Cult Leader Jeffs in Medically Induced Coma

HOUSTON (AP) _ Imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is in a coma in a Texas hospital after complications from fasting.

A person familiar with Jeffs’ condition told The Associated Press on Monday that the 55-year-old prisoner’s coma was medically induced and he’s expected to survive. The person requested anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss Jeff’s condition publicly.

Jeffs’ attorney Emily Detoto says her client was taken to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler on Sunday night.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons says Jeffs hasn’t been eating or drinking enough since being sentenced this month to life in prison for sexually assaulting underage followers. Lyons says Jeffs is in critical but stable condition. It’s not clear how long he’ll be hospitalized.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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