Mike Noel warned Utah woman arrested in Oregon standoff not to go
By CHRISTOPHER SMART | The Salt Lake Tribune connect
First Published Jan 27 2016 05:12PM • Last Updated Jan 28 2016 07:40 am
http://www.sltrib.com/home/3467893-155/kanab-woman-arrested-in-oregon-standoff
“Public-lands protester Shawna Cox, 59, of Kanab, faces felony charges that could land her in prison stemming from a standoff with law enforcement authorities in eastern Oregon.
Cox is well-liked in Kanab and nearby Fredonia, Ariz., and is known as a sweet, churchgoing family woman who holds strong views on public lands and constitutional issues.”
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“Cox's husband, Don Cox, has called her a "patriot." He could not be reached Wednesday by The Salt Lake Tribune.
But her close friend, Mike Noel, who represents the Kanab area in the Utah Legislature, has known Cox for some 40 years and described her as a stalwart in her community.
She goes to church every Sunday, has a large family and is active in politics, Noel said Wednesday.
Cox is also involved in the area's tea party movement. She has written a book about Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who forced a standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in 2014, called "Last Rancher Standing: The Cliven Bundy Saga, a Close-up View."
Cox was in Nevada during that standoff and developed close relationships with Bundy and his sons Ryan and Ammon, who were among those taken into custody Tuesday. Ammon Bundy is seen as the organizer of the Oregon protest.
Noel said he warned Cox not to go to Oregon for several reasons: It's the wrong state, the wrong federal agency (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) and the wrong approach.”
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