LIHU‘E — Romance novelist Faleena Hopkins has been located after going missing on Kaua‘i.
As of 1:15 p.m. Friday, the Jackson Police Department said she had been found safely and her family was notified.
Hopkins had not been seen or heard from since her Jan. 30 release from a Wyoming jail, where she was placed after leading police on a high-speed car chase.
The Jackson (Wyoming) Police Department described the search as a “long-distance welfare check” on the woman.
“We’re worried about her because her behavior is so outside the norm for her,” said Jackson Police Department Lt. Russ Ruschil before she was located. “This is a successful romance novelist who left her house, got into a pursuit with a law enforcement agency. Her family is concerned because she’s been out of contact with them for two weeks.”
Police alleged that Hopkins was parked in the middle of a highway in Grand Teton National Park last month, and drove off when law enforcement officers checked in on her. She led police on a 24-mile, high-speed chase which only ended when officers used spike strips to deflate her tires.
She was arrested and booked on six charges, including suspicion of fleeing and attempting to elude police officers. She was released Jan. 30 on a personal recognizance bond.
Her phone was traced to Kaua‘i on Wednesday, near Kapa‘a Public Library and Lihu‘e Walmart. Police did not provide additional information on where she was ultimately located.
She has instructions to appear back in federal court on Feb. 28 for an arraignment. Her leaving the state did not violate any conditions of her bond, court documents show.
Hopkins previously gained infamy in the romance novelist community when she attempted to trademark the word “cocky” and initiated lawsuits against other authors using the word in their titles.
Hopkins writes the raunchy “Cocker Brothers” series, which features titles like “Cocky Cowboy,” “Cocky Romantic,” “Cocky Senator” and “Cocky Heart Surgeon.”
The incident became known on social media as #cockygate, and ultimately ended when Hopkins opted to surrender the trademark voluntarily.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
