At first the term 'very dangerous man' surprised me but when you consider that this man brainwashed people, abused young girls, stripped many of their free will and topped it off with bleeding $200 million from his followers, the term seems very appropriate. He may not be physically violent but he has pretty much torn apart the souls of many many people. That kind of manipulation is pure atrocious
Arrest Of Alleged Polygamist Church Leader May Not End His Power Wednesday August 30, 2006 Warren Jeffs has been on the run for over two years.
Since that time, he's been put on the FBI's Most Wanted List, appeared continuously on America's Most Wanted and had his picture plastered online by those who want to catch him.
But now the 50-year-old American fugitive is finally in custody and it all happened in the most harmless way possible - a routine traffic stop.
So who is Warren Jeffs and why are so many people after him?
The man many call their 'leader' is an acknowledge polygamist who leads at least 10,000 congregants in a church-like cult known as The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (not to be confused with the Mormon L.D.S.) based in Utah, Arizona and Texas.
He's accused of ordering his followers to commit polygamy and incest and child abuse, crimes he's also accused of.
Those who managed to leave the cult charge Jeffs ruled by fear and intimidation, threatening reprisals against those who dared disobey his God-like commands. But since most of his followers refused to testify against him, officials were never able to bring him to justice.
He was finally nailed in Arizona, when a jury indicted him on charges he arranged the marriage of a 16-year-old girl to a man who already had a wife. And they allege he practiced what he preached. He was charged with sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to conduct sexual conduct with a minor.
He also built up a $200 million trust fund, contributed by his supporters, which allowed him to hide out while on the run and live in comfort. His fundraising efforts are now under scrutiny, as well, with allegations of fraud front and centre.
Jeffs has been on the FBI's Most Top 10 Wanted List since May and authorities considered him a very dangerous man. So when a lawman for the Nevada Highway Patrol stopped him for a minor traffic violation on Tuesday, the amount of luggage he had in his car for a supposed one-night stay in Las Vegas ignited his suspicions. And Jeffs own actions also raised his eyebrows.
"Something was obviously wrong," remembers Trooper Eddie Dutchover. "I even told him, 'You're making me nervous. Is everything OK?"'
He eventually handed over a receipt with a phony name to try to prove his I.D., but gave up when the feds arrived. "Once the FBI got there ... he gave his full name, Warren Jeffs, and kind of gave a sigh," Dutchover recalls.
Cops found a cache of cash, gift cards, various wigs and even letters addressed to "President Warren Jeffs," a reference to the cultist teaching his children he was the President of the United States.
Jeffs was accompanied by some of his dozens of wives, who aren't facing any charges. His brother was driving the car when it was stopped.
Authorities fear Jeffs' pull is so strong for his true believers that he'll still be able to order them around even if he's convicted on the charges against him.
"I think there's a structure in place that if Warren got caught they'll still carry out his word, and they'll figure out how to keep communicating with him," comments Andrew Chatwin, a former church member who escaped the group last year. "They'll stay loyal. Warren's not dead yet."
The 'church' also has a branch in the town of Bountiful, B.C., and there were fears for a time that the wanted suspect was hiding out north of the border.
