Woman asks for charge to be dropped against Perry Hooper
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A woman who in August accused a former state legislator of groping her at a Montgomery restaurant is asking that a criminal charge against him be dropped.
The woman's attorney, Dianne James Davis. shared the statement with news outlets, saying that the matter with Perry Hooper, Jr. has been resolved
“I have asked that any charges against Perry Hooper be dismissed," the statement said. “The matters relating to Mr. Hooper and me have been resolved and going through the turmoil of a trial would provide no more justice than getting a sincere public apology from Mr. Hooper. I so respect and appreciate law enforcement and the job they have to perform, nevertheless, I request these charges be dismissed.”
A grand jury indicted Hooper, 68, on a felony sexual abuse charge earlier this month. He was accused of grabbing the woman’s breasts and waist, kissing her on the neck and shoving his pelvis into her backside, according to an affidavit filed in the case. The woman was behind the host stand at the restaurant and Hooper was leaving the restaurant when the alleged events occurred, the document said.
The acting district attorney in the case did not immediately respond to an telephone message seeking comment. Hooper's attorney did not immediately respond to a telephone message.
Hooper is a member of a prominent Republican family. Hooper served in the Alabama House from 1983 to 2003. Hooper, as chairman of the Alabama Trump Victory in 2016, campaigned and raised money for former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. His father, Perry Hooper, Sr., was the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
