The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
A year ago Heber Jeffs was sentenced to five years in a Piute County, Utah court for first degree felony kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl he previously had in his care.
When the girl’s mother sought to take her child back, Jeffs refused and fled Utah. He was later arrested in Minot, then extradited to Utah to face charges.
Jeffs is the son of Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was apparently a revelation from the elder Jeffs that Heber Jeffs take the girl and flee the state of Utah, from approximately 200 miles south of Salt Lake City, according to Piute County state’s attorney Scott Burns.
This happened a year ago and would, in most cases be considered old news. Unfortunately, there has been some recent chatter around the state that other polygamists may be here in North Dakota.
There are currently more than 11,000 Mormons living in North Dakota, but it must be understood this law abiding group worships in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The Jeffs family is part of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which refuses to adhere to Utah and federal law that polygamy is illegal and has been in Utah since 1896.
The LDS and FDLS are two completely separate groups and shouldn’t be confused.
Unfortunately, they sometimes are and there is no way to prove the rumors that other polygamists are actually living in the state. But the communities of Williston, Fargo and Minot have been mentioned as places FDLS members might be living, or at least staying on a temporary basis.
What we do know is that Jaska Jeffs, Warren Jeffs’ daughter, has worked in Fargo, and KELO-TV in Sioux Falls has reported the FDLS had purchased properties in Argyle, S.D., Grand Marais, Minn., and Menomonie, Wis. It was also reported the South Dakota property was later sold.
According to KWTX-TV in Waco, Texas, 10 girls were rescued by a Rapid City, S.D., couple from a home in Custer in 2022 after having ties with FDLS. That same TV station reported that at least a dozen intentionally remote properties were owned by
FDLS in North Dakota and South Dakota.
The Rapid City couple said they took these girls to safety who wore unusual clothes, knew absolutely nothing about society, weren’t able to read and refused to say who their guardian might have been.
In recent months, a Minot man said he saw a similar situation in his neighborhood in which several girls, presumably underage, came out of a house all wearing unusual clothes and had a curiosity about what this man was doing on his lawn, but all acted extremely timid and naive.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, FDLS members are fanning out under an order by Warren Jeffs. Many are leaving Utah and moving to unsuspecting states and once they arrive, are usually holed up in a house or compound and take orders from Warren Jeffs’ revelations on Zoom.
It was also reported these FDLS members live in remote areas and are willing to travel hundreds of miles to purchase groceries and other supplies to not raise suspicion.
This is actually a difficult subject to pin down. There are no statistics or facts other than Heber Jeffs’ arrest and extradition to Utah. People are free to dress any way they want and young girls are often timid among strangers. But when up to 10 appear from a house fitting the description, it certainly raises suspicion.
If there are underage girls in North Dakota who are waiting to be married and be one of many wives of older FDLS men, they, or someone who can prove they are in this situation, may contact one of many domestic violence abuse centers in the state.
There are actually 22 communities in North Dakota that provide domestic violence support. They include Bismarck, Belcourt, Bottineau, Ellendale, Grafton, Lisbon, Stanley, Washburn, Beulah, Devils Lake, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Valley City, Williston, Dickinson, Fort Totten, Jamestown, New Town and Wahpeton.
The Custer County, S.D., Sheriff’s Department recommends that if you come into contact with girls or young women in this manner, who are curious and may be seeking advice on safety, you should contact your local sheriff’s department. They will be able to handle it properly and get the girls the help they need.
