JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A former officer from the Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) faces charges of official misconduct and tampering with governmental records for allegedly disabling both his police vehicle’s camera and his body camera during a vehicle chase in April 2024.
A news release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) states that Connor Cooper, 27, surrendered himself on Friday, following his indictment by a Washington County Grand Jury eight days prior. He is charged with two counts of official misconduct and one count of tampering with governmental records.
This indictment occurs 13 months after the TBI initiated its investigation into allegations against Cooper, following a referral from First Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney, who then recused himself from the case.
The release says agents learned about Cooper’s involvement in the 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,” the release states.
Cooper was released on a $3,000 bond.
Details of court hearings are not yet available on Washington County’s court website. This is a developing story.
