Officials keep eye on sect land near Mancos
By Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published April 11, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Montezuma County authorities are keeping an eye on property near Mancos owned by the same religious sect whose Texas compound was raided last week, but they have no reason to believe anything illegal is happening there, Sheriff Gerald Wallace said Thursday.
"There's not a lot of activity," Wallace said of the two parcels located deep in southwest Colorado's San Juan National Forest. "We have not even seen any women or children."
Members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints bought land - a 60-acre parcel and a 40-acre parcel - northwest of Mancos in 2003 and 2004.
At the time they told local authorities they were building a hunting retreat.
That was the same explanation FLDS leaders gave for their 1,700-acre property in Eldorado, Texas, authorities said.
Wallace said that at the Mancos properties, which are about a quarter-mile apart, authorities have never seen more than a dozen men at one time.
They usually are doing construction, he said.
But what exactly is going on, authorities aren't sure.
The property is secluded and any activity occurs far back from the main road and out-of-sight. The land is surrounded by barbed-wire cattle fences, and men are working on building a bigger fence, Wallace said.
There are locked gates at all entrances to the land, and a guard travels the perimeter of the property on an all-terrain vehicle.
Both properties were bought by David Allred, son-in-law of Warren Jeffs, the polygamist leader or "prophet" of the FLDS. Jeffs was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison for using his religious influence to coerce a 14-year-old follower to marry her 19-year-old cousin.
Allred also was listed as the buyer of the land in Eldorado, Texas.
The sect also has property in Arizona, Utah and Canada, police said.
The Colorado land now is owned by two corporate entities related to the church, authorities say.
Though Davis has not been allowed on the property to assess it, the office has estimated its current value at $3.1 million.
The sect paid $1.4 million for the parcels, records show.
burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5343
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April 11, 2008
2:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
happymike44 writes:
Great anybody want some grape kool aid.Where did this whack job come from.I mean religion is a good thing but some people take it to the extreme.Like those lovely heavens gate people.How do these people gain control over people and their minds.Oh thats right by telling people they need them and can't live without the group.I have lost my brother to the fundamentalist movement.This means if you do not go to their church they want nothing to do with you.So we have not seen him in 15 years.So let me ask you is this what religion is supposed to do seperate whole families.Well I hope the people who have been imprisoned all this time will get to see their families again.May they be allowed to be free and live their lives anyway they want.
April 11, 2008
7:40 a.m.
Suggest removal
ChemEng72 writes:
lcdrjjxant-
You say "Bill Clinton stripped blacks from the welfare rolls" like it's a bad thing. I think that we should take the welfare system completely away from everyone who refuses to work no matter what color they are. It should not be the government's responsibility to provide for those won't take care of themselves. Think how much money this country would save if even half of the people currently on welfare actually worked, not to mention the tax income that would be coming in. We probably could reduce America's need for foreign investors to supplement our government.
April 11, 2008
8:23 a.m.
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Shaupeen writes:
They need to stop calling this a religious sect or a polygamist group and call it what it really is--a child molestation ring.
April 11, 2008
9 a.m.
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davies writes:
If the legal definition of marriage is expanded to include same-sex couples, I see no reason why a multiple-partner marriage between consenting adults would continue to be against the law.
I make this observation aside from the underage aspect of this issue, which could certainly still be prohibited.
April 11, 2008
9:32 a.m.
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Spencer writes:
I thought all the fanatics were muslims?
April 11, 2008
9:57 a.m.
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huskerco writes:
I think that Governor Ritter should issue a statement that he is convinced that no illegal activity involving children is occurring at Mancos. If he cannot do that, then he needs to do some investigation.
April 11, 2008
10:37 a.m.
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FlyfishDude52 writes:
freethought- If you can in some demented way couple polygamy and child molestation with any form of religeon then I believe you have a great future in being a spin doctor for these wackos.
Better yet, there may be more $ in democratic campaigning...
April 11, 2008
10:52 a.m.
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davies writes:
freethought: In my opinion a lot of people use religion as the context for what they choose to believe and do. But these guys (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints) look like they get pretty close to brainwashing the younger kids into staying and believing. So I guess they are a 'religious' group since they follow a certain kind of religion, but I think polygamy is their number ONE objective, and therefore I would label them as 'polygamists' first. They just use the religion context to legitimize their desire for polygamy.
As for the coerced marriage of underage girls, my best guess is they have found the need to do this, because some of the girls get too strong-willed by the time they're 18, and then it's much harder to force them to 'marry' some lusty, middle-aged, unloving control freak. But this goes beyond child molestation in my opinion; forced "marriage" of 14 and 15 year old girls is out-and-out rape.
I don't think it is a coincidence that these LDS fundamentalists and the fundamentalist muslims both like to have multiple wives and almost total control over them. The 'religions' they follow just give them the excuse to act self-righteous about it.
April 11, 2008
12:34 p.m.
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davies writes:
RickyLee: You can bash religion if you want to, but let me go on record saying that's not MY intention. I'm saying people use religion as an EXCUSE or to rationalize what they do or think. I'm sure there are plenty of 'unaffiliated' child molesters.
April 11, 2008
1:23 p.m.
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davies writes:
What I've done is take my kids to church with me for quite a few years, so they get to understand what it's about, then around age 16 I make it pretty much optional. At that point they generally become the old Christmas-and-Easter type. I know I took about 15 years off myself before I went back in my early 30s. Lots of nice people go to church; they're not all hard line zealots.
As far as Cathlolicism goes, child molestation has NEVER been preached or condoned. Covered up, yes; but that's quite different from the Fundamentalist LDS. And for mainstream Mormons, you may be right, but my daughter's best friend is one and she's definitely got a mind of her own - I doubt if they could marry her off to an 'older gent'! I'm sure the parents are hoping for another Mormon though. We shall see.
April 11, 2008
1:25 p.m.
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chief writes:
Please, they are pedophiles, first and foremost.
April 11, 2008
1:47 p.m.
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davies writes:
Who are?
April 11, 2008
3:52 p.m.
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buzzman writes:
LDS-pedophiles, child molesters, tax evasion-- all sound like probable cause for a "no knock" searach warrant-
April 11, 2008
5:19 p.m.
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sheepherder writes:
Another good reason for wiretaps!
April 11, 2008
8:59 p.m.
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happymike44 writes:
So I guess that many people feel the handicap have no right to assistance.Let me tell you I have to interview wih about twice as many potential employers as a hearing impaired individual.Many people do not want to employe someone who might not hear a customer.I also suffer from meniers syndrome it is a problem with he inner ear.I was healthy until a few years back,now I suffer from a condition I can not sometimes control.Been to ear doctors who inform me it will only get worse till I go deaf.So I work while I can and hope that I don't or won't need the assistance but if I do then I hope the people who give it to me understand I worked right up to the end.I have worked all my life and still hope that this disease will not rob me of my sense of worth in this society.