62-736: Colorado City may refer to some places in the United States: Colorado City, Arizona , in Mohave County, Arizona Colorado City, Colorado , in Pueblo County, Colorado Old Colorado City , district of Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado City, Nevada , a ghost town in Clark County, Nevada Colorado City, Texas , in Mitchell County, Texas Colorado City, Yuma County, Arizona ,
124-400: A $ 60,000 reward. He was the 482nd fugitive placed on the list. The reward was soon raised to $ 100,000, and the public was warned that "Jeffs may travel with a number of loyal and armed bodyguards." On June 8, 2006, Jeffs returned to Colorado City to perform more "child-bride marriages." On May 27, 2008, The Smoking Gun website released images of Jeffs with two underage wives, one of whom
186-505: A Nevada court hearing on August 31, Jeffs waived any challenge to extradition and agreed to be returned to Utah to face two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape. Each charge carries an indeterminate penalty of five years to life in prison. Arizona prosecutors were next in line to try Jeffs. He was held in the Washington County jail, pending an April 23, 2007 trial on two counts of rape, as an accomplice for his role in arranging
248-523: A claim of Jeff's incompetency, accusing the trust of being "understandably very fearful" about Jeffs's testimony since it is liable for his actions as the past president of the FLDS. Current FLDS members continue to consider Jeffs to be their leader and prophet who speaks to God and who has been wrongly convicted. Jeffs condemned same-sex marriage as being as evil as murder. Jeffs has also condemned interracial marriage and described Black people as being used by
310-472: A devoted church member is expected to have at least three wives in order to get into heaven, and the more wives a man has, the closer he is to heaven. Before his 2006 arrest, Jeffs had last been seen on January 1, 2005, near Eldorado, Texas , at the dedication ceremony of the foundation of a large FLDS temple on the YFZ Ranch . The ranch came into the public eye on April 7, 2008, when Texas authorities conducted
372-459: A ghost town Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Colorado City . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colorado_City&oldid=704783143 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
434-464: A group of twenty men from the Short Creek Community , including the mayor, and reassigned their wives and children to other men in the community. Jeffs, like his predecessors, continued the standard FLDS and Mormon fundamentalist tenet that faithful men must follow what is known as the doctrine of plural marriage in order to attain exaltation in the afterlife. Jeffs specifically taught that
496-516: A marriage between a then-14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin, Allen. The young girl, Elissa Wall (then known as "Jane Doe IV," and the younger sister of Rebecca Wall), testified that she begged Rulon Jeffs to let her wait until she was older or choose another man for her. The elder Jeffs was apparently "sympathetic," but his son was not, and she was forced to go through with the marriage. Wall alleged that Allen often raped her and that she repeatedly miscarried . She eventually left Allen and
558-487: A new trial. The court found that the trial judge should have told the jury that Jeffs could not be convicted unless it could be proved that he intended for Elissa's husband to engage in nonconsensual sex with her. Elissa subsequently wrote an autobiography on her experiences in the FLDS Church and with Jeffs entitled Stolen Innocence. The book was co-authored with former New York Times journalist Lisa Pulitzer . Jeffs
620-471: A prophet. Jeffs presented a handwritten note to the judge at the end of trial on March 27, saying that he was not a prophet of the FLDS Church. On November 7, the Washington County, Utah , Attorney's Office released video of jailhouse conversations between Nephi and Jeffs, in which Jeffs renounces his prophethood, claiming that God had told him that if he revealed that he was not the rightful prophet, and
682-434: A raid and took legal custody of 416 children, in response to a March 31 phone call alleging physical and sexual abuse on the ranch. The caller claimed to be a 16-year-old girl married to a 50-year-old man, and stated that she had given birth to his child a year prior. Residents, however, told authorities that there was in fact no such girl, and the calls were ultimately traced to 33-year-old Rozita Swinton, totally unconnected to
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#1732852238063744-527: A remote location where they could practice plural marriage , which had been publicly abandoned by the LDS Church in 1890. On July 26, 1953, Arizona Governor John Howard Pyle sent troops into the settlement to stop polygamy in what became known as the Short Creek raid . The two-year legal battle that followed became a public relations disaster that damaged Pyle's political career and set a hands-off tone toward
806-623: A result of the initial warrants, the Hildale Department of Public Safety was shut down, and emergency responders were prohibited from responding to calls without the approval of county officials. Firefighter Glen Jeffs indicated that the warrants referenced "misuse of funds". In response to a civil rights lawsuit by the United States Justice Department alleging that the Colorado City government, including law enforcement,
