This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Hildale, Utah • Tensions are growing among the polygamous sect that straddles the Utah-Arizona border and officials enforcing a slate of eviction notices.
Local officials say a woman attempted to run into a constable with her vehicle after he questioned her Tuesday, the Spectrum of St. George reported.
The constable was trying to enforce 10 eviction notices served in May by a trust called the United Effort Plan, which owns most of the land in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona.
The towns are collectively known as the Short Creek community, home to many members of polygamous leader Warren Jeff's Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Trust employee Isaac Wyler said he was visiting homes with Constable Michael Hoggard on Tuesday when they spotted a woman sitting in a van outside a home.
They tried to find out if she lived there, but she wouldn't speak to them, Wyler said.
The constable then told her that law enforcement was on the way to force an eviction and turned toward the house.
"He was walking right in front of the van when she gunned it," Wyler said.
"She was on gravel and she spun out - she didn't get any traction. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get out of the way."
A Mohave County sheriff's deputy arrived and spent about an hour talking to the woman, Wyler said.
Trish Carter, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said Ethel Jessop was cited for misdemeanor reckless driving.
The trust is evicting residents who have outstanding debts dating back to 2009. Many also owe thousands in property taxes.
The trust began charging residents monthly "occupancy fees" to cover its mounting legal bills.
The trust's previous managers dodged legal disputes and it came to be controlled by Utah courts. It has been the subject of several lawsuits in the years since.
Some FLDS residents have appealed to the courts, saying the evictions are religious discrimination.
But trust officers have said they would prefer not to evict the residents and simply have them pay the fees instead.
Even after eviction, some FLDS residents try to stymie trust representatives.
"We've been having a real problem with FLDS people even after we've had the property for weeks and months," said Wyler. "They've gone in and changed the locks."