Published Wednesday, July 30, 2008 7:07 AM

Ariz. judge to consider remanding Jeffs charges

Associated Press

KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) -- An Arizona judge has scheduled an Aug. 22 hearing to decide whether to send four remaining charges against polygamist leader Warren Jeffs back to a grand jury for reconsideration.

The charges stem from the arranged marriages of two teenage girls and their older male relatives.

Defense attorney Mike Piccarreta is arguing that Jeffs was denied a fair, impartial and unbiased grand jury, and that the prosecution presented false or misleading evidence to the grand jury.

Jeffs originally faced 10 charges in Arizona.

Four of them were dropped at the request of the defense because Arizona's incest law doesn't apply to Jeffs' cases. Two of them were dropped at the request of the prosecution because the alleged victim refused to testify.

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