U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick confirmed at the hearing that Hopkins had not contacted the court to appear remotely. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Forwood confirmed that the government “hasn’t had any contact with Hopkins.”

Hambrick said someone claiming to be Hopkins’ sister contacted the Teton County Jail, wanting to get the hearing rescheduled, but Hambrick was unable to verify the identity of the caller.

“The court can’t verify who that was or where Hopkins is,” Hambrick said in Tuesday’s hearing. “Considering the underlying conduct, we do believe a warrant is appropriate.”

Hambrick issued two warrants for Hopkins’ arrest, one for each case pending in federal court. Both cases occurred the same day, Jan. 27, but in separate jurisdictions.

The first case occurred in Yellowstone National Park at 9:52 a.m. when park dispatch received a call that Hopkins’ car was stuck in the snow in a closed area beyond Flagg Ranch. Officers went on to cite her for driving in an area meant only for “oversnow” vehicles such as snowmobiles and sleds.

The second case occurred 90 minutes later in Grand Teton National Park. National Park Service rangers saw her parked in the road at Jackson Lake Junction and contacted her to move her car. She fled for 24 miles, reaching speeds of 90 mph as rangers pursued. They ultimately blocked off the highway and deployed spike strips to deflate her tires north of Moose.

Among her federal charges are careless operation, fleeing and eluding officers and operating a vehicle in excess of the speed limit.

Hopkins was registered as a missing person by family after she hadn’t been seen or heard from for weeks following her release from the Teton County Jail on Jan. 30.

Officers located Hopkins in Hawaii on Feb. 17, noting that she had purchased a new cellphone before flying out of Jackson Hole Airport on Jan. 30.

Hopkins left her dog and car behind in Jackson. Her dog, Sophia, was picked up by her sister, a friend of Hopkins’ confirmed.

In the court documents Hopkins listed “Jackson, 83001” as her address, despite the jail roster, park officials and friends identifying her as a resident of Seattle, Washington.

Hopkins is author of the self-published “Cocker Brothers” romance series, well known for a national scandal in 2018 stemming from her trademark of the word “cocky.” Hopkins ultimately relinquished her trademark, allowing other writers to use the word in book titles.

Since the Jan. 27 incident was reported, friends of Hopkins expressed concern over her well-being, noting that 50 of her book titles on Amazon mysteriously had been removed and her social media pages scrubbed.

Fellow indie author Suzan Tisdale told the News&Guide that Hopkins had never been to Wyoming before the high-speed chase.

Because she has left the state, sheriff’s deputies won’t go looking for her.

“If she happens to come back and we come into contact with her,” Sgt. John Faicco said, “it’s our duty to arrest her.”