A Fundamentalist LDS Church member arrested after being accused of violating the terms of his pre-trial release will be released from jail again.
Advertisement
The defendants are not allowed to have contact with potential witnesses or co-defendants as a condition of remaining free pending trial. Wayman is believed to be a leader in the towns on the Arizona-Utah state line where the church is based, and Barlow is the manager of the Meadowayne Dairy Store in Colorado City, Utah, where some of the fraud allegedly took place.
From left: Seth Jeffs, John Wayman and Preston Barlow.
FBI investigators found John Wayman, a former FLDS bishop, and Seth Jeffs, the bishop of the FLDS church in South Dakota, in the same location when they were arrested Monday, the St. George Spectrum reported. Barlow is scheduled to appear before the magistrate judge Wednesday. Barlow was with them on July 29, according to the Global Positioning System data. They are being held in the Washington County Jail.
Advertisement
A total of 11 FLDS members were arrested in February for stealing more than $12 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps. They have pleaded not guilty. As part of their release agreement, the men were ordered to wear Global Positioning System ankle monitors and were prohibited from associating with potential witnesses or other defendants in the case. Lyle Jeffs is still on the loose, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors agreed to release Barlow under those same terms. FOX 13 first reported the Federal Bureau of Investigation believes he used a substance that may have been olive oil to slip out of his Global Positioning System monitoring device. The FLDS’ acting leader, who escaped his ankle bracelet with help of olive oil, remains a fugitive.
