Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs Extradited to Texas

(Dec. 1) -- Warren Jeffs, the leader of a polygamist sect, appeared in court in Texas today on charges of bigamy and sexual assault, ending the legal battle over extraditing him from Utah.

Jeffs, 54, appeared for a 15-minute arraignment in a Tom Green County District Court this morning. He was shown a copy of the indictment against him and was asked if he would like the court to appoint an attorney for him.

"I need more time," Jeffs said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Jeffs faces charges that he married a child under the age of 16 in 2006 while still married to another woman, and that he sexually assaulted two children. If found guilty, Jeffs could face 99 years in prison, CNN said.

Warren Jeffs sits in the Third District Court in Salt Lake City

Trent Nelson, Pool / AP

Warren Jeffs, seen here in November, appeared in a Texas court Wednesday on charges of bigamy and sexual assault.

Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an offshoot of the mainstream Mormon church. Members of the sect openly practice polygamy on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, and in two towns that straddle the Utah-Arizona border.

The mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renounced polygamy more than 100 years ago.

Critics of Jeffs' sect say that it forces young girls into polygamous marriages with much older men, who then abuse the girls.

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Jeffs was serving two consecutive sentences of five years to life in Utah for his role in the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. However, the sentences were overturned on the grounds of erroneous instructions that were given to jurors.

He fought the extradition to Texas, saying that it would deny him the right to a speedy trial. The Utah Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 23 that it would not block the extradition, according to The Associated Press.

"After the Utah Supreme Court made its decision last week, there really was no legal reason for him not to be transferred," Utah Assistant Attorney General Craig Barlow said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.