more

Sheriff Jobe: FBI believes fundamentalist leader Jeffs was in hiding here

By Nora Drenner Wet Mountain Tribune - Westcliffe, Colorado Originally published Thursday, May 22, 2008

For the last two years, members of the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints have been acquiring property in Custer County and are moving in.  And, said Custer County sheriff Fred Jobe, it appears the group’s incarcerated leader, Warren Jeffs, was hiding out here last year.  Jeffs was recently convicted in Utah of two counts of being an accomplice to rape and he is currently serving at least 10 years in prison.  News of the cult’s ties to Custer County came last week in an article in the Rocky Mountain News, and in the "Hatewatch" website sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  In an interview with the Tribune Tuesday night, Jobe said his office had been contacted by the FBI in the spring of 2007 to be on the lookout for Jeffs, who was on the lam.  Jeffs had disappeared after authorities began investigating the FLDS practice of polygamy involving minor girls and older men in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, said Jobe.  Federal authorities were alerted to Jeffs’ possible whereabouts, said Jobe, by Wendell Musser, who served as Jeffs’ courier and family caretaker for Jeffs’ numerous wives.  Reportedly, Musser was hiding those wives in Custer County and from time to time Jeffs would visit here.  Also assisting Musser was Lee A. Steed, said Jobe. Steed is believed to be in Jeffs’ inner circle.  In 2006, noted Jobe, suspected members of the FLDS church purchased a small piece of property in the Blumenau subdivision near Rosita as a hideaway for Jeffs and his wives.  Musser was apparently assigned to stay at the cabin to safeguard the women, Jobe said, however, the compound in the Wet Mountains was later abandoned and sold.     Read more

County says FLDS compound violates zoning regulations

Authorities use search warrant to enter property

By Nora Drenner Wet Mountain Tribune - Westcliffe, Colorado Originally published Thursday, July 10, 2008

With a search warrant in hand, local authorities accompanied Custer County zoning director Jackie Hobby to the FLDS compound in Bull Domingo last week to check for possible building and zoning violations.  The Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound was inspected last Thursday, July 3.  Custer County sheriff Fred Jobe said he went with Hobby to the compound at her request.  Hobby told the Tribune she asked for a police escort because the last time she inspected the FLDS compound she felt uncomfortable going alone.  A search warrant was executed to allow Jobe and undersheriff Craig Feldmann to escort Hobby after the two officers were denied entrance.  Jobe said on July 1, he hand delivered papers to those inside the compound stating at least one officer with the sheriff’s office would accompany Hobby on the zoning inspection slated for July 3.  Soon after, said Jobe, the sheriff’s office received a phone call and letter from FLDS attorney Daniel Smith of Denver stating Hobby was welcome on the property, however, law enforcement officials were not.  County judge Peter Michaelson signed the warrant.  The warrant allowed law enforcement to accompany Hobby, however, it did not give law enforcement authorities permission to search for possible signs of criminal activity.  "Of course," said Jobe, "had we seen any criminal activity in plain sight we could have taken action. But that was not the case. We saw no criminal activity."  However, Hobby did find building and zoning violations.  According to Hobby, the current septic system on the 35-acre parcel is not in compliance and various smaller structures have been built without securing a zoning permit.     Read more

