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LEHI — A polygamous Lehi family featured on the reality show "Sister Wives" has moved to Nevada.
Kody Brown, his four wives and 16 children left Utah to pursue new opportunities, said their attorney Jonathan Turley.
Meanwhile, the Utah County Attorney's Office has to date not filed criminal charges against the Browns after Lehi police investigated them on suspicion of bigamy. That investigation began in September.
"We will make a final decision one way or another, but we don't know when that will be," Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said Tuesday.
County officials did consult with the Utah Attorney General's Office, which has said it doesn't have the resources to go after polygamists unless it suspects crimes such as child abuse or child trafficking. But it leaves that decision to local jurisdictions.
The Browns moved without any charges pending, Turley said. "In the past, state officials have made it clear to polygamous families in Utah that they would not proceed against them absent evidence of some collateral crime such as child abuse," he said. "No such crimes were found in the Brown family after an extensive field investigation."
Turley lauded the county attorney's office for showing "commendable judgment and discretion" in the case.
Buhman said no one from his office has spoken with Turley. "We appreciate the compliment, but it's wrong," he said. "We have not exercised our discretion one way or another yet."
Lehi police launched the investigation last September as "Sister Wives" made its debut on TLC. They turned their findings over to the Utah County attorney to determine whether charges are warranted based on the state's unique bigamy law.
It reads: "A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife or knowing the other person has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person."
The law applies not just to people who have obtained multiple marriage licenses but also to those who are legally married to only one person while engaging in other marriage-like relationships.
Turley said he sees no legal reason why the Browns cannot live and thrive in Nevada as they have in Utah.
"They have highly successful children who have been raised in a loving household," he said. "Since they have not sought recognition of plural marriages and have not been charged with any crime, there is no legal impediment to their relocation to Nevada or other states."
E-mail: romboy@desnews.com
