Polygamist accused of sex with girl enters plea deal
KINGMAN, Ariz. -- A northern Arizona polygamist entered a plea agreement Wednesday, the day his sex offense trial was to begin in Kingman.
Dale Barlow, 49, is among eight Colorado City men indicted on charges of committing sex offenses against underage girls who authorities say were assigned to the men as spiritual wives as a custom of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).
A charge of sexual conduct with a minor will be dismissed in exchange for Barlow's conviction for conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. Mohave County attorney Matt Smith said that Barlow impregnated his 16-year-old "wife" in 1999 and that she bore their child.
The deal requires Mohave County Superior Court Judge Steve Conn to impose supervised probation at sentencing, scheduled for June 15. The judge also can impose up to a one-year sentence.
Smith said FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, 51, conspired with Barlow by helping select the teen as his bride and "sealing" them as part of FLDS practice. Jeffs faces prosecution in Arizona and Utah for allegedly arranging marriages involving already legally married men to underage girls.
