By DAN MARGOLIES

Nearly six months after ordering a cult leader and his group to pay almost $8 million in damages to a woman they’d effectively enslaved for 10 years, a federal judge has ordered the cult leader’s arrest.

Royall Jenkins was the founder and leader of The Value Creators Inc., formerly known as The United Nation of Islam. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree issued a bench warrant for his arrest after finding that Jenkins had ignored numerous court orders.

In May, Crabtree found that Jenkins and The Value Creators, which is based in Kansas City, Kansas, had forced Kendra Ross to work without pay for various businesses run by the group from the time she was 11 years old.

“Here, with reckless disregard for plaintiff’s health and safety, defendants intentionally and maliciously trafficked and forced her to work in their residences for excessive hours – all with no pay or benefits,” Crabtree wrote in his 57-page ruling.

Crabtree’s damage award was believed to be the biggest verdict ever awarded in a human trafficking case. Neither Jenkins nor lawyers representing him or The Value Creators appeared at the May hearing.

Jenkins is thought to reside in Arizona but listed a Kansas City, Kansas, telephone number on the docket in Ross’ case. A person who answered the phone at that number claimed to be Jenkins’ “liaison” and said he would forward a request for comment to Jenkins.

Jenkins, a long-distance trucker, declared himself to be Allah four decades ago.

“At the end of the testing period (1978 ½), two scientists (angels) actually came physically and took me on a small craft around the universe to acquaint me with who I am and what already exists, to ensure my success in being myself, Allah, The Supreme Being,” Jenkins wrote on his website, according to a detailed investigation by The Pitch magazine in 2003.

In Kansas City, Kansas, The Value Creators operated a variety of businesses with the word “Your” in their names: Your Diner, Your Supermarket, Your Service Station and Your Colonic Center.

Jenkins was a member of the Nation of Islam, the group founded by Elijah Muhammad, but after Elijah Muhammad’s death, Jenkins left the organization and founded the United Nation of Islam.

In her lawsuit, Ross, who is now in her late 20s, alleged that Jenkins had at least 13 wives and 20 children. She said she was forced to cook, clean, babysit and work without pay or benefits for them and businesses owned by the group around the country. She also said she was subjected to physical and emotional abuse, and was rarely given time off.

In ordering Jenkins’ arrest, Crabtree noted that Jenkins had not responded to requests by Ross’ attorneys to determine the extent of Jenkins’ assets.

“The court thus concludes that a bench warrant calling for the United States Marshal to apprehend Royall Jenkins is the appropriate sanction for his demonstrated civil contempt for the court,” Crabtree wrote on Friday.

Ross’ lawyer, Betsy Hutson with the McGuire Woods law firm, said that Jenkins had not shown up for any of the court proceedings and apart from two court filings, had not participated in the case.

“He hasn’t otherwise showed up or made any attempt to follow the court’s orders or otherwise respond timely to the things that we’ve filed,” Hutson said.

“It’s been a challenge to serve him personally and I imagine that the (U.S.) marshals are going to find it challenging to track him down as well,” she added.

Hutson said that while lawyers have not recovered the full $8 million, “we have made significant progress in terms of garnishing on some of the bank accounts, and we’ve identified a lot of the properties and businesses that they own. It just takes time.”

Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas voters will decide Tuesday whether to promote to governor Kris Kobach, a strong ally of President Donald Trump, who wants to crack down on immigrants living in the state illegally and resume conservative tax-cutting policies from earlier in the decade that critics labeled a failure.

Republican Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, says if elected he would slash spending and seek tax cuts like those championed by unpopular former Gov. Sam Brownback.

His Democratic opponent, state Sen. Laura Kelly, has made her opposition to the ill-fated 2012-13 experiment in slashing state income taxes the centerpiece of her campaign in a tight race. She was part of a bipartisan effort in 2017 that reversed most of the tax cuts to drag state finances out of a gaping hole.

“By then, Kansans understood the damage that was done,” Kelly said between last-minute campaign stops. “And they wanted nothing more to do with that.”

A wildcard in the race is Independent candidate Greg Orman, a Kansas City-area businessman, who Democrats fear could take enough votes from Kelly to hand the election to Kobach.

Kansas is considered a deep red state with party registration 44 percent Republican and 25 percent Democratic. But its dominant Republican party sometimes splits between moderates and conservatives, leaving an opening for a Democrat to peel off disaffected GOP voters. In recent decades the state has alternated between Republican and Democratic governors.

That GOP rift emerged this year with the nomination of Kobach, who has concentrated on motivating his conservative base rather than wooing moderate voters.

“The way we win is, we rack up our numbers,” Kobach told a get-out-the vote rally in Topeka. “If Republicans vote in big numbers, we win a statewide election. It’s just that simple.”

Kobach has built a national profile as an advocate of tough immigration policies and strict voter identification laws. He has advised Trump and served as vice chairman of Trump’s since-disbanded commission on voter fraud. He narrowly defeated Gov. Jeff Colyer in the GOP primary in August after Trump ignored some of his advisers and tweeted an endorsement of Kobach.

Trump carried the state by 20 percentage points in the 2016 presidential race and had a rally to help Kobach’s campaign in October. Donald Trump Jr. had two fundraising events for him.

Kobach delights in provoking critics with stunts such as using of a red-white-and-blue jeep with a replica machine gun mounted on top in community parades to emphasize his support for the 2nd amendment to the Constitution.

Despite the painful experience of the Brownback tax cuts, he has promised to shrink the size of government so that the state could resume cutting taxes. He has bristled at Kelly’s suggestion that he would revive the Brownback tax experiment and top it, arguing that he would be more aggressive about reducing government spending.