Colorado FLDS site searched

By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Sunday, July 13, 2008

A Colorado sheriff used a search warrant to accompany zoning officials on a search of property tied to the Fundamentalist LDS Church.  Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe obtained the warrant after FLDS members initially denied them entry to the property near Westcliffe, Colo., on July 3.  Custer County zoning director Jackie Hobby told the Deseret News she was investigating a zoning complaint about property owned by a member of the polygamous sect.  "We have to follow up on complaints," she said Friday.  Hobby said she had concerns about venturing onto the property alone and asked to have a police escort.  "They (the FLDS) said no, I could come by myself but I couldn't bring the cops in," she said.  Jobe obtained a warrant that allowed him and another deputy to escort Hobby onto the property, she said.  Jobe didn't return a call seeking comment on Friday, but he told Westcliffe's Wet Mountain Tribune newspaper the warrant did not allow them to search anything for signs of criminal activity.  "Had we seen any criminal activity in plain sight we could have taken action. But that was not the case. We saw no criminal activity," he told the newspaper.  Hobby described her inspection as uneventful, but she cited the 35-acre property owner for a few violations, including some un-permitted buildings and too many connections on a septic system.  The Deseret News reported in April about a number of homes in eastern Colorado tied to FLDS members.  In a lawsuit, a man excommunicated from the FLDS Church by its leader, Warren Jeffs, claimed that he knew of homes in Westcliffe, Florence and Williamsburg.  In the lawsuit, Wendell Musser said he acted as a caretaker for several of Jeffs' wives, living in secret homes there.  An FLDS spokesman has said they are merely homes in a community. E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com

Afraid of what sect might do

By Susan Greene Denver Post Columnist Originally published Sunday, July 13, 2008

Custer County's sheriff is taking a stand.  "We don't want them here," Fred Jobe says of the polygamists who quietly are settling onto his turf.  "I just don't want them to think they're gonna move in and take over the county."  As Jobe tells it, followers of Warren Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have moved into four compounds in Custer County and two in Fremont County.  The extent of their influx into south-central Colorado is unclear because few outsiders have been let inside the sect's secrecy fences.  Many locals are wondering why they don't see frumpy-frocked women, their octogenarian husbands and broods of children in town.  "Why don't we run into them in the grocery store, the post office? Why don't they support our businesses?" asks Jane Thomas, who lives yards from a compound near Westcliffe.  At the prodding of an anti-FLDS group called Step Up, Thomas and nearly 200 locals crammed into Custer County Middle School's gym Thursday to learn about their new neighbors from a woman who escaped from a similar sect.  Laurie Allen's documentary, "Banking on Heaven," features accounts of mind-control and child molestation, labor violations and hunger in Colorado City, the FLDS hub on the Arizona-Utah line.  Allen raised legitimate concerns about child abuse, welfare fraud and teenage boys cast from the sect so parents can offer their daughters to Jeff's loyal elders.     Read more

Building violations found during search of Colorado FLDS property

9 News KUSA TV - Denver Originally broadcast July 14, 2008

WESTCLIFFE - The Custer County Sheriff used a search warrant to enter the property tied to the Fundamental Latter Day Saints (FLDS) church, according to a county official.  Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe obtained the search warrant to go along with Custer County Zoning Director Jackie Hobby to investigate zoning complaints from people in the area.  "We went in after several complaints that there was a lot of construction and lumber going in and we knew they didn't have any permits," said Hobby in a phone interview with 9Wants to Know.  Hobby says she found a few violations with a septic system and some buildings without permits.  "You have to have a building permit for anything 99-square feet and larger," she said.  Hobby says she asked law enforcement to accompany her on the property because she was worried about her safety.  "I just thought it would be the right thing to do because of their reputation," said Hobby, "I had gone to another property and they were not very helpful."     Read more

Westcliffe residents wary of polygamous sect

The Associated Press Colorado Springs Gazette Originally published August 6, 2008

SALT LAKE CITY - The last thing they wanted was to be the talk of the town.  Lured by its scenic beauty and live-and-let-live reputation, a controversial polygamous sect decided Westcliffe, population 456, offered perfect seclusion for grandmothers in their last years.  But after Lee Steed bought an abandoned home in the Bull Domingo Ranch subdivision, the chatter started: Who were the newcomers, why had they come, what were their plans?  Fueled by prosecutions of sect members for underage marriages and allegations of other crimes - most recently in Texas - the questions now follow members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as they trickle out of their traditional home base on the Utah-Arizona border.  All accusations unfairly applied, Steed said, to the home at Bull Domingo.  In Westcliffe, answering "Who?" was simple enough. Neighbors connected Steed's name with the women's old-style pastel dresses, spotted from a nearby hill with binoculars: The FLDS had arrived.  Answering "why" wasn't as easy, given the FLDS preference for isolation - signaled when they erected a privacy fence and no one ventured out - and after Steed bought additional properties in and around Custer County.  "It appeared to us this might be where they planned on settling big time," said Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe.  "I've made my thoughts known pretty publicly that we're not pleased with their lifestyle."  The sheriff said a few residents believed the FLDS should be left alone.  "The majority of the people," he said, "would be happier if they moved away."  Which is why fear is building on both sides of that fence.     Read more

