KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — A Hancock County man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he used binoculars to look into apartment windows from the top of a Knoxville parking garage.
According to court records, Knoxville Police Department officers responded Tuesday afternoon to the Lake Avenue parking garage after receiving reports of a suspicious man using binoculars to observe nearby apartments.
The suspect was identified as 43-year-old Dusty Cooper of Sneedville.
Court documents state that when officers arrived at the top level of the garage, Cooper immediately dropped the binoculars.
When questioned by police, Cooper initially said he did not know why he was looking into the windows. According to court records, he later told officers he had been making phone calls when he noticed a woman walk by wearing “nothing but a towel.” He allegedly admitted he then used the binoculars to get “a closer look,” describing the decision as “a bad idea.”
Investigators also spoke with residents of the apartment unit Cooper was allegedly observing. According to court records, they reported seeing him on top of the parking garage on multiple days.
Cooper told officers he had visited the garage during his lunch break for the previous two days. However, investigators reviewed security camera footage and determined he had reportedly been on the garage’s upper level for nearly five hours before officers arrived Tuesday.
During a search, officers allegedly found a THC vape in Cooper’s possession.
As a result of the investigation, Cooper was charged with:
- Three counts of felony invasion of privacy
- One count of simple possession
The case remains pending in Knox County courts.