868-466: A result. Remaining FLDS members refuse to believe the charges against Jeffs. On April 6, 2010, law enforcement officials in Mohave County, Arizona, and Washington County, Utah , served five search warrants seeking records from town officers. The warrants were served on government officials and departments, including the Town Manager, David Darger, as well as Colorado City's fire chief Jacob Barlow. As
930-558: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Colorado City, Arizona Colorado City is a town in Mohave County, Arizona , United States, and is located in a region known as the Arizona Strip . The population was 2,478 at the 2020 census . At least three Mormon fundamentalist sects are said to have been based there. A majority of residents and many local officials belong to
992-595: Is relatively light; the most in a month was in January 1982 with 29.0 inches (74 cm) and that winter had the most for a year with 46.5 inches (118 cm). The highest daily snow depth was however on February 2, 1979, with 13 inches (33 cm). As of the 2000 census , there were 3,334 people, 444 households, and 417 families residing in the town. The population density was 317.3 inhabitants per square mile (122.5/km ). There were 457 housing units at an average density of 43.5 per square mile (16.8/km ). The racial makeup of
1054-612: Is the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints , a polygamous cult based in Arizona. The FLDS Church was founded in the early-20th century when its founders deemed the renunciation of polygamy by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to be apostate . The LDS Church disavows any relation between it and the FLDS Church, although there are significant historical ties. In 2006, Jeffs
1116-560: The Deseret News that he had heard from several sources that Jeffs had returned to Arizona, and had performed marriage ceremonies in a mobile home that was being used as a wedding chapel. On March 27, 2007, the Deseret News reported that Jeffs had renounced his role as prophet of the FLDS Church in a conversation with his brother Nephi . Nephi quoted him as saying he was "the greatest of all sinners" and that God had never called him to be
1178-615: The Deseret News , Jeffs's attorneys made the following statements: "Mr. Jeffs has asked that the following statement be released to the media and to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Inc." The statement did not address his ecclesiastical position as prophet of
1240-452: The poverty line , including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. The Colorado City/ Hildale , Utah area has the world's highest incidence of fumarase deficiency , an extremely rare genetic condition which causes severe intellectual disability . Geneticists attribute this to the prevalence of cousin marriage between descendants of two of the town's founders, Joseph Smith Jessop and John Y. Barlow ; at least half
1302-569: The Arizona jail. On August 29, 2011, Jeffs was taken to East Texas Medical Center, Tyler, Texas , and hospitalized in critical condition under a medically induced coma after excessive fasting. Officials were not sure how long he would remain hospitalized, but expected Jeffs to live. Jeffs is incarcerated at the Louis C. Powledge Unit of the TDCJ near Palestine, Texas . Jeffs predicted in December 2012 that
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#17328522380631364-425: The FLDS Church, and known for repeated instances of filing false reports. Nevertheless, Texas authorities continued to investigate whether Swinton's claims were a hoax. The women and children who were suspected of being minors were returned after Texas courts established that the state had not presented sufficient evidence of abuse to have removed them. On June 10, 2006, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard told
1426-442: The FLDS Church, and many in the FLDS communities still regard him as the prophet and their current leader. There are also reports that Jeffs admitted his position of prophet in the FLDS Church was a usurpation in a conversation to his brother, and declared that "Brother William E. Jessop has been the prophet since [my] Father's passing", though Jeffs's attorneys have claimed he misspoke. In early 2011, Jeffs retook legal control of
1488-442: The FLDS Church. Federal prosecutors stated in 2016 that the publication had been financed by $ 250,000 in money defrauded from federal welfare programs and laundered through FLDS shops. The United Effort Plan (UEP) trust that formerly belonged to the FLDS was taken over by Utah in 2005 and controlled by the court for over a decade, before a judge handed it over to a community board mostly composed of former sect members. In 2017, both
1550-464: The FLDS Church. The Cookes were awarded $ 5.2 million for "religious discrimination". The Cooke family had moved to the Short Creek area in 2008 but were refused access to utilities by the towns of Colorado City and Hildale. As a result of the ruling, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne issued a press release stating that he "wants to eradicate discrimination in two polygamous towns" and believes that
1612-520: The FLDS compound. Naomi Jessop, one of the first of Rulon's former wives to marry Jeffs, subsequently became his favorite wife and confidant. As the sole individual in the FLDS Church with the authority to perform marriages, Jeffs was responsible for assigning wives to husbands. He also had the authority to discipline male church members by "reassigning their wives, children and homes to another man." Until courts in Utah intervened, Jeffs controlled almost all of