Racist Cults

Polygamous Sect Turns to Selling Clothes

Intelligence Report Fall 2008 Southern Poverty Law Center - Montgomery, Alabama Originally published August 28, 2008

It was a mixed summer for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). In April, state officials raided the racist cult's Texas compound and took the children living there into state custody because of concerns about sexual abuse. Then, in late May, FLDS mothers rejoiced after an appeals court ruled that the state had failed to provide adequate justification for removing their children. But it wasn't a complete victory: The child welfare investigation has continued, and FLDS members could still face criminal charges. While the legal issues connected with the Texas raid have yet to be resolved, the Intelligence Report has learned that FLDS appears to be establishing a new outpost in Colorado, where a top aide to the cult's imprisoned leader has bought $2 million worth in property. Men, women and children belonging to FLDS have settled on at least three of five properties that Lee Steed purchased southwest of Denver. The appearance of the FLDS members has concerned neighbors and public officials, who are unsure how to react to the sect known to coerce underage girls into plural marriages. Together, Steed's Colorado purchases eclipse the 1,691 acres that make up the sect's Eldorado, Texas, compound, and represent the biggest cluster of FLDS land holdings outside the cult's original headquarters of Colorado City, Ariz., and neighboring Hildale, Utah. Three of Steed's properties are located within a few miles of Westcliffe, Colo. In November 2006, Steed purchased a 6,000 square-foot log home with nine bedrooms and six baths. Steed bought the house and 35 acres, which were in foreclosure, for $350,000 cash, according to Custer County records. Neighbors say a large group of men and women soon moved into the two-story structure and began working around the clock. Read more

The Valley’s FLDS Community: "We are seeking to be peaceful and law abiding and pleasant people"

By Shanna Lewis Wet Mountain Tribune - Westcliffe, Colorado Originally published September 18, 2008

Just like most folks who move to the Wet Mountain Valley, commercial contractor Lee Steed likes the small town atmosphere and enjoys the beauty of the surrounding mountains.  But unlike most people, the news that the Steed family and others were living here generated controversy because they’re members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.  The Wet Mountain Tribune asked Steed and a local FLDS woman to talk about life here in the Valley and other issues related to the FLDS community in this area.  The woman asked not to be identified, so the pseudonym Elizabeth Smith will be used for this story.  Steed bought and renovated a large house in the Bull Domingo area almost three years ago.  He says it is now occupied by his family, along with some elderly widows and their caregivers.  "They are here to hopefully not be persecuted and that’s why we’re here. I was privileged to help them find a place that would give them some peace," said Steed.  When asked about their experience so far in the Valley Smith said, "we’ve had some very kind and friendly neighbors who have been nothing but cheerful and respectful."  Steed said, "I’ve never had a negative experience until the crusaders showed up, but there are some wonderful people in the Valley."  Speaking about the group that formed in reaction to the presence of the FLDS members here Steed said, "I appreciate their concern and their wanting to help, but they need to help someone who wants to be helped. I feel bad that maybe we’ve been painted with a broad brush. The people that have had the most problem with the FLDS are the people who know the least about them. I do not know any of the individuals involved. They’ve never met any of us, so whatever information they’ve gathered they’ve gathered on their own - from whatever sources they’ve chosen," said Steed.     Read more

Town's fears of FLDS easing

Colorado burg has formed group to educate about sect

By Ben Winslow Deseret News Originally published Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008

