Cory Cooper, a former Douglas County deputy accused of felony sexual assault and evidence tampering, has cut a plea deal that would
reduce his charges and avoid a trial:
The agreement means that Cooper, 31, won’t be a convicted felon, nor will he have to register as a sex offender.
Cory Cooper maintains that he is innocent and took the plea deal to avoid a trial and putting his family through more hardship. All of this stems from an incident from back in 2013:
Cooper was fired in May 2013 after a two-month investigation by Omaha police. He was accused of sexually assaulting a then-19-year-old woman at Zorinsky Lake that February.
Authorities said Cooper made her perform oral sex after pulling over her and her boyfriend at Zorinsky Lake. Cooper found marijuana in the couple’s vehicle.
Prosecutors said Cooper also falsified reports about where he was that night. His cruiser’s GPS system showed that he was at the lake.
The Omaha police department performed an investigation into the events and had ended Cooper's employment with the
Douglas County Sheriff's department back in May 2013:
"In response to the arrest of former Deputy Cory Cooper, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning wants the public to know that former Deputy Cooper was thoroughly investigated by the Sheriff’s Office, Office of Professional Standards, and was terminated from Employment with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on May 13, 2013 for Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer." [...]
Sheriff Dunning stated “His conduct was shocking and the Sheriff’s Office fully supports his arrest. Law enforcement officers are here to protect the Public, not prey on them.”
Cooper agreed to serving
one year in prison—6 months for each charge.
He had faced up to 50 years.