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Romance Novelist Who Once Tried To Trademark The Word 'Cocky' Reported Missing After Wyoming Arrest
Faleena Hopkins, author of the "Cocker Brothers" romance novel series, has not been seen since she was released from Teton County jail on Jan. 30. Police said she led National Park Service officers on a high-speed chase.
A romance author who was jailed after allegedly leading Wyoming authorities on a 24-mile chase through Grand Teton National Park has gone missing following her release.
Faleena Hopkins, 52, was last seen in Jackson, Wyoming on Jan. 30, a friend told The Jackson Hole News & Guild.
Police say Hopkins, author of the "Cocker Brother" romance novels, fled from National Park Service officers who saw her idling on the road at a Jackson Lake Junction in the park on Jan. 27. Pursuing officers were forced to pop her tires with spike strips and were able to arrest her.
Hopkins is scheduled to appear in federal court on charges relating to the incident on Feb. 28.
She faces charges for parking on the roadway, speeding and fleeing from police.
However, Hopkins' whereabouts are currently unknown; she was last seen the day she was released from jail in Teton County on Jan. 30.
Oxygen.com could not reach the Jackson Police Department for comment or for updates on her missing persons case.
Although Hopkins listed Jackson as her home city, the Teton County jail roster listed her as a Seattle resident, according to The Independent.
Hopkins, whose self-published works include "Cocky Senator," "Cocky Marine" and "Cocky Rockstar," notably attempted to trademark the word "cocky" in 2018. At the time, she said that she did so to protect her fans.
"I receive letters from readers who lost money thinking they bought my series," Hopkins tweeted at the time, according to VOX. "I'm protecting them and that's what trademarks are meant for."
The controversy caused major backlash in the romance novel world. Notre Dame law professor Mark McKenna characterized the move as "trademark bullying" and author Jenna Trout called her fellow writer a "nasty piece of f---ing work" in a widely-shared blog post.
Only a few months into her lawsuit, Hopkins rescinded her trademark registrations.
Hopkins grew up in San Francisco's Bay Area and worked as a stand-up comic in Los Angeles before selling more than 1 million copies of her over 40 books internationally, according to her IMDb page.
The missing author stands at five-foot-seven and has green eyes and blonde hair, according to the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation. She has an infinity symbol tattooed on her left wrist, "Follow All Instincts" tattooed on her right wrist, a lion face tattooed on her left shoulder and a hummingbird on her right ankle.
Anyone with information regarding Hopkins' whereabouts is asked to contact the Jackson Police Department at 307-733-1430 or Wyoming DCI at 307-777-7181.
