Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 6, 2006, Page 46
to Jeffs, who has told followers not cooperate. ..Despite Jeffs‘ arrest in Utah, work
continues on the FLDS compound southwest of Pringle, TX. The main building on the 40-
acre site will, according to documents filed with the County, total 14,000 square feet and
include 18 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. Two existing buildings, in a gated, fenced-off
compound, are set up like a bed and breakfast, with large communal kitchens and living
rooms associated with separate bedrooms (five to ten per building) and bathrooms. ..Jeffs
is making phone calls from jail to groups of followers, with whom he sings songs, but says
nothing to them that is ―the slightest bit inflammatory or threatening,‖ according to a police
source. Followers visiting him in jail have been observed to be ―furiously scribbling‖ notes
A Third District Court judge in Salt Lake City has indicated that she will approve a
restructuring of the United Effort Plan Trust — the entity that owns all the real estate in the
polygamous communities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The
restructuring will allow residents to gain control over the properties they occupy by
receiving ―deeds outright‖ or through ―spendthrift trusts.‖ They also have the option of
remaining tenants, a likely choice for the most faithful. (A spendthrift trust is a middle
ground that allows a resident to use the property but prevents it from being turned over
again to the FLDS or ―another central authority.‖) The reform plan calls also for a seven
member board — five of the appointees would be former FLDS members — to manage the
trust‘s assets, including public property and to encourage educational and economic
opportunities in the towns. ..Gary Engels, a police officer appointed by the County attorney
to work in the FLDS town of Colorado City, AZ, says he‘s been followed and harassed as he
drives around investigating alleged criminal activities in the polygamous community.
―Usually, it‘s the younger men. They‘ll follow me, pass, cut in front of me, box me in, force
me off the road, throw rocks. It‘s intimidation, games they try to play.‖ ...The ‗Jane Doe‘
who will be the lead witness in the case against FLDS leader Warren Jeffs is prepared for
her role, according to a county attorney. It is a case, he says, ―about someone in a position
of power and authority abusing a young girl.‖ In calling for other victims to come forward,
he said, ―We will do everything we can to protect and preserve the privacy, confidentiality
and respect for people who want to come out‖ of the polygamous community. He believes
that the FLDS will not react violently to state actions because the group ―has historically
been very docile.‖
The conviction of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member
Kelly Fischer for fathering a child by his 15-year-old stepdaughter, whom he ―spiritually‖
married and took as a second wife, is especially notable because it was decided without the
testimony of the alleged victim. (He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years‘
probation.) Neighbor Isaac Wyler testified to what he saw and knew about the relationship,
and former FLDS follower Richard Holm testified about the practices of the church. Fischer‘s
attorneys say the evidence should be discounted because it came from disgruntled
excommunicated members and that the Fischer family is happily intact. Former plural wife
Carolyn Jessop says of her former brethren: ―You are culturally adapted to the abuse, and if
you come forward, you will never fit into this society again — which is all you know.‖
Authorities hope the case sets a precedent for other ―polygamy-abuse‖ cases, while some
polygamists fear that the action will turn into a witch hunt targeting polygamists and
ignoring non-polygamist women who marry young and bear children.
The judge who decided the case said he doesn‘t see Fischer as a typical sexual predator and
that the young woman does not consider herself a victim. He noted that the parent-
approved relationship would have been legal if Fischer had not already been married and
had legally wed her. The case was not about polygamy, he said. ―My attitude and perception
has been that polygamy in Colorado City is something that is perfectly acceptable to the
government agencies in this area and the only reason these cases have become involved in
the criminal justice system are the assertions and allegations that some of the plural wives
to Jeffs, who has told followers not cooperate. ..Despite Jeffs‘ arrest in Utah, work
continues on the FLDS compound southwest of Pringle, TX. The main building on the 40-
acre site will, according to documents filed with the County, total 14,000 square feet and
include 18 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. Two existing buildings, in a gated, fenced-off
compound, are set up like a bed and breakfast, with large communal kitchens and living
rooms associated with separate bedrooms (five to ten per building) and bathrooms. ..Jeffs
is making phone calls from jail to groups of followers, with whom he sings songs, but says
nothing to them that is ―the slightest bit inflammatory or threatening,‖ according to a police
source. Followers visiting him in jail have been observed to be ―furiously scribbling‖ notes
A Third District Court judge in Salt Lake City has indicated that she will approve a
restructuring of the United Effort Plan Trust — the entity that owns all the real estate in the
polygamous communities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The
restructuring will allow residents to gain control over the properties they occupy by
receiving ―deeds outright‖ or through ―spendthrift trusts.‖ They also have the option of
remaining tenants, a likely choice for the most faithful. (A spendthrift trust is a middle
ground that allows a resident to use the property but prevents it from being turned over
again to the FLDS or ―another central authority.‖) The reform plan calls also for a seven
member board — five of the appointees would be former FLDS members — to manage the
trust‘s assets, including public property and to encourage educational and economic
opportunities in the towns. ..Gary Engels, a police officer appointed by the County attorney
to work in the FLDS town of Colorado City, AZ, says he‘s been followed and harassed as he
drives around investigating alleged criminal activities in the polygamous community.
―Usually, it‘s the younger men. They‘ll follow me, pass, cut in front of me, box me in, force
me off the road, throw rocks. It‘s intimidation, games they try to play.‖ ...The ‗Jane Doe‘
who will be the lead witness in the case against FLDS leader Warren Jeffs is prepared for
her role, according to a county attorney. It is a case, he says, ―about someone in a position
of power and authority abusing a young girl.‖ In calling for other victims to come forward,
he said, ―We will do everything we can to protect and preserve the privacy, confidentiality
and respect for people who want to come out‖ of the polygamous community. He believes
that the FLDS will not react violently to state actions because the group ―has historically
been very docile.‖
The conviction of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member
Kelly Fischer for fathering a child by his 15-year-old stepdaughter, whom he ―spiritually‖
married and took as a second wife, is especially notable because it was decided without the
testimony of the alleged victim. (He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years‘
probation.) Neighbor Isaac Wyler testified to what he saw and knew about the relationship,
and former FLDS follower Richard Holm testified about the practices of the church. Fischer‘s
attorneys say the evidence should be discounted because it came from disgruntled
excommunicated members and that the Fischer family is happily intact. Former plural wife
Carolyn Jessop says of her former brethren: ―You are culturally adapted to the abuse, and if
you come forward, you will never fit into this society again — which is all you know.‖
Authorities hope the case sets a precedent for other ―polygamy-abuse‖ cases, while some
polygamists fear that the action will turn into a witch hunt targeting polygamists and
ignoring non-polygamist women who marry young and bear children.
The judge who decided the case said he doesn‘t see Fischer as a typical sexual predator and
that the young woman does not consider herself a victim. He noted that the parent-
approved relationship would have been legal if Fischer had not already been married and
had legally wed her. The case was not about polygamy, he said. ―My attitude and perception
has been that polygamy in Colorado City is something that is perfectly acceptable to the
government agencies in this area and the only reason these cases have become involved in
the criminal justice system are the assertions and allegations that some of the plural wives
