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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Looking pale and gaunt in a green-striped jail uniform, polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs made his first appearance in 5th District Court via closed-circuit TV Wednesday on charges he arranged a marriage between an underage girl and an older man.
Jeffs, 50, is charged with two counts of rape as an accomplice, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. He is being held in the Purgatory Correctional Facility in nearby Hurricane.
The hearing was conducted via video, with Jeffs about 15 miles away at the jail and the judge at the Washington County courthouse in St. George.
Security was heavy at and around the courthouse. Several SWAT teams could be seen in strategic positions. None of Jeffs' supporters came to the hearing.
Judge James L. Shumate set a preliminary hearing for Sept. 19, at which time the issue of bail will be addressed.
Last week, Shumate granted a request from County Attorney Brock Belnap to temporarily revoke a $500,000 bond request. The prosecutor, who has called Jeffs a flight risk, wants bail yanked permanently.
Even if the judge sets bail, federal prosecutors would step in and put a hold on Jeffs, based on a separate but related charge tied to his fugitive status before his arrest last week, Belnap said.
Jeffs said little during the proceeding. He said his Nevada lawyer is helping him find counsel in Utah.
He said he had been advised by his lawyer, Richard Wright of Las Vegas, to request a continuance until he obtained a lawyer in Utah. Shumate said he wasn't inclined to grant the continuance but would hold a status conference on Monday to see where Jeffs was in the search for legal representation.
