Governor signs extradition warrant to send polygamist leader to Texas

Governor Gary Herbert has signed an extradition warrant to send polygamist leader Warren Jeffs to Texas to face charges there, Fox 13 has learned. The governor signed the warrant late Tuesday, a spokeswoman confirmed.

"The governor received the request and after careful review, he signed it," said governor's spokeswoman Angie Welling. "It's also accompanied by an executive agreement which allows the state to bring Mr. Jeffs back to Utah once the Texas case is concluded."


Jeffs, 54, is facing child sex assault and bigamy charges in Texas, accused of marrying an underage girl.

A copy of the warrant obtained by Fox 13 under a public records request in Texas, seeks to have him handed over to Texas Rangers from either the Utah State Prison in Draper or Washington County's Purgatory Jail. Jeffs' defense team has previously said they would fight efforts to extradite the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader to the Lone Star state.

Meanwhile, the Utah Attorney General's Office said it planned to seek a rehearing before the Utah Supreme Court, which overturned Jeffs' convictions here on rape as an accomplice. The court cited improper jury instructions. The Washington County Attorney's Office in St. George told Fox 13 that it is still considering whether or not to re-try Jeffs, who was accused of performing a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin.

FOX 13's Ben Winslow reports