Jeffs remains holed up in his city-block sized compound in Hildale, surrounded by an 8-foot-tall block fence dotted with \"No Trespassing\" signs. Shurtleff said Jeffs is surrounded by about a dozen armed bodyguards, which Shurtleff calls \"The God Squad.\" ?Berry, the church's attorney, denied the guards were armed. He also denied a request by The Associated Press to interview Jeffs, saying that talking to reporters is not in the job description of a spiritual leader.
Officials from local sheriff's offices and Utah and Arizona continue to plan for any mass exodus of women and children from the towns if tensions escalate. Already three teenage girls have fled to shelters in Phoenix and St. George.
Several Web sites predict a short and grim future for the FLDS, saying that the church\'s leader, Warren Jeffs, is saying the world will end Wednesday, the 175th anniversary of the founding of the LDS Church.
? ? ?Law enforcers aren\'t impressed.
? ? ?\\"We have our own intelligence inside the FLDS community, and we believe there\'s a high probability that absolutely nothing will happen,\\" said Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith, whose jurisdiction includes Hildale, a small FLDS community adjacent to its virtual twin, Colorado City, Ariz.
? ? ?The Web sites, however, warn the FLDS could be setting up another Waco, Texas, where on April 19, 1993, after a 51-day standoff, 76 people died in a fire that broke out during an assault by the FBI at a religious compound.