One of the individuals arrested during last week’s Sex Offender Registry sweep again found herself under arrest Monday afternoon after she allegedly became combative with West Virginia State Troopers who were attempting to update her registry status.
Juanita Jo Cooper, 53, of Ravenswood now faces misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, obstructing an officer, and two counts of resisting arrest following a confrontation with State Police troopers at her residence Monday afternoon.
Cooper had been arrested last week on two counts of failure to update sex offender registry status and released on $2,000.
According to the new complaint filed by Sr. Trooper J.M. Comer, on Monday afternoon, he and Sr. Trooper C.A. May traveled to Cooper’s residence in Sandy Creek Trailer Court in order to update Cooper’s registry information. As the officers began to inform Cooper of the nature of their visit, Cooper allegedly interrupted them and said she would not speak to them without a lawyer.
After May began explaining that they were not there to question her regarding a crime, but rather to update her registry information, Cooper allegedly became extremely loud, telling the officers she was not going to be harassed.
Comer then instructed Cooper to lower her voice and listen to May, at which point Cooper allegedly began screaming and started to raise her arm in an attempt to strike Comer.
At that point, Comer grabbed Cooper’s wrist and informed her that she was under arrest. Comer then states that Cooper pulled hard against him, forcing him to take her to the ground where she allegedly began kicking and screaming. At that point, Trooper May grabbed Cooper’s legs to restrain her as Comer placed her in handcuffs.
As the officers were transporting Cooper to the State Police Ripley detachment, Cooper allegedly became combative again, ignoring the officers’ requests to calm down. According to Comer, Cooper became so combative that he was unable to maintain focus on the road while keeping control of the defendant. At that point, Trooper Comer pulled his patrol car off the roadway. After Cooper allegedly continued to refuse to comply with the officers’ commands, Comer dispersed a burst of Cap-Stun, a form of mace, toward Cooper’s facial area.
After processing at the Ripley detachment, Cooper was arraigned in Magistrate Court on the four misdemeanor charges. She was released on $2,000 bond.