1674-421: The Short Creek raids. In January 2004, local FLDS fundamentalist leader Warren Jeffs expelled a group of 20 men, including the mayor, and gave their wives and children to other men. Jeffs, now a convicted sexual predator, stated he was acting on the orders of God , while the men expelled claimed they were penalized for disagreeing with Jeffs. Observers stated that this was the most severe split to date within
1736-486: The area's roughly 8,000 inhabitants are descended from one or both. The United States Postal Service operates the Colorado City, AZ/Hildale, UT Post Office in Colorado City. The town is policed by the Colorado City/Hilldale Police Department . The former Leroy S. Johnson Meetinghouse is now used as a local community center. The Isaac W. Carling Memorial Park is the main cemetery in
1798-622: The city. Colorado City is a part of the Colorado City Unified School District . There is only one school, the El Capitan School (formerly the Colorado City K–12 Public School), in Colorado City. Many FLDS-affiliated board members resigned due to the political takeover of the district. The Arizona state government attempted to take over the district in 2005 due to mismanagement. In addition to
1860-562: The community other than the split between Colorado City and Centennial Park . According to the Utah attorney general's office, this was not the first time Jeffs was accused of expelling men from the community; as many as 400 young men are estimated to have been expelled by Jeffs from 2001 to 2006. Most were removed for failing to follow Jeffs' rules, or for dating women without his permission. Many of these expelled men and boys were very naïve and sheltered and often wound up homeless in nearby towns such as Hurricane and St. George, Utah . Jeffs
1922-669: The community. In July 2005, the Arizona Attorney General's office distributed wanted posters offering $ 10,000 for information leading to Jeffs's arrest and conviction. On October 28, Jeffs's brother Seth was arrested under suspicion of harboring a fugitive. During a routine traffic stop in Pueblo County, Colorado , police found nearly $ 142,000 in cash, $ 7,000 worth of prepaid debit cards and personal records. During Seth's court case, FBI Agent Andrew Stearns testified that Seth had told him that he did not know where his older brother
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1984-518: The court ruling will give him the tools to do it. Colorado City is located in northeastern Mohave County at 36°59′25″N 112°58′33″W / 36.99028°N 112.97583°W / 36.99028; -112.97583 (36.99026, −112.97577) Its northern border is the Arizona – Utah state line, with the town of Hildale, Utah , to the north. Arizona State Route 389 passes through the center of town, leading east 31 miles (50 km) to Fredonia . To
2046-401: The denomination. In July 2004, Jeffs's nephew, Brent Jeffs, filed a lawsuit alleging that Jeffs had raped him in the FLDS Church's Salt Lake Valley compound in the late 1980s. Together with author Maia Szalavitz , Brent wrote the memoir Lost Boy, which recounts alleged incidents of child sexual abuse inflicted upon him by Jeffs, his brothers, and other family members, committed when Brent
2108-534: The district public school, there is a charter school, Masada Charter School, serving students in grades K–9. The charter school is outside of the Colorado City town limits in the community of Centennial Park. The Mohave Community College North Mohave Campus is in Colorado City. Warren Jeffs Warren Steed Jeffs (born December 3, 1955) is an American cult leader who is serving a life sentence in Texas for child sexual assault following two convictions in 2011. He
2170-422: The high-ranking FLDS officials, "I won't say much, but I will say this – hands off my father's wives." When addressing his father's widows he said, "You women will live as if Father is still alive and in the next room." Within a week he had married all but two of his father's wives; one refused to marry Jeffs and was subsequently prohibited from ever marrying again, while the other, Rebecca Wall , fled
2232-585: The land in Colorado City, Arizona , and Hildale, Utah , which was part of a church trust called the United Effort Plan (UEP). The land has been estimated to be worth over $ 100 million. All UEP assets were put in the custody of the Utah court system pending further litigation. As the result of a November 2012 court decision, much of the UEP land is to be sold to those who live on it. In January 2004, Jeffs expelled
2294-569: The leadership position caused a split in the FLDS Church between Jeffs's followers and the followers of Winston Blackmore , the long-time bishop of the Bountiful, British Columbia group of the FLDS Church. More than half of the Canadian branch members left the FLDS Church to stay with Blackmore as their leader, and Jeffs excommunicated Blackmore in September 2002. Following Rulon's death, Jeffs told
2356-564: The marriage between Elissa Wall and her first cousin. Jeffs was believed to be leading his group from jail and a Utah state board has expressed dissatisfaction in dealing with Hildale police, believing that many members of the force had ties to Jeffs, and thus did not cooperate. In May and July 2007, Jeffs was indicted in Arizona on eight counts, including sexual misconduct with a minor and incest. Jeffs's trial began on September 11, 2007, in St. George, Utah , with Judge James L. Shumate presiding. Jeffs
2418-613: The most prominent of these sects, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints , whose corporation also owned much of the land within and around the town until state intervention in the 2000s. Colorado City, formerly known as "Short Creek" (or the Short Creek Community ), was founded in 1913 by members of the Council of Friends , a breakaway group from the Salt Lake City –based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The Council of Friends membership desired
