The title should read: Polygamy: Town in Arizona “reassigns” women and children to other men.
A power struggle has emerged in a small, tightlipped community known for polygamy, with a number of men getting kicked out of the church-owned town and their wives and children being “reassigned” against their will to other men.
Now authorities in Arizona and Utah are stepping up their years-long investigation into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with the family “reassignments” sparking concerns of forced marriage of underage girls.
In a rare show of defiance in the typically secretive community, one man who was ordered to leave is refusing to do so, and is sharing information with authorities about church leader Warren Jeffs.
Ross Chatwin, 35, held a news conference Friday at his home in Colorado City. He said he is one of tens of men recently excommunicated from the church, capping a nine-month power struggle with Jeffs.
In an apparent move to solidify his control, Jeffs on Jan. 14 ordered 20 men to leave the area, but without their wives, children and personal property. Jeffs said a vision from God told him to force the men out. He later purged more men from the community, including Chatwin.
Ah, religious freedom: an excuse to be as perverted as you wanna be. :roll:
