Warren Jeff's attorneys have reason to celebrate. They fought a battle of attrition against the Mohave County Attorney and won.
Jeff's followers in the FLDS group have reason to celebrate. The dropping of charges in Arizona is a kind of vindication. They might even call the conviction on two counts of rape as an accomplice in Utah an aberration.
Jeff's foes have reason to celebration. Sure, there will be no trial in Arizona. But the battle was so drawn out (mostly by Jeff's attorneys) that he served more time in jail waiting for a trial than he would have if convicted on the remaining charges. (That's from the judge folks, not me.) What's more, Texas is now free to extradite Jeffs.
And that's why the dismissal of charges in Arizona is not good news for Warren Jeffs. Sources tell me the Kingman jail was relatively comfortable -- much more comfortable than the jail in little Schleicher County, Texas.
Also, the Texas charges are much more serious. He's not charged with being an accomplice, he's charged with the rape itself -- of being the groom in a marriage with an underage bride. The maximum sentence is life.
The Texas Attorney General has been handling all the cases so far against other FLDS men. And so far, he's 5-for-5 with two plea bargains and three jury convictions. The sentence on the last conviction was 75 years.
Warren Jeffs could end up spending the rest of his life in a Texas prison.
