Minister Deeds Property to Reagan
He may not be aware of it, but President Reagan is a property owner in Greenville--courtesy of a minister who disappeared.
The Rev. Philip E. Risner, former minister of Calvary United Pentecostal Church, deeded an interest in property to Reagan on Nov. 14 amid legal problems.
In 1979, Risner bought land for his church from Bruce Hopkins of Belding and Francis Rieckman of Greenville. But payments stopped and Risner left town.
Church officials deeded the property to Risner through a quit claim, which lets an owner quit his interest in property and deed it to someone else without payment. Risner, in turn, deeded the property to Reagan.
A White House official said he doubted that the President knew of the transaction.
Hopkins said that Risner never finished paying for the land.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
