ok... I DID save some. I am 95% sure they were posted here...so don't think they will be removed.... from 1995
https://www.reddit.com/r/LoriVallow/comments/gohwrb/steve_w_cope_vs_stacey_lynne_cope_august_1995/
The Honorable Judge/Commissioner
Superior Court
King County State of Washington
August 14, 1995
My name is Barry L. Cox. I make this declaration in support of Stacey Cope’s motion for primary residential car of her daughter, Melanie. My first born child is my daughter, Stacey L. Cope.
I am a practicing Financial Planner with a B S. & M. S. degree from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctorate from Citrus Belt Law School.
I am 54 years of age. My daughter, Stacey Cope, married Stephen Cope about 8 years ago and they have one daughter, Melanie Cope, now age 6 years.
During the period of their marriage, I have taken Steve, Stacey and Melanie on vacations to Texas and Las Vegas and have gone with them on vacations to Hawaii. I have often bought their airplane tickets, rooms, food and always whatever incidental expenses they have had. We have taken them with us to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, the zoo, miniature golf, movies, waterskiing and out to horse farms. I always believed that we had a close and loving relationship until after Steve left Stacey.
I did notice over the years that Steve spent an excessive amount of time working. I am also a hard worker, but have taken time for my family. I would call in the evenings some time to talk to Steve and he was never there. It was common for him to leave before breakfast and not return until Stacy and Melanie were in bed for the night. I loved Steve and wanted to help him. Accordingly, I warned Steve at one point that his absence and estranged attitude for his wife and child would lead to problems. I told him that a wife was like a delicate flower and needed to have tender love and care… that a husband was like a gardner who needed to provide nurturing care to see the flower flourish and bear fruit. He was indifferent to my suggestions. I could tell from his response that he did not want to be reminded of his spousal or parental responsibilities for Stacey or Melanie.
Over the last few months Steve’s interest was ambivalent and inconsistent. Steve is basically a construction worker “type” with a limited mentality for things of delicacy or of a sensitive emotional nature. He is very good with buildings, lumber and construction oriented things… but his ability to understand medicine, disease or deal with family or financial matters is limited and/or below the average. For example, my daughter graduated from BYU with highest honors in her chosen field… Steve, a major in Construction Management never did graduate because he could not pass the required basic math classes.
On the weekend of July 8, 1996, Steve came to California to visit my daughter and Melanie after a long absence. He said he was lonely and wanted his family to return to Washington so he could take care of them. This was great news to me and I was anxious for Steve to be more involved with his family. This seemed like a good new beginning, especially as Stacey was getting more in control of her diabetes every day and seemed to have a new lease on life.
So, Stacey and Melanie returned to Federal Way to their home. Things went OK for a few days, and then things began to decline and on July 28, 1995, Steve abducted Melanie in the middle of the night and left Stacey alone in the house. Steve also took Stacey’s car, her wallet, money and personal day journal and left her to die. Soon, Steve ordered all utilities turned off and closed their bank accounts. He left Stacey in a desperate state without resources without every disclosing to her his intentions. He ran away like a thief in the night.
In my view Steve’s actions were unconscionable and criminal. I had to rush to Washington to help my daughter. It was obvious that Steve wanted to prevent Stacey from having any resources for the return of her daughter or her own legal help. Steve’s legal action filed against Stacey was to have her thrown out of her own home by Sunday August 6, 1995. He demonstrated in his complaint that his intentions were not that of a gentleman and lacked common decency.
Moreover, the allegations about Stacey’s medical condition, her mental state of mind and her ability as a mother are fictitious and designed to accommodate his evil agenda.
Stacey is an intelligent well educated person. She had devoted her last six years to being an excellent mother to Melanie and offered to be a loving wife to Steve. She desires to continue to provide the love and parental care for Melanie. Melanie loves her mother very much and has had an awkward relationship with her father Steve because of his lack of interest in her for the past 6 years and his demanding work schedule.
Steve’s recent decision to suddenly take a sincere interest in Melanie and her well being appears to have had an ulterior motive. I am very concerned for the well being of Melanie and wanted her to be returned to her mother’s care. Steve had kept Melanie hidden out of sight and in the care of his friends and family since July 28, 1995 and offered no communication to Stacey or me. All of the allegations about Stacey being a “mental case” is absurd.
The allegations made by Steve Cope regarding me and my wife are false. I was shocked by these malicious statements. It is my hope that the Court will examine the facts of this case and in light of the truth find in favor of ordering Steve to return my granddaughter to her mother and to require him to take responsibility for her basic financial needs until the divorce is final and to restore her personal property.
Please take into consideration that Melanie does not want to have her primary care taker to be a hired baby-sitter or her father who is hardly ever around or his relatives who live in various parts of the country. Melanie wants her mother to be her primary caretaker… this I know above all else this is true in this case. I know it would be in Melanie’s best interest.
Thank you for any consideration you give this letter and my efforts to offer an objective personal testimony of the facts. Feel free to telehone me collect for any discussion of these issues.
Under penalty of perjury, I declare the above information is true and correct.
Barry L. Cox
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