Wyoming police have located a missing romance novelist who allegedly fled to Hawaii after being initially arrested and charged with running from police officers.
Faleena Hopkins, known for writing several romance novels and for her attempt to trademark the word “arrogant” in her books about the “Cocker brothers,” disappeared on January 30, shortly after being arrested.
Three days before Hopkins went missing, she was taken into custody after fleeing officers allegedly approached her parked vehicle in a remote part of Grand Teton National Park.
Hopkins initially received a ticket for driving a “vehicle without snow on a snowy road” after his car got stuck and he needed a snowplow to remove it.
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Family members reported Faleena Hopkins missing after she was last heard from on January 30, 2023. (Jackson Police Department; Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation)
After saying goodbye to police, officers attempted to pull her over shortly afterward while she was parked “on the road in Jackson Lake Junction, within Grand Teton National Park,” according to authorities, adding that Hopkins then attempted to flee.
“The officer turned on his patrol vehicle’s lights and the female fled in her vehicle. She began driving at a high speed” of more than 75 mph and up to 90 mph, authorities said.
Hopkins allegedly drove 24 miles before being pulled over after the spike strips came loose.
She was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude police officers, stopping or parking on the highway, operating a vehicle in excess of the posted speed limit, failing to comply with a traffic control device, and operating a vehicle without due care.
She was scheduled to appear in court on February 28 in connection with the incident.
Days after the arrest, Hopkins disappeared after last being seen in the Jackson, Wyoming, area.
Jackson Police Department Lt. Russ Ruschill told Fox News Digital in an earlier statement that “a member of his family” reported Hopkins missing, saying “his family members are concerned that he is in danger”.
ROMANCE AUTHOR IS MISSING DAYS AFTER LEADING POLICE ON CHASE THROUGH GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK: COPS
Family members reported Faleena Hopkins missing after she was last heard from on January 30, 2023. (Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation)
Using surveillance cameras, Jackson police detectives tracked Hopkins to the Jackson airport on January 30. Before leaving Jackson, Hopkins allegedly also bought a new cell phone, which came with a new phone number.
Hopkins’ new cell phone rang on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on February 14, Ruschill told Fox News Digital.
In a statement Friday, Ruschill said Hopkins has been located.
“The Jackson Police Department is pleased to report that as of February 17, 2023 at 4:15 p.m. MST, Faleena Marie Hopkins has been located. She is safe and her family has been notified. She is no longer being reported. considered a missing person,” Ruschill said. “The Jackson Police Department would like to extend our thanks to the law enforcement agencies that assisted in this investigation, as well as the members of the press and citizens who ultimately helped locate Ms. Hopkins.”
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Faleena Hopkins, inset, was reported missing after she was last seen in Teton County, Wyoming, on January 30, 2023. (Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation/Reuters)
After Hopkins went missing on Jan. 30, a woman claiming to be her sister posted on Facebook that Hopkins was alone before she was arrested and didn’t realize the person approaching her was a law enforcement officer.
“EVERYONE WHO KNOWS FALEENA knows the idea of her running from the police is ridiculous,” wrote the woman, who goes by the name Shann Maureen. “At that point, she was already in crisis mode and she did NOT recognize this person as a law enforcement officer.”
“As we left the park, there were two police cars (clearly marked) and she stopped,” he added. “She wasn’t running FROM them…she was running TO them.”
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“I hope this information helps you all understand this story a little more. Everything we know about who Faleena is just doesn’t add up to the idea of her running from the police. She has no criminal record, zero record of any kind of substance abuse, no DUI, no alcohol abuse, etc.”
