Warren Jeffs issues revelations amid new allegations of girls being ‘held’ by FLDS
Although Shurtleff’s spokesman later said it’s premature to call it an investigation, Shurtleff said he wants to pursue the allegation.
“The worry is that there are still children being trafficked in potential sexual crimes or being held for the prophet for that purpose. We don’t know exactly. But that is a concern and that is something I intend to look into.”
The latest allegation comes in a context of rising tension in Jeffs’ principle community, the twin towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Utah’s Hildale in Washington County. According to former members and outside critics, Jeffs set a deadline of Dec. 31 for members to demonstrate their righteousness. They were reportedly ordered to undergo intense personal interviews, to pledge loyalty to Jeffs, to obey new strict rules about personal behavior and to turn over large amounts of money.
As the new year dawned, somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 people were reportedly told they are not righteous enough to attend regular meetings of the Fundamentalist LDS Church.
One man in the blackballed group claims his wife and 10 children were taken away from his home by FLDS leaders at 3 a.m. one recent morning. Private investigator Sam Brower said the man called him in tears.
“He had been left destitute by Warren,” Brower said. “All of his money and everything he had had been going to the church and now he’d lost his family. So it’s very, very sad and it’s a very volatile situation out there.”