2480-642: The north, Route 389 becomes Utah State Route 59 , which leads northwest 22 miles (35 km) to Hurricane . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 8.924 square miles (23.11 km ), of which 0.008 square miles (0.02 km ), or 0.07%, are water. Colorado City has the typical cool semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk ) of the interior Mountain West, with very warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters, typified by very large diurnal temperature ranges throughout most of
2542-486: The pending charges against Jeffs in Texas, Smith concluded that "it would be impractical and unnecessary" to try Jeffs in Arizona. Jeffs was then returned to Utah; at the time, his appeal of the 2007 conviction was still pending. On August 9, 2011, Jeffs was convicted in Texas on two counts of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole on July 22, 2038. Jeffs tried to hang himself in jail in 2007 in Utah. On July 9, 2008, he
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2604-565: The position of counselor to the church leader. Jeffs became Rulon's successor with his official title in the FLDS Church becoming "President and Prophet, Seer and Revelator " as well as "President of the Priesthood". The Revelator was the head of the organization of all adult male church members who were deemed worthy to hold the priesthood , a tradition carried on in the Latter Day Saint movement . The death of Rulon and Jeffs's ascension to
2666-500: The town in Arizona for the next 50 years. After the death of Joseph W. Musser , the community split into two groups: the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stayed in Short Creek, while the Apostolic United Brethren relocated to Bluffdale, Utah . The FLDS changed the name of the community to Colorado City (on the Arizona side of the border) and Hildale (on the Utah side) to eliminate any ties to
2728-526: The town was 96.9% white , 0.2% black or African American , 0.1% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 1.8% from other races , and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population. Of the 444 households, 83.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.8% were married couples living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.9% were non-families. 4.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.1% had someone living alone who
2790-418: The trust and Jeffs were sued by a woman alleging she was sexually abused by Jeffs when she was a child. Jeffs allegedly suffered a mental breakdown in the summer of 2019, leaving him unfit to give a deposition in the sex abuse case against him. Attorneys representing the UEP community trust contended that forcing him to testify would be "futile." The plaintiff's attorney said there is a lack of evidence to support
2852-483: The world would end before 2013 and called for his followers to prepare for the end. In 2012, while incarcerated at the Powledge Unit, Jeffs released a book titled Jesus Christ Message to All Nations compiling various revelations that he stated he had received. Among these were directives to set Jeffs free and warnings to specific countries around the world. Copies of the book were mailed to Utah state legislators by
2914-636: The year he turned 21, Warren Jeffs became principal of Alta Academy, an FLDS private school at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon . He served as school principal for twenty years and was known for being "a stickler for the rules and for discipline." Warren's father Rulon Jeffs became the President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) in 1986 and had nineteen or twenty wives and approximately 60 children. Warren went on to have, according to former church members, 87 wives. Prior to his father's death in 2002, Jeffs held
2976-444: The year. The hottest day on record was July 15, 2005, with 110 °F (43 °C). Rainfall is lowest from April to June, but is never particularly high on average, though during strong extratropical low pressure systems, as much as 5 inches (130 mm) may occasionally fall during a month. The wettest year has been 1998 with 27.48 inches (698.0 mm), whilst the driest year has been 1956 with 4.76 inches (120.9 mm). Snowfall
3038-655: Was 12 years old, celebrating first wedding anniversaries in 2005 and 2006. On August 28, 2006, around 9 p.m. PDT, Jeffs was pulled over on Interstate 15 in Clark County, Nevada , by highway trooper Eddie Dutchover because the temporary license plates on his red 2007 Cadillac Escalade were not visible. One of Jeffs's wives, Naomi Jessop, and his brother Isaac were with him. Jeffs possessed four computers, sixteen cell phones, disguises (including three wigs and twelve pairs of sunglasses), and more than $ 55,000 in cash. Jeffs's wife and brother were questioned and released. In
3100-410: Was 14 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 32,826, and the median income for a family was $ 32,344. Males had a median income of $ 24,429 versus $ 22,969 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 5,293. About 29.0% of families and 31.9% of the population were below
3162-506: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 7.51 and the average family size was 7.58. Colorado City had the fourth-highest household size in the nation, based on the 2012 5-Year American Community Survey count of an average household size of 8.04 people by zip code tabulation area . In the town, the population was spread out, with 60.4% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 6.3% from 45 to 64, and 1.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
