Goddard calls for patience in polygamy case

Authorities are making progress in "unprecedented" efforts to crack down on child abuse and other crimes in the reclusive polygamist enclave of Colorado City, Attorney General Terry Goddard said Wednesday.

Goddard wouldn't talk about any ongoing criminal investigations, but he urged patience from lawmakers and other critics who have said it's time to see results. A group of 22 House members sent Goddard a letter on Monday urging him to take action in Colorado City.

"Patience pays off," Goddard said. "We learned this lesson recently after watching the safe return of the state corrections officer after 15 days being held hostage by two prisoners. We are practicing the same patience with regard to Colorado City because we can't change 50 years of mistrust overnight."

In addition to spearheading the investigations and stepped-up patrols in the area, Goddard said he and Mohave County officials will open a public-safety facility in Colorado City within 90 days.

It will be a haven where residents can flee from abuse and make complaints to law enforcement without fear of retribution from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which owns all property in the community.

Goddard said he continues to work jointly with Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff to investigate and prosecute child abusers and other criminals in the community, but finding witnesses to testify against church members remains a challenge.

Goddard said his investigators have debriefed many of the 20 or so Colorado City residents who were excommunicated last month and kicked out of the community by Warren Jeffs, the controversial prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"One of the excommunicated members told me, 'Six weeks ago I was praying for the death of you and (Utah Attorney General) Mark Shurtleff. Now I realize that you are our best chance at resolving a problem that's been around a very long time,' " Goddard said.

Goddard also said that he is backing a bill in the Legislature that would make child bigamy, or taking another spouse younger than 18, a felony. And he has asked lawmakers for an extra $5 million in his budget to represent children who have fled abuse and neglect.

Two female teenagers who fled Colorado City recently were put into foster care in Phoenix. But Flora Jessop, a former Colorado City resident who left as a teenager in 1986, said Goddard and other authorities are still not doing enough to prevent children from being forced into plural marriages.

Jessop, a leader of Help the Child Brides, said opening a community center in Colorado City won't help because she believes Child Protective Services has returned runaways to abusive polygamist families.

"What's the difference between having it in Kingman or Colorado City if the same people are in charge?" Jessop said.

Goddard said he doubts CPS would return children if there were allegations of abuse. But he admitted it could be tough to get area residents to trust state officials. "People who are being abused in Colorado City still fear the (Department of Public Safety) or the state more than they do the abuser," he said. "And that's the fundamental issue that we're trying to deal with."