Arizona Drops Case Against Polygamist Leader

Arizona has dismissed charges against Warren Jeffs, saying the polygamist sect leader has already spent more time in prison awaiting trial than he would have done if convicted. Jeffs had been charged as an accomplice to the rape of a minor for allegedly arranging marriages involving underage girls. The move clears the way for Jeffs to face more serious charges in Texas, the Arizona Republic reports.

Jeffs has already been convicted of being an accomplice to rape in Utah, although that conviction is being appealed. Arizona plans to send him to Utah for now, but Texas has already begun extradition proceedings. He faces charges there of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and bigamy based on his marriages to two underage girls at the Yearning for Zion ranch.
(More Warren Jeffs stories.)