Jurors from Jeffs trial tell of ‘annoying’ calls

ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Jurors who convicted the leader of a polygamous sect on sex charges have been bothered by phone calls from a private investigator working for the defense.

The calls caused 5th District Judge James Shumate to issue an order barring contact with jurors who don't want to be called.

Warren Jeffs, 51, president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was convicted of rape as an accomplice for his role in the arranged marriage of a 14-year-old girl and a 19-year-old cousin in 2001.

David Finch, the jury foreman, said he and others have received unwanted calls from an investigator hired by Jeffs' attorneys.

"What he was trying to do was get something that would impeach the jurors so they could file an appeal," Finch said. "A couple of us called the judge and told him we were having a problem with that."

He called receiving three such calls "kind of annoying."

The trial ended Sept. 19. Jeffs faces five years to life in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 20. Criminal cases against Jeffs are pending in Arizona and in Utah's federal court.