Residents of a tiny Colorado mountain town are adjusting to their new neighbors, but some remain uneasy about Fundamentalist LDS Church members' intense desire for privacy.  "I'm not opposed to the FLDS being here. I'm opposed to the crimes associated with the FLDS in our community," said a woman named Maura, who lives in Westcliffe, Colo. "I have an issue about the fact that they're affiliated with numerous leaders who have been indicted or found guilty of numerous crimes."  Maura declined to give her last name out of concern for her safety stemming from an unrelated personal issue, but she has founded a group called Step Up whose mission is to educate the town about the FLDS.  In recent town meetings, they have invited guest speakers who have worked with those who have left the faith.  "There's a fear of the unknown," said Elaine Tyler, the director of the St. George-based HOPE Organization, which helps people leaving abusive situations in the polygamous communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.  Tyler was in Colorado last month to speak at a community meeting organized by Step Up.  About 50 people attended.  "There are fears on both sides. People won't communicate, and then your imagination starts running wild, and that's unhealthy," she said.  Ex-FLDS member and social worker Laura Chapman spoke about her experiences growing up in the faith and problems within the sect.  She praised Step Up's education efforts.  "It would be better to be educated and prepared for a boy who might be kicked out or a woman leaving with five children like I did, or a girl trying to escape an arranged marriage," she said.     Read more

Channel 4 offers extensive look at polygamists' world

By Joanne Ostrow The Denver Post Originally published November 7, 2008

Distant mountains are a beautiful backdrop to a row of clean prairie dresses on a clothesline, blowing in the gentle breeze and tended by a fresh-scrubbed woman in braids and long, plain frock.  No, this is not a scene from HBO's "Big Love," the award-winning fictional drama about polygamists in Utah.  This is the start of a compelling three-part news story, airing over three nights this week, about self-described "fundamentalist" Mormon practitioners of polygamy here in Colorado.  KCNC-Channel 4's Rick Salinger spent several months gaining the trust of members of the group who have made a home in Westcliffe, at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains west of Pueblo.  Over time, Salinger persuaded the group to allow cameras into the properties, where members claim they have come "for refuge, not to set up a kingdom."  The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints became a fixture on the nation's TV screens this year when Texas authorities raided a 1,700-acre compound in April and removed 462 children deemed at risk of abuse.  (The mainstream LDS Church disavows polygamy and seeks to distance itself from the FLDS.)  In May, The Post reported that the FLDS was gaining ground in Colorado, having purchased several properties in Fremont and Custer counties.  Salinger's series, "CBS4 Investigates: Polygamy in Colorado," is the first TV venture inside that world. It will air Monday-Wednesday within the 10 p.m. newscast.     Read more

PEARSON: CBS4's Sallinger witnesses different world of the FLDS

By Mike Pearson Entertainment - Television Rocky Mountain News Originally published November 9, 2008

Prime choice It's not often that a secretive religious group invites a television reporter into its midst, yet that's precisely what happened to CBS4's Rick Sallinger, who launches a three-day report at 10 p.m. tonight (through Wednesday) on a Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) group living in southern Colorado.  You might recall FLDS as the pro-polygamy order at the center of a raid on an Eldorado, Texas, compound earlier this year, in which 439 children were taken from their parents and put into protective custody.  Most were later returned.  The group's leader, Warren Jeffs, is serving a 10-year prison sentence in Utah for sanctioning underage marriages.  Through contacts at the Salt Lake Tribune, among others, Sallinger was able to contact Lee Steed, an FLDS member who bought five pieces of property in Custer County 21/2 hours south of Denver.  There, 20 to 30 FLDS members have been living for the past two to three years, having migrated from Utah and Arizona to avoid what they term "persecution."  Their presence has not gone unnoticed by the townsfolk of Westcliffe, some of whom created a group called Step Up to investigate the controversial religious group.  Were the FLDS members practicing polygamy in their midst?  As Sallinger discovered, the answer is probably not.  The bulk of the church members living in southern Colorado are elderly widows and grandmothers, some of whom have children tied to the Texas raid, but all of whom spoke of their lives in Colorado in glowing terms.  In Early September, Sallinger was invited to visit one property.  "Never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd be invited inside," says Sallinger.  "In that 15 minutes (it took to drive from Westcliffe to one of the FLDS properties), I felt like I'd gone through some kind of time warp - left our world and entered theirs."     Read more

