The arrest of Warren Jeffs is great news for everyone in Arizona, and its importance goes way beyond the fact that one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted fugitives is now sitting in jail.

Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), was apprehended by the Nevada Highway Patrol on August 28, 2006 in what began as a routine traffic stop. The arrest was a combination of solid police work and a lot of good luck. The 2007 Cadillac Escalade Jeffs was riding in was pulled over because the officer couldn't read its temporary license plate number. After the stop, Nevada State Trooper Dutchover saw several clues that led him to contact the FBI. All of us who have worked on this case are grateful that the arrest was made without violence.

Jeffs had thumbed his nose at law enforcement for more than a year. Facing felony charges in Arizona and Utah, as well as a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, he ignored them all, telling members of his church he was above the law. He claimed that special divine protection allowed him to disregard our judicial system.

Jeffs’ arrest and pending trials in Utah and then in Arizona should make it clear to his followers that he misled them.

The Jeffs arrest is also significant in terms of the evolution of the polygamist community of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah.

My Office has investigated and then brought legal action to reorganize the Colorado City School District, which was rife with financial mismanagement. We also played a major role, in coordination with Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, in replacing the board of the United Effort Trust (UET), which owns most of the property in Colorado City and had been used by Jeffs as a personal checking account. Two Colorado City police officers, more obedient to Jeffs than to the law, have been removed and decertified at our urging. My Office also provided a Help Line and shelter for women and children who have been victims of crime.

From jail, Jeffs cannot maintain the tyrannical hold that intimidated his followers and kept them from stepping forward and speaking out about law violations. I hope those who were victimized under his rule now feel they can safely testify against him and other leaders of the sect.

In the months ahead, Jeffs will stand trial first in Utah and then in Arizona. His arrest is a critical step toward better days for the people of Colorado City. Whoever takes Jeffs’ place as leader of the FLDS will not have control over the UET, the schools, the police or the city government, and that is a huge victory for the rule of law.

High on the long list of men and women in law enforcement who helped make changes in Colorado City possible are the investigators from this Office, particularly Ron Gibson, who have done terrific work, spending many days in Colorado City and countless more going over evidence. Jane Irvine, our Director of Programs for Children and Families, set up the Help Line and many other programs to aid victims of abuse in Colorado City. In addition, Matt Smith, the Mohave County Attorney, has brought sharp legal skills and a focus on previously unheeded evidence of abuse to his job. He has charged six followers of Warren Jeffs with sexual misconduct with a child (winning the only one to go to trial so far). His special investigator, Gary Engels, with incredible determination and courage, has been the one-man task force from outside law enforcement who works in Colorado City every day. Finally, the new Special Agent in Charge for the FBI in Arizona, John Lewis, has set a new standard for cooperation with Arizona state and local law enforcement and did much to raise the level of federal attention throughout the country. My heartfelt thanks to all who have helped bring the rule of law to Colorado City/Hildale.

Terry Goddard