Waco, Part Deux: Eldorado, Texas

In addition to the official criminal charges, many former followers also allege that Jeffs habitually molests and rapes his followers, who submit to his every whim without a second thought. Current estimates hold that Jeffs may have upwards of 60 wives, and tales of his abuse and requirement of absolute submission to his authority by his followers abound. Jeffs also allegedly seeks to reintroduce an old Mormon tradition called “blood atonement,” under which “serious” sins can only be atoned by the sinner's death.

Persuasive and intelligent, Jeffs has the outward appearance of a kind and gentle man, but many agree that within the depths of his mind resides a dangerous and savage persona. According to author Jon Krakauer, who’s completed extensive research on the spiritual leader, Jeffs, with the outward appearance of a soft-spoken, gentle soul, is in reality “a freak…a sick guy…an evil, evil man."

FLDS is one of the many groups that split with the Mormon Church when it officially renounced polygamy as a practice in 1890. While many such splinter groups still employ the illegal practice in relatively peaceful ways, Jeffs has taken it to harsh extremes, converting his many wives into virtual slaves and arranging marriages between older men and girls as young as 16.

Essentially, FLDS is a Jonestown/Branch Davidian-style religious cult, with Warren Jeffs as its infallible, God-chosen leader. Members of FLDS believe that they are the last remaining tribe of Israel, and that when the end of the world comes – which, apparently, is right around the corner – only they will be spared from God’s wrath. Subsequently, when the sinners have been wiped clean from the earth by the vengeful hand of The Almighty, it’ll be their duty to “start anew.” Jeffs is their absolute and infallible prophet and shepherd, and his word is law with his followers, who may number in the thousands.

By its very nature, FLDS is a nomadic organization: Its followers are perpetually relocating their headquarters, always one step ahead of law enforcement and the pitchfork-wielding townsfolk who want them out of their communities. The latest headquarters presently sits out in west Texas; before Texas, it was Arizona and Utah. While there is a chance that FLDS may move once again – this time from Texas to South Dakota – FBI and Eldorado local police aren’t betting on it just yet.

Though very little is known about what goes on inside the YFZ Ranch (its inhabitants are forbidden to speak with outsiders), the FBI and Eldorado cops both seem certain that this situation could get ugly if Jeffs is indeed found to be inside. The major difference between this situation and the Waco case is simple – in Waco, there were a few hundred cult members, at most; in Eldorado, there may well be several thousand. To the say the very least, this scenario is far more delicate and unstable.

The question is: If they become convinced that Warren Jeffs is on the YFZ Ranch, how will the FBI and police go about apprehending him? Is it even possible that Jeffs could be taken into custody without armed confrontation? Hopefully this time it won’t end in a senseless massacre of men, women, and children, as we saw in Waco, but it doesn’t seem like this has been put outside the realm of possibility as of yet. After all, it’s sort of difficult to negotiate with people who think they’re the chosen tribe of God.