Sister Wives Bigamy Investigation: Lehi Prosecutors Watching Show

On September 28 we reported Sister Wives Family Under Investigation For Bigamy By Local Authorities. News the Lehi, Utah, police department had opened up an investigation on whether the Kody Brown modern fundamentalist Mormon family had broken Utah’s bigamy laws. With the second TLC episode about to air, an episode which focuses on Kody Brown’s relationship with his girlfriend Robyn, a woman with three kids from a previous relationship, we thought we’d check out the local Lehi news to see if there were any further reports on the investigation.

According to a report filed by the local Lehi newspaper the Herald Extra on September 29, Utah County prosecutor Tim Taylor doesn’t seem inclined to file charges if there’s evidence of bigamy, filing charges, according to Taylor, ‘opening up a can of worms”.

Herald Extra, Prosecutor: Polygamy charges could be a can of worms:

[Snip]

Utah County prosecutor Tim Taylor said his office has not received anything from the Lehi police department yet. He said he has not had any communication with the department regarding the investigation, so he does not know whether charges will be filed in the case.

“Does this open up a can of worms that we want to open up right now?” he said.

The ‘can of worms’:

Taylor said his office is prosecuting a bigamy case right now, but the case involves a person who lied on an application for a marriage license and said he was divorced, when he was not. Taylor said he does not know of any polygamy case involving consenting adults that has been referred for charges.

“One of the reasons we don’t prosecute is because we don’t receive any requests to prosecute it,” he said.

Taylor said polygamy is a gray area, as are other laws currently on Utah’s books. It is currently a class B misdemeanor to commit adultery or for unmarried adults to have sexual relations.

“I wouldn’t prosecute an adultery case,” Taylor said.

Taylor stated an adultery conviction ‘could have trouble withstanding a constitutional fight’ which ‘must be considered’ when prosecuting a bigamy case. Current Utah laws, ‘overly broad’ and ‘constitutionally vague’.

The ‘other can of worms’, the statement from the Utah Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Scott Troxel who stated it’s not the policy of the Utah Attorney General’s Office to prosecute bigamy cases.

[Snip]

Troxel said there are thousands of people practicing polygamy throughout Utah and nearby. He said the resources are not available to prosecute every person who practices polygamy, so the focus is on situations of abuse. Troxel noted there are also laws against fornication and other consensual sexual activities that are not prosecuted.

“That’s kind of the slippery slope we’re looking at,” he said.

According to Taylor, prosecutors from his office will be watching Sister Wives, which could be an ‘important element if the case is prosecuted’:

“That’s one of the ways they got Tom Green,” he said. “That was exhibit No. 1.”

According to the Herald Exit polygamist Tom Green was convicted in 2002 and convicted of ‘up to life in prison’ for having sex with his first wife who was 13 in 1985.

In reality, Green was sentenced from five years to life, Green released on parole in August 2007 after serving six years in prison convicted of four counts of bigamy, one count of criminal nonsupport, and a 2002 conviction of rape, Green’s marriage to his 13-yr-old stepdaughter. Green convicted of bigamy even though Green never married, legally, his four wives. The state of Utah determined Green and his four wives had ‘common law’ marriages. What’s baffling is the quote from Utah County prosecutor Tim Taylor and Taylor’s claim ‘one the ways’ Tom Green was ‘caught’ was related to watching a TV show.

Sister Wives: Wives Willing to Settle For Kody Brown Timeshares

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