Polygamist Feud Fuels Fears of Violence

C O L O R A D O   C I T Y, Ariz. , Jan. 27 -- A former member of the nation's largest polygamist church is calling for the ouster of its cult-like leader, as authorities worry a violent standoff may be brewing.

Ross Chatwin, who says he was told to leave the polygamist sect, held a news conference Friday to discuss his feud with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The secretive sect of Mormon outcasts is based in Colorado City, a town that straddles the Utah-Arizona line. Members believe in plural marriages, a practice that the original Mormon church outlawed in 1890.

Chatwin, who compared Warren Jeffs, the sect leader, to Adolf Hilter in a news conference last week, says he believes Jeffs fears he is losing control over his flock.

"Ultimately, I feel like he thought I was a threat to his power, regardless of what any kind of excuse he uses," Chatwin, 35, said.

Jeffs has ordered 21 top members of the FLDS, including Chatwin, to leave their church-owned homes and their families in what appears to be a play for even more power. Jeffs, who has dozens of wives, is known as "the Prophet." His church members say they believe Jeffs speaks directly to God.

Meanwhile, Chatwin said he would not follow the sect leader's instructions to leave the town, his wife, Lori, and their six children. His defiant statements has led to what authorities fear is a dangerous standoff.

Fears of Another Waco

Authorities are worried violence may be brewing among the 6,000 residents of the secretive religious community, and there are fears that a standoff reminiscent of Waco could be building. Some former sect members echo that fear.

"It is that fanaticism that scares me," said Deloyd Bateman, who left the sect five years ago. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone gets shot here."

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says a task force of authorities from both states, plus federal and local agencies, are investigating Jeffs, 47, and the activities of his church. Shurtleff considers the group to be very similar to a cult, and says that Jeff is a dictator to the people.