Beneficiaries and residents ask Cole County to pause Feb. 7 sale while trust documents are authenticated

Mark Knap, who identified himself as a beneficiary of the Lawrence J. Ren Jr. trust, asked the Cole County commission to halt a scheduled Feb. 7 sale tied to the trust until the county and court can authenticate the controlling trust instrument.

"The park wasn't an abstract idea on paper. It was a real gift intended for the citizens of Cole County," Knap said, and described finding what he called conflicting trust pages and an Edward Jones statement showing more than $3.2 million in assets. He and other speakers urged the commission to "trust but verify" before any irreversible sale proceeds.

A second public commenter read a proposed motion asking staff to request a 60‑day voluntary pause of the Feb. 7 sale from Hawthorne Bank and its agents — named in the request as Wheeler Auctions and Real Estate and Cole County Abstract — and to confirm that pause in writing within 24 hours. The submission asked that, if the bank does not provide written confirmation, county counsel or outside counsel be authorized to file an emergency motion in case number 24 PR0000152 seeking a temporary stay of sale, expedited hearing, production of the controlling trust instrument, and authentication.

Speakers emphasized document integrity: they said two versions of the trust (citing discrepancies in "sections 3.5 and 3.51") are being treated as authoritative and that both cannot control. Charles Stack and others said a separate "third track" of review and public-record work is in progress but asked the commission to secure a short administrative pause to prevent irreversible action.

Commissioners acknowledged the request and said they would discuss legal options during a scheduled closed-session legal review the next morning. The public asked for 24 hours' written notice on whether the county would request a voluntary pause from Hawthorne Bank; commissioners said they would attempt to contact the bank and report back.