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How it all Started

In May 2014, an old friend from Junior High School, that I hooked back up with on Facebook Shared a News Story on her timeline. I received this share in my news feed: JUDGE THROWS OUT PLEA DEAL; OGDEN TEEN SENTENCED TO PRISON: 

Posted 10:48 PM, May 12, 2014, by Gene Kennedy, Updated at 12:10 PM May 13, 2014: http://fox13now.com/2014/05/12/judge-throws-out-plea-deal-ogden-teen-sentenced-to-prison. So I went to the link; watched the report and got pissed.

See I am one of those people that cannot tolerate Government abusing its citizens. Putting a first time offender into the Adult system is abuse that cannot and will not be tolerated.

So I went to the site that his family set up, to bring awareness to this travesty of Justice, and made contact. In the ensuing days, it turned from just a gross miscarriage of Justice in my eyes to a personal matter, as I found out that Marc Van Huizen, Cooper’s father and I had gone to school together a number of years ago, where he played football and I was one of the team trainers.

Now even though I was ready to do whatever it took to get Justice for Cooper, and get him back into the Juvenile system, it became an obsession.

I had been introduced to Change.org a year or so before this, and knowing how having public support behind you, which is what a Petition off of Change.org does for a cause, I suggested that we also set up a Petition. Well we got it up and going and in just a matter of days we had already gotten a little over 250 signatures, and they were not just from locals in Ogden, but from around the United States and around the World.

There were many advocacy groups that made contact to offer their voices to the cause, and then we started to hear from other families whose Kids had gotten in trouble with the law, and instead of utilizing the Juvenile Court System as was intended, and was empowered by the highest court in the land, the US Supreme Court to handle cases of those under 18 years of age that get in trouble with the law, decided to make examples of these poor defenseless teens, and threw them to the wolves called the Adult Judicial System.

Prior to getting involved in Cooper’s case I did not realize how bad the situation is, and just how many kids are being abused by the system every day of the year. Marc and I talked about it on several different occasions and thought that maybe there was a purpose that this difficulty was put on Cooper, and in turn onto us his supporters.

In side remarks and wonderings we both thought out loud in these discussions that maybe we should become the voice for these other hundreds of kids when we get Cooper back into the Juvenile system.

After Cooper was sentenced to 2 terms of 1 to 15 years in the Utah Correctional System for Adults, (Prison), where one of two things were going to happen. First he is either going to be placed into the most dangerous position a young man his age and stature could be placed, and that is in General Population with Rapists, Murders, Gang Bangers, Drug Dealers, CHILD MOLESTERS, and the list goes on, OR, he was going to be placed in PC – Protective Custody / Segregation where he would be locked in a 12’ x 6’ cell 23 hours a day, and the only human contact he would have is when the guards stop by on their rounds, when his meals are brought to him, or when Mental health comes around to check his mental health, and make sure that he is not contemplating suicide.

Shortly after Cooper was remanded into the custody the Utah State Department of Corrections to be taken to the Utah State Prison in Draper, a wonderful supporter found the Greatest Attorney in Utah, Ms. Elizabeth Hunt of Beehive Legal and made a $5,000.00 down payment towards her Retainer to take Cooper’s case.

When she contacted Marc and Mindy (Cooper’s Dad and Mom) they were VERY reluctant to even talk to her. They were at their wits ends as they had already hired and paid cash for Two (2) Highly recommended attorneys and their son ended up in Adult Court, and then in Adult Prison. When they voiced their concerns and told her they just had no more money to pay her fees, she told them about the anonymous donor and said this case was hers, even if she did not receive another dollar, she wanted this case, to make sure that Cooper would receive Justice.

In just a matter of days she had been to see Cooper in Uinta 1, a couple of times, she had gotten a sworn statement from Cooper’s second Attorney Roy Cole of Ogden about the erroneous advice that he gave to the Van Huizens, leading to Cooper pleading guilty and thus being sent to Prison. She also filed several Motions, which she suspected would be denied, but as she told Marc, Mindy and Cooper that was not going to slow her down, nor was it going to change what she had in mind for Cooper’s case.

Over the next three or four weeks, she filed several more Motions and special requests and overall just put the State to work, to defend their actions. Between her hard work and all the voices of the supporters from around the world, we have begun to see Justice for Cooper.

On May 24^th Cooper was moved from Uinta 1 at the Point of the Mountain to Daggett County Jail. This move is not only better for Cooper’s health and sanity, but his Defense as well.

The Prosecution used Violence, and other Enhancements to get Cooper placed into the Serious Youth Offenders Program, which he used to bind him over from Juvenile Court to District Court.

So you are asking how this move assists in Cooper’s Defense, well it comes directly from the Sheriff of Daggett County, Jerry Jorgensen, and the statement he made to Jessica Miller reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune.

“Daggett County Sheriff Jerry Jorgensen said Wednesday that Van Huizen is one of about 80 prison inmates housed at the county jail. He said the jail has a contract to house prison inmates, and that he personally screens the prisoners that they do hold in their facility. He said he doesn’t allow inmates with gang affiliations or violent offenders to come to his jail.

Jorgensen said Van Huizen is now held in a general population housing unit with 13 other inmates.

"People need to know that we are taking care of him," Jorgensen said. "He’s in a good place ... We’re going to be attentive of his needs and hopefully do some good for him.”" (Miller, 2014)

So as you can see things are looking up for Cooper. Thanks to his great attorney, who is showing what happens when you are a TRUE Advocate for your client. Also our voices are being heard, so we need to step it up and give Liz all the background support we can muster.

Thank you and God Bless!