The Washington County Attorney’s Office plans to rely on three primary witnesses and just over 1,000 documents to build its case against polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs.
Prosecutors disclosed that information in a court document filed Tuesday in response to a request from Jeffs’ attorneys.
Jeffs, charged with being an accomplice to rape, is scheduled for a Nov. 21 preliminary hearing before 5th District Judge James L. Shumate.
The key witness against Jeffs is a woman identified as “Jane Doe.” She alleges that despite her objections, Jeffs directed her to enter a spiritual marriage to a much older man.
Jeffs, 50, is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a polygamous sect based in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.
Jane Doe also is suing Jeffs for unspecified damages for the mental anguish she experienced as a result of that marriage.
In addition to Jane Doe, the state plans to call Shauna Jones and Matt Fischer, deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, as witnesses in the case.
The filing also says prosecutors may call other witnesses culled from the documents, which include statements by Jeffs, audio and video recordings, photographs and other unspecified items “seized, discovered and collected” by the state.