Two top leaders of a polygamous community in western Canada have been arrested and charged with practicing polygamy , British Columbia 's attorney general said Wednesday
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leader polygamous community western canada arrest charge practice polygamy british columbia attorney general say wednesday
Two top <m> leaders </m> of a polygamous community in western Canada have been arrested and charged with practicing polygamy , British Columbia 's attorney general said Wednesday
2 leaders of polygamist group arrested in Canada
Two top <m> leaders </m> of a polygamous community in western Canada have been arrested and charged with practicing polygamy , British Columbia 's attorney general said Wednesday
Attorney General Wally Oppal said Winston Blackmore is charged with marrying 20 women , while James Oler is accused of marrying two women .
`` This has been a very complex issue , '' Oppal said .
`` It 's been with us for well over 20 years . ''
Blackmore , long known as `` the Bishop of Bountiful , '' runs an independent sect of about 400 members in the town of Bountiful .
He once ran the Canadian arm of the Utah-based Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , but was ejected in 2003 by that group 's leader , Warren Jeffs .
Oler is the bishop of Bountiful 's FLDS community loyal to Jeffs .
Even though many of the town 's residents are related or have same last name , followers of the two leaders are splintered and are not allowed to talk with each other .
FLDS members practice polygamy in arranged marriages , a tradition tied to the early theology of the Mormon church .
Mormons renounced polygamy in 1890 as a condition of Utah 's statehood .
Last June , Oppal appointed a special prosecutor to look into allegations of criminal abuse at Bountiful despite two earlier legal opinions that said it would be difficult to proceed with criminal charges for polygamy itself .
Blackmore openly acknowledges having numerous wives and dozens of children but has said his community abhors sexual abuse of children .
Oppal said some legal experts believe polygamy charges will not withstand a constitutional challenge in Canada over the issue of freedom of religion .
`` I 've always taken the position that 's a valid offense in law , '' Oppal said .
`` And if someone says that it 's contrary to their religion , let a judge make that decision . ''
The FLDS , with an estimated 10,000 members , is headquartered in Colorado City , Ariz. , and Hildale , Utah .
In 1947 , a small group moved just across the border into Lister , British Columbia .
The newcomers dubbed the pristine spot at the base of a snowy mountain range Bountiful .
Besides an estimated 1,000 Canadians living in Bountiful , the U.S. Embassy estimates there are about 300 Americans there who are loyal to Blackmore and 200 others who follow Jeffs , who is in jail awaiting trial in Arizona on four counts of being an accomplice to sexual conduct with a minor .