How much is that criminal worth?
Bounty hunter says current reward not enough to search for Warren Jeffs
By PATRICE ST. GERMAIN
patrices@thespectrum.com
With a $50,000 reward offered by the FBI for the arrest and conviction of Warren Jeffs, who made the agency's fugitive list in August, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints joins another group of not only wanted fugitives, but those with rewards.
But the money - even with $60,000 now at stake, which includes $10,000 put up by the attorneys general of Utah and Arizona - isn't enough to make local private investigator, bail bondsman and bounty hunter Sam Brower give up his other cases to search for Jeffs.
Brower points out that Jeffs hasn't jumped bail, so unless he is found and convicted, a person may not get any money other than the $10,000 offered by the Utah and Arizona attorneys general. Also, those who have jumped bail don't have the same constitutional rights that are protecting Jeffs.
"Bounty hunters have the rights to enter a residence and go beyond the constitutional protection that most are protected by," Brower said. "When you jump bail, you are no longer protected."
Brower said Jeffs has something that most bail jumpers don't have - vast funds and resources.
"Normally, when someone jumps bail, they have limited funds and resources and there may be a family member that will rat them out," Brower said. "You are not looking at someone who has about 10,000 people that would consider it an honor and a privilege to hide you."
It's that simple fact that keeps Jeffs' whereabouts hidden from authorities.
But Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is hoping that the increased reward will finally bring in tips that will lead to Jeffs' arrest.
"He (Jeffs) has a whole structure in place of people sending him money and watching out for him. It's a closed nature of society and we needed an incentive," Shurtleff said.
Jeffs is sought in a joint effort by the FBI, Mojave County Attorney's Office, the Arizona State Attorney General's Office and the United States Attorney's Office. An arrest warrant was issued by the Mojave County Attorney on June 9, 2005, charging Jeffs with two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. Jeffs was subsequently charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in a federal arrest warrant issued by the United States Magistrate Court, District of Arizona, Flagstaff, Ariz., on June 27, 2005.
Shurtleff, whose office has never offered a reward before for information leading to someone's arrest, said it was needed to bring Jeffs to justice although at this point, he is not wanted on any charges in Utah.
"We believe he has committed a lot of crimes against women and children and he has thumbed his nose at the law," Shurtleff said. "Some of his (alleged) victims are in Utah so the Utah connection is here."
Given the charges Jeffs is facing in Mohave County, he only faces four months to two years in jail. Yet Shurtleff said there is no graph or formula for the basis of offering a reward.
"You need to factor in all the other things - the ability to catch him and the resources he has and what has worked so far," Shurtleff said. "I strongly resist the insinuation that the reward is based on the alleged crimes."
And for Shurtleff, the fact that the FBI has stepped up to offer a reward, has him delighted.
"We haven't had a lot of cooperation from the federal government in the last five years and I think this reward is a great demonstration of the federal government's determination in catching him and bringing him to justice," he said.
Although eight other men from Colorado City face charges similar to Jeffs, those men have all surrendered to authorities - something Shurtleff wishes Jeffs would do.
"He should do what his followers have done and make his argument before the court about his protected beliefs," Shurtleff said. "But he is a coward and I don't think he believes that the rules that apply to his people don't apply for him."
In a press release issued by the Phoenix office of the FBI Tuesday, it states that the FBI continues to actively pursue all leads concerning Jeffs' whereabouts.
Shurtleff said he isn't sure how many leads have been received since all leads go to Mohave County Attorney's office, but said he knew that there have been a number of tips.
