Jeffs was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 11 and brought to the Ward County Jail for holding. District Court Judge Todd Cresap presided over the hearing, which was initiated by a warrant of arrest in December accusing Jeffs of child kidnapping, a 1st degree felony in the State of Utah.

Jeff’s is reportedly a nephew of the imprisoned polygamist Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). According to court documents filed in Utah, Jeffs was caring for a 10-year-old niece whose mother was no longer a member of the FLDS, and had allegedly restricted and prevented the mother from having access to her child. Authorities said at the time that the orders to keep the girl from her mother originated from Warren Jeffs himself from his prison cell in Texas.

The original Utah court requesting Jeff’s extradition asked for no bail conditions. Typically, when a state requests an individual be extradited from North Dakota, additional hearings are held to establish that the warrant is valid and that the individual in custody is, in fact, the same person wanted in the warrant.

After hearing his options from the court, Jeffs elected to waive his right to additional extradition hearings and will remain in custody for 10 days or until after he is picked up by Piute County Sheriff’s officials to transport him back to Utah. Cresap indicated that if Jeffs is not taken into custody by the Piute County Sheriff after 10 days that he will be released without conditions. Cresap cautioned Jeffs that the arrest warrant would still remain active in other jurisdictions.

Piute County Sheriff Marty Gleave told The Minot Daily News that such a scenario is unlikely to occur.

“The situation is crystal clear here. I’ll be there to get him before 10 days, I guarantee you,” Gleave said.

The child in question is currently in the custody of the authorities, and according to a statement made by her father, Dowayne Barlow, to a Salt Lake City TV station, she is safe and will be returned soon.