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#17328522380633224-427: Was a "wicked man", he would still gain a place in the celestial kingdom . Jeffs also admits to what he calls "immoral actions with a sister and a daughter" when he was 20 years old. Other records show that while incarcerated, Jeffs tried to kill himself by banging his head against the walls and trying to hang himself. Jeffs formally resigned as President of the FLDS Church effective November 20, 2007. In an email to
3286-487: Was aged 5 or 6. Brent's brother Clayne committed suicide after accusing Jeffs of sexually assaulting him as a child. Two of Jeffs's nephews and two of Jeffs's own children have also publicly claimed to have been sexually abused by him. In June 2005, Jeffs was charged in Mohave County, Arizona , with sexual assault on a minor and with conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly arranging , in April 2001,
3348-575: Was also scheduled to be tried in Arizona. He had entered a not-guilty plea on February 27, 2008, to sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of three teenaged girls to older men. He was transported to the Mohave County jail to await trial. On June 9, 2010, a state judge, at the request of Mohave County prosecutor Matt Smith, dismissed all charges with prejudice. Smith said that the Arizona victims no longer wanted to testify and that Jeffs had spent almost two years in jail awaiting trial, more than he would have received had he been convicted. Combined with
3410-482: Was and that he would not reveal his whereabouts if he did. Seth was convicted of harboring a fugitive on May 1, 2006. On July 14, he was sentenced to three years probation and a $ 2,500 fine. On April 5, 2006, Utah issued an arrest warrant for Jeffs on felony charges of accomplice rape of a teenage girl between 14 and 18 years old. Shortly after, on May 6, the FBI placed Jeffs on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, offering
3472-567: Was housed in Utah's Purgatory Correctional Facility in solitary confinement for the duration. At the culmination of the trial, on September 25, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape. He was sentenced to prison for ten years to life and began serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison . On July 27, 2010, the Utah Supreme Court , citing deficient jury instructions, reversed Jeffs's convictions and ordered
3534-458: Was placed on the FBI 's Ten Most Wanted List for his flight from the charges that he had arranged illegal child marriages between his adult male followers and underage girls in Utah. In 2007, Arizona charged him with eight additional counts in two separate cases, including incest and sexual conduct with minors. In September 2007, Jeffs was convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice, for which he
3596-596: Was placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list and eventually arrested on August 28, 2006. Most of the property in the town was owned by the United Effort Plan , a real estate trust of the FLDS. In 2007, the state authorities began dismantling church ownership of Colorado City lands. The FLDS church retaliated and indoctrinated their followers against the state, believing they were being targeted because of their beliefs. The FLDS followers became further secluded as
3658-404: Was sentenced to imprisonment for ten years to life in Utah State Prison . This conviction was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court in 2010 due to flawed jury instructions. Jeffs was extradited to Texas, where he was found guilty of sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 15-year-old child bride ; and aggravated sexual assault against a child, for raping a 12-year-old child bride; for which he
3720-613: Was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years, and fined $ 10,000. Jeffs is incarcerated at the Louis C. Powledge Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice near Palestine, Texas . Warren Steed Jeffs was born in Sacramento, California on December 3, 1955, to Rulon Jeffs (1909–2002) and Merilyn Steed (born circa 1935, a descendent of pioneer Thomas Joseph Steed ). Warren was born more than two months prematurely . Warren grew up outside of Salt Lake City, Utah . In 1976,
3782-708: Was taken from the Mohave County, Arizona jail in Kingman, Arizona , to a Las Vegas, Nevada , hospital for what was described as a serious medical problem. Sheriff Tom Sheahan did not specify the problem, but said it was serious enough to move him about 100 miles from the Kingman Regional Medical Center to the Nevada hospital. Jeffs has engaged in lengthy hunger strikes, which his doctors and attorneys have claimed were for spiritual reasons. In August 2009, Superior Court Judge Steve Conn ordered that Jeffs be force-fed at
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#17328522380633844-560: Was taking orders from the FLDS Church, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne announced in July 2012 that he was allocating funding to allow the Mohave County Sheriff's Department to provide daily patrols in the town. On March 20, 2014, a jury hearing the case of Cooke et al v. Colorado City, Town of et al ruled that the towns of Colorado City and Hildale had discriminated against Ronald and Jinjer Cooke because they were not members of
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