Lawyers for cult leader Warren Jeffs will question Texas lawmen

Texas lawmen will be grilled by FLDS leader’s attorneys

Lawyers for Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs have scheduled interviews with Texas authorities involved in the raid on the polygamous sect’s YFZ Ranch.

Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran, his deputy John Connor and Texas Ranger Brooks Long will be questioned next month at the San Angelo, Texas, offices of attorneys retained by the FLDS Church, a notice filed Friday in a Kingman, Ariz., court said.

“Failure to appear for this deposition may result in sanctions including, but not limited to, dismissal of the prosecution, a ruling that the search of the YFZ Ranch in April 2008 was illegal and unconstitutional, or contempt of court against the deponent,” Jeffs’ criminal defense attorney Michael Piccarreta wrote in the notice.

Piccarreta noted the lawmen could plead the Fifth Amendment or that any statement they gave could be used against them in future court cases. A judge has ordered the men to give interviews to Jeffs’ criminal defense team, which wants to know what information and evidence from the raid was shared with Arizona authorities.

Doran said the Texas Attorney General’s Office will assist them in the depositions.

“We have nothing to hide,” the sheriff told the Deseret News. “We’ll discuss whatever topic.”
[…]

Jeffs is facing trial in Arizona on sexual misconduct charges, accusing him of performing underage marriages. He was convicted in Utah of rape as an accomplice. Jeffs and 11 other FLDS members have also been indicted by a grand jury in Texas on charges ranging from sexual assault of a child to bigamy to failure to report child abuse.

– Source: Texas lawmen will be grilled by FLDS leader’s attorneys, Ben Winslow, Deseret News (Utah, USA), Nov. 21, 2008 — Summarized by Religion News Blog

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Religion News Blog posted this on Saturday November 22, 2008.
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