Jailed polygamous sect leader Jeffs again hospitalized after fasting
Polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs spent nearly three hours in an Arizona hospital last week after sporadic fasting left him weak and lethargic.
Trish Carter, spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, said Jeffs was taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center on Thursday around 5:30 p.m. He was treated and returned to the Kingman Jail at 8:15 p.m.
[…]Jail Commander Bruce Brown told Tri-State News Network that Jeffs, 52, should weigh no less than 160 lbs based on his height, but is down to 144 lbs. Brown said Jeffs was given intravenous fluids.
Brown told the news outlet that Jeffs hase been steadily fasting since Sept. 11 and had experienced a rapid weight loss during that period.
This is the third trip to the hospital for Jeffs since he was taken into custody in 2006.
[…]Jeffs is awaiting trial in Arizona on charges related to two underage marriages he conducted.
Brown told Tri-State News Network that the jail has asked its attorneys to look into the feasibility of getting a court order that would allow Jeffs to be force-feed as necessary.
He also told the news outlet that the jail has imposed a 15-minute, three times-a-day limit on the amount of time Jeffs can spend on his knees praying. Jeffs’ refusal to comply with that rule has led the jail to use soft restraints to restrict him to his bed, Brown told Tri-State News Network.