Cochise County is looking to prepare the Miracle Valley Bible College property for auction. The property was deeded to the state in March 2022.
Miracle Valley is a census-denoted area founded by Pentecostal evangelist Asa A. Allen. But Miracle Valley was also the site of the infamous 1982 shootout between congregation members of the Christ Miracle Healing Center and Church and Arizona Law Enforcement, according to the New York Times. The New York Times reported that the 1982 shootout between law enforcement and congregants of the Christ Miracle Healing Center and Church or CMHCC began with an attempt to arrest a member of the church for a traffic violation — which resulted in a shootout between Sheriff’s deputies and congregants that left two dead and nine others injured.
Now more than 40 years later, the county looks to prepare the property for auction. According to the Cochise County Development Services Department, the previous property owner failed to pay property taxes for seven years, and thus, the property was deeded to the state in March of 2022.
According to Daniel Coxworth, Director of the Cochise County Development Services Department, the previous property owners owe $565,911.88 in property taxes.
With that deed, Coxworth said the property was placed in the care of the Cochise County Board of Supervisors.
Coxworth said that the county is seeking to clean up the 37-and-a-half-acre property to prepare it to be auctioned off.
“At any time before the property was deeded to the state, the tax lien could have been purchased from the Treasurer and foreclosed on the property,” said Coxworth during Tuesday’s work session. “I am not aware of anyone that started that process.”
He continued that his department recommends the removal of several buildings on the property due to poor conditions and the presence of Asbestos: these buildings include the laundry building, the boys and girls dormitories and the Tabernacle.
Coxworth says that the dome and apartments can remain but need to have the Asbestos removed.
Coxworth said the board is required to consult with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to determine the historic value of the buildings. That determination could come as soon as next week.
Cochise County Administrator Richard Karwaczka says that there will be another work session once SHPO provides a response. He added that the auction process for the property tentatively could happen this summer.
This article was updated April 29, 2024 to correct A.A. Allen's title as a Pentecostal evangelist.
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.