Polygamist FLDS Group Seeks Safe Haven In Colorado

Written by Rick Sallinger CBS 4 - Denver Originally broadcast November 10, 2008

WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (CBS) -- They have been in the news for bigamy, accusations of forced marriages, mistreatment of women and young boys.  Now the polygamist group the FLDS or Church of Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints has quietly purchased at least eight properties in Colorado, reports CBS station KCNC-TV in Denver.  Two of the properties are near Mancos in Montezuma County in southwest Colorado, another near Crawford in Delta County and five near Westcliffe in Custer and Fremont counties.  KCNC has become the first TV news station allowed inside one of their compounds to see how they live and what they are doing.  It is a place where some of man's laws are at odds with what they see as God's laws; a collision of values that has led to raids, arrests and seizure of children in other locations.  Beneath the soaring peaks of the Sangre de Cristos and the Wet Mountain Range -- they have come here in search of a safe haven.  "I think we just came here for a place of safety while this goes on, we're not going to settle here," FLDS Member Margaret Jessop told CBS4.  These FLDS members moved to Colorado after law enforcement actions involving their church in Utah and Arizona, what they refer to as Short Creek.  Lee Steed is the man who bought the properties in this Colorado area.  He agreed to speak on camera if we would not show his face.  He was asked why he purchased the properties.  "It's been my privilege to help these people and to find places to live for people to remove from the persecution at Short Creek," Steed replied.     Read more

Colorado Town Gets Educated On Polygamist Group

Written by Rick Sallinger CBS 4 - Denver Originally broadcast November 11, 2008

WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (CBS4) -- What does a town do when it discovers a controversial polygamist group has bought several properties and moved in some of its members?  That's what has happened around Westcliffe in southern Colorado.  CBS4's Rick Sallinger traveled to Westcliffe to find out and became the first TV reporter allowed inside one of the compounds of the polygamist group in Colorado.  Rick reported that the town of Westcliffe was caught by surprise.  They suddenly learned those living there were members of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS).  The FLDS Church is known for its practice of polygamy.  Dorothy Barlow is one of the FLDS ladies Sallinger spoke with inside the compound.  "Did you live in a plural marriage?" Sallinger asked. "Yes, I did. I loved it. I had no regrets," Barlow replied.  The presence of the polygamist group has caused a lot of talk around Westcliffe, about 2 1/2 hours south of Denver.  "I don't think we need to have polygamists here," one woman playing cards told CBS4.  Another woman was asked, "How do you feel about their presence?"  Well polygamy is against the law," she answered.  One neighbor wrote a letter to the zoning board complaining "barracks" were being built.  A real estate agent added, "We need to consider the effect on our property values."  That led to a visit by Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe.  He explained why he came with a search warrant.     Read more

How I Got That Story: FLDS

Written by Rick Sallinger CBS 4 - Denver Originally broadcast November 11, 2008

WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (CBS4) -- It was several months ago a friend of mine first told me about the polygamist religious group the FLDS. presence in southern Colorado.  He said the Fundamentalist Later Day Saints were buying up lots of properties around Westcliffe.  Weighing the difficulties in doing such a story I never figured we'd be able to get inside.  We learned from the Wet Mountain Tribune in Westcliffe that a man by the name of Lee Steed had purchased at least five properties in Custer and Fremont counties.  This information had first been made public by the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery Alabama.  It had conducted research on this after receiving a tip.  The Wet Mountain Tribune also reported that a group had formed in Westcliffe called "Step Up."  They were bringing in speakers from Utah and Denver to educate the people about the FLDS.  "Step Up" also wanted to learn what to do should an F.L.D.S. member come into the community wanting to flee.  My next task was to try to make contact with "Step Up" and the FLDS.  Through intermediaries I was able to get word to each group that I was interested in doing a story.  I heard back from "Step Up" which was curious to see how educated I was on the subject.  After extensive emailing a personal meeting was arranged.  As for the FLDS I was given a phone number to call for Lee Steed -- the man who had purchased the properties.  I also arranged a personal meeting.     Read more

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