Late Cole County farmer’s land heads to auction Saturday after three-year legal battle
COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A late Cole County farmer's 178-acre Elston land is set to be auctioned Saturday morning, despite his reported wishes for it to become a public park.
Lawrence Renn Jr., who passed away in 2021, left behind a trust intended to turn his farmland into a county park.
However, the land is now headed to auction after Cole County dismissed its lawsuit against Hawthorn Bank, the trustee overseeing Renn’s estate.
On Friday, Cole County Judge Joseph Shetler dismissed the case brought by Mark Knapp and Gary Scheperle, two men connected to the trust who had been fighting to stop the sale. In his ruling, Shetler stated Knapp and Scheperle are no longer beneficiaries of the Renn Trust and therefore do not have standing to sue.
Since 2024, the situation has been a legal dispute. Friends and family of Renn have claimed the trustee was not transparent about the amount of money in the trust.
Cole County had entered into a 99-year lease agreement for the property, but later withdrew after Hawthorn Bank disclosed how much money was available to develop and maintain the park.
In January, Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman told ABC 17 News the trust contained an estimated $15,000 to $20,000. He said that amount would not be enough to develop and maintain a county park without significantly affecting the county’s parks budget.
Family and friends of Lawrence Renn Jr. have insisted that millions of dollars were in the trust, specifically intended for the park.
The auction is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Jefferson City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, located at 1003-105 Irwin Drive. The property will be sold in six separate tracts.
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