A Waukee man was arrested Friday on a Dallas County warrant in connection with a Nov. 10 incident in which he allegedly battered and strangled a woman whom he was also accused of assaulting twice in June.
Kevin Lowell Cooper Jr., 39, of 590 N.E. Wolfson Lane, Waukee, was charged with domestic abuse assault impeding air/blood flow, two counts of second-offense domestic abuse assault, operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and two counts of violation of a protective order.
According to court records, the incident began about 3 p.m. Nov. 10, when Cooper “demanded the victim for her car keys” and when she did not surrender the keys, Cooper allegedly “grabbed her with both of his hands around her neck” and “squeezed her throat, causing her to not be able to breath.”
Cooper allegedly “shook her while impeding her airway, striking her head against the wall multiple times,” which “caused bruising on both sides of the victim’s face near her lower cheeks and bruising directly under her chin where the defendant placed his thumbs,” according to court records.
When Cooper “released the victim from strangulation,” he allegedly “struck her multiple times in the head” and “grabbed the victim multiple times by her hair and ripped it from her scalp when she tried retreating from him,” according to court records.
Cooper was held in the Dallas County Jail prior to posting a $20,000 cash bond Nov. 23. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Dec. 1 in Dallas County District Court.
Cooper was arrested June 29 on a charge of domestic abuse assault impeding air/blood flow causing bodily injury in connection with a June 18 incident in which he allegedly “punched” the same victim “in the head, which knocked her unconscious.” When the victim “regained consciousness,” Cooper allegedly “punched her in the head three or four more times” and “obstructed” the victim’s “airway by placing both hands around her neck and pressing his thumbs into her throat.” He then “threw her to the floor” several times and “kicked her on the left side of her body.”
Cooper was also arrested June 29 on charges of first-offense domestic abuse assault, obstruction of emergency communications, first-degree harassment and operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent in connection with a June 29 incident in which Cooper allegedly “grabbed” the same victim’s “head and neck” and “began pulling her clothes and tore her necklace off.” Cooper then allegedly “threatened to kill her and to burn her car and house down” before he “fled the scene in her vehicle.”
In an Oct. 10 email to Dallas County District Court Judge Terry E. Rickers and the office of the Dallas County Attorney, the female victim in the case requested that charges against Cooper be dropped:
I am writing to you today as I have made multiple calls and left messages for the Dallas County Attorney Office since August 2020 and these calls were never returned. I called . . . to drop charges . . . After several calls and messages strongly requesting to drop charges related to said case — again, I have received no returned calls.
This is very unsettling. I have since researched and learned that ‘charges’ equate to ‘revenue’ which I find unsettling as well. I do have a right for my voice to still be heard. I’m sure this could very well be seen as an attempt to silence my voice.
I first want to say that I am a strong individual of sound mind and body. I am an intelligent woman, a hard working businesswoman since I was 23 years old. I’m not a perfect woman, but I am always striving for perfection. I, like every woman and every human being, am capable of making erroneous decisions. I AM STILL a strong individual, and an effectively contributing member of society.
Now that I have briefly introduced myself, it must be understood that I am NOT a victim, I NEVER HAVE been a victim, and I NEVER WILL BE a victim. I AM a strong individual who had a weak moment where I was persuaded – even coerced – into doing something I said NO to multiple times. I did NOT want to press charges and any witness you speak with knows that I did NOT want to press charges. I literally went into a dark place listening to the verbal, terrifying scenarios being fed to my imagination. I allowed my imagination to move into into a victim mentality, and I felt the pressure to press charges. I was now fearing for scenarios that had never even happened! No matter what the intent of this kind of pressure, is this not just as bad, as damaging, as much of a crime, to take advantage of a human being at a weak moment? To be taken to a dark place in the imagination which I can now see could create revenue-generating charges? I made an error when I succumbed to that pressure.
I admit that made an error allowing those fearful scenarios into my imagination in the first place. PLEASE have mercy on my spirit and soul by removing this disturbing chapter from my life. Please do not continue to rip my spirit and soul open as I am of sound mind and body and I always have been.
Again I ask you, how is ripping this open any better than what what I am requesting to be dropped? Accepting this FEAR FOR THE FUTURE has caused the issue at hand and when I gave in based on this, it was a terrible error. When I said NO to pressing charges the first time, I meant NO. I deserve for my voice to be heard, for this scenario to end and I believe the State ‘cares’ for individuals and will understand why it is crucial to please throw this case out and spend no more time on it.
Please have mercy on my spirit and soul and drop all charges. Please. I will then truly believe the intent of that moment was to protect and serve.
In his order, Rickers said, “The Court cannot and will not take any action on this unsolicited email message.”
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is innocent until and unless proven guilty.
