Johnson City, TN (WOKI) An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of a now-former Johnson City officer.
In June 2024, at the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney, TBI agents began investigating allegations of misconduct involving Connor Cooper. Michael Dunavant was appointed by the Court to serve as District Attorney General Pro Tem upon the recusal of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney. During the investigation, agents learned that in April 2024, while serving as an officer with the Johnson City Police Department and after being involved in a vehicle pursuit, Cooper intentionally disabled his police cruiser’s in-car video system and his body-worn camera, and instructed a trainee riding with him to turn off his body-worn camera in an effort to unlawfully tamper with, destroy, conceal, or limit the availability of the video footage.
On July 3rd, the Washington County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Connor Cooper (DOB: 12/4/97) with two counts of Official Misconduct and one count of Tampering with Governmental Records. Today, he turned himself in and was booked into the Washington County Jail on a $3,000 bond.
The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