Kelly wants to increase spending, not reduce it, saying more money is needed for higher education, early childhood education and mental health services.

She also embraced a plan this year from the Legislature to phase in a $548 million increase in spending on public schools in response to Kansas Supreme Court decisions in an education funding lawsuit filed in 2010. Kobach criticized the court and suggested that lawmakers had paid a “king’s ransom” to comply with the court order.

Like Trump, Kobach has stressed immigration issues in the run-up to the election. He wants policies designed to push immigrants living in Kansas illegally out of the state. Kelly said Kobach’s immigration policies would hurt the state’s economy, particularly in western Kansas which depends on immigrant workers for the meatpacking industry.

Orman had hoped to build on an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 2014 as an independent candidate that brought him national attention. But his campaign for governor never gained enough traction to make him more than a spoiler.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) – President Donald Trump closed out his midterm election rallies with one in Missouri that featured conservative stars, Republican hopefuls, favorite Democratic targets, and a little drama.

Joining Trump on stage in the Mississippi River town of Cape Girardeau was native son and radio host Rush Limbaugh plus Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro.

A fantastic evening in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Josh @HawleyMO will be a tireless champion for YOU. He is great on jobs, great on tax cuts, and tough on crime. He shares your values, and he will always support our Military, Vets and Police! Get out tomorrow and VOTE for Josh!! pic.twitter.com/YPB8nqX2d6

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2018

Trump’s stump speech was interrupted for several minutes Monday night when a woman in the crowd required medical attention. People sang the hymn “Amazing Grace” as she was taken outside.

Trump’s Missouri rally was his third of the day and his 11th in a spate of campaigning during which he accused Democrats of planning to ruin the country if they succeed in gaining power in Congress after Tuesday’s midterm elections.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas  man who admitted selling a pound of methamphetamine a week was sentenced Monday to 13 years in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Joseph L. Cornejo, 30, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

When investigators served a search warrant at his home in the 5000 block of Parkview, they found methamphetamine, almost $2,000 in cash and nine firearms including handguns and rifles.

Cornejo told investigators he had been selling about a pound of methamphetamine a week and sometimes he traded meth for guns.

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – A suspect who was shot and wounded by a Joplin police officer has been charged with six felonies.

36-year-old John Blanton, of Webb City, has been charged with first-degree assault on law enforcement, armed criminal action, first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest. He remains hospitalized under police watch. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.

Joplin police say the shooting happened Friday after an officer followed the driver of a vehicle that was believed to be stolen to an apartment complex. The driver then exited the truck and took off running, with the officer in pursuit. Police say the officer fired when the driver fell and raised a handgun.

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JASPER COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting that hospitalized a stolen car suspect.

On Friday, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team (ODET) reported said observing a stolen vehicle at 1832 South Maiden Lane, Kum N Go, according to a media release.

They described the vehicle as a spray painted white Dodge Pickup and a Joplin Police Officer responded to the area.

The stolen vehicle left behind the store, drove west of Price Cutter and pulled southbound across 20th Street and into the neighborhoods to the south.

The Joplin Police Officer, driving a fully marked police car, got behind the vehicle. A moment later, the officer stated the vehicle was pulling into the north parking lot of Springview Gardens Apartments, at 22nd and McCoy.

The driver got out of the stolen truck and ran on foot southbound, down a corridor between apartments and into the courtyard of the complex. As the officer was chasing him, the suspect fell onto the ground and turned towards the officer. At the same time, the suspect then raised a handgun, pointing it at the officer. The officer fired at the suspect, striking him and stopping the threat.

Additional officers arrived on scene and immediately began providing the suspect medical attention until METS arrived. The suspect was then transported to Freeman Hospital and is being treated for what is described as non-life-threatening injuries.

The Joplin Police Department requested the Missouri State Highway Patrol respond to the scene to investigate the shooting.

The officer involved shooting is currently being investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. By policy, the Joplin Police Officer who fired his duty weapon has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

The suspect in this case has been identified as John M. Blanton, 36, Webb City, Missouri.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Conservation officials say more than 7,300 feral hogs have been killed in Missouri in the first nine months of the year.

The highest density of feral hogs is in the southeast part of the state. The Missouri Department of Conservation says crews there killed 3,849 feral pigs from January through September. Elsewhere, 2,358 were removed in the Ozark region, 823 in the southwest region, 186 in the St. Louis region, 116 in the Kansas City region and one in the northeast region.

The department said in a news release that the highest densities of feral hogs occur south of Interstate 44, with very few feral hog sightings in the northern portion of the state. Conservation officials consider feral hogs to be an invasive species.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (AP) – The University of Central Missouri is appointing interim president Roger Best to become permanent president of the school in Warrensburg.

The college’s Board of Governors announced Best’s appointment Monday. He has been interim president since former president Chuck Ambrose announced in June 2018 that he was leaving the job after eight years.

Best has held several positions since arriving at the university as an assistant professor in 1995. He was named executive vice president and COO after an administrative restructuring in January.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to seven years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking organization that operated out of a pizza parlor, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Michael Price, 43, Topeka, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted he was part of a drug trafficking ring headed by co-defendant Adolfo Barragan-Rodriguez, who ran the operation from a Pronto Pizza restaurant he owned in Topeka.

In his plea, Price admitted he bought methamphetamine from co-defendant Michelle Belair and then sold it. He also assisted Belair and Barragan-Rodriguez with distributing methamphetamine.

Barragan-Rodriguez and Belair already were sentenced. He was sentenced to 180 months and she was sentenced to 156 months.