By David Lohr

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(Continued)

Fast-forward a decade and there I was pulling into Kirtland, Ohio.  I was not sure what to expect, so prior to my arrival I conned my best friend, Don Pender and his wife Rachel, into riding along with me.  I made it sound like an adventure and by the time I was finished giving my pitch we were all piling into my car for the long drive to Kirtland.  Unbeknown to any of us, it would prove to be a very strange adventure indeed.

For as small of a town as it is, Kirtland, Ohio proved to be relatively easy to find.  While I had no trouble making my way there, I had plenty of trouble finding anyone willing to talk to me.  Kirtland is a very religious town.  I cannot emphasize that enough.  It may only be 17 square miles in size, but several churches of various faiths dot the area.  There are some ten churches in all—6 Protestant; 1 Catholic; 3 branches JC/Latter Day Saints (and at the time of my visit one more was in the planning stages).

The original investigator, Police Chief Dennis Yarborough, had passed away and the police station where he once worked had long since been torn down.  Hence, stopping by the station did not bring about any great revelations, as no one I spoke to had any first hand knowledge. 

A visit to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) Temple and visitors center where Jeffrey once worked also proved to be fruitless.  The mere mention of his name had me quickly ushered out the front door.  Apparently the last thing they wanted to think about was the man who brought shame to their religion and town.  Afterwards, I stopped at a local gas station, and was again given the cold shoulder.  Everyone I spoke to left me with an eerie vibe.  I felt anything but welcome. 

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Contact  David Lohr at           pa_crime_writer@velocity.net

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