ST. GEORGE — The FBI has conducted several raids in Colorado City, Arizona, involving a sect of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The FBI’s office out of Phoenix, Arizona, confirmed that they were in Colorado City Tuesday “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity.”
St. George News has learned at approximately 10:45 a.m., the FBI performed a raid on the home of known local FLDS leader Samuel Bateman. Bateman leads a break-off sect of the FLDS religion in Colorado City.
The raid comes nearly 15 years to the day, on Sept. 25, 2007, that FLDS leader Warren Jeffs was convicted in a St. George court of being an accomplice to rape. That conviction was later overturned, and Jeffs was subsequently convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a minor in Texas, where he remains in prison. Jeffs has continued to lead the FLDS from prison.
According to past media reports, Bateman came out shortly after Warren Jeffs was arrested on Aug. 29, 2006, and claimed he was the one to receive revelation for the FLDS religion. Shortly after, Seth Jeffs claimed he would be revealing revelation from his brother while he has been imprisoned at the Louis C. Powledge Unit, a prison near Palestine, Texas.
In the last month, Warren Jeffs released new edicts from prison, seen by St. George News. They give authority to one of his sons, Helaman Jeffs, to lead and perform polygamous marriages. This includes an edict telling all women to quit jobs in the workplace and return to being housewives, as well as gathering the children back into the church.
Multiple witnesses in Colorado City have confirmed with St. George News that the FBI was at two houses and one other property owned by Bateman.
Another anonymous witness said they were told by an FBI agent one person was arrested, but they were fulfilling search warrants on three locations throughout town.
Marshal Robb Radley, of the Colorado City Marshal’s Office, said the FBI was present and fulfilling an arrest warrant for “individual crimes, not related to any organization.”
“I cannot say anything more,” Radley said.
Kevin Smith, with the FBI in Phoenix, replied by email to St. George News with the following statement:
“All I can do at this time is to confirm that the FBI was in Colorado City today conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity. No other information is available at the moment.”
There is no confirmation of the identity of the person arrested or the criminal charges committed.
This report is based on statements from law enforcement officials and witnesses. They may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information is available.
Photo Gallery
A map showing the location of where FBI was executing search warrants on Samuel Bateman's properties, Colorado City, Ariz,, Sept. 13, 2022 | Map courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News The FBI search warrants on FLDS sect leader Samuel Bateman's properties, Colorado City, Ariz, Sept. 13, 2022 | Submitted Photograph, St. George News The FBI search warrants on FLDS sect leader Samuel Bateman's properties, Colorado City, Ariz, Sept. 13, 2022 | Submitted Photograph, St. George News The FBI search warrants on FLDS sect leader Samuel Bateman's properties, Colorado City, Ariz, Sept. 13, 2022 | Submitted Photograph, St. George News The FBI search warrants on FLDS sect leader Samuel Bateman's properties, Colorado City, Ariz, Sept. 13, 2022 | Submitted Photograph, St. George News The FBI search warrants on FLDS sect leader Samuel Bateman's properties, Colorado City, Ariz, Sept. 13, 2022 | Submitted Photograph, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.