TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee dance minister accused of sexually assaulting a victim last year is back in jail for repeatedly contacting the victim to try and persuade him to drop the charges.
Curtis Cooper, 38, was rearrested on Tuesday on the original sexual battery charge.
According to court documents, the victim told police in July 2017 that Cooper had sexually assaulted him while at a Tallahassee hotel for a church conference. When asked about the hotel, Cooper told police that the events leading up to the alleged sexual battery were a "lie" and denied any sexual contact with the victim.
However, on May 25, 2018, the victim called a state attorney in the case and said he wanted to drop all charges against Cooper.
An incident report says that the victim stated he and Cooper had spoken, they were "cool" and had resolved everything. Based on the call, the state attorney felt Cooper may have been victim tampering. Additionally, documents note that Cooper was ordered by a judge to have no contact with the victim.
When the state attorney interviewed the victim, he confirmed that he initially spoke with Cooper after his arrest via a "3-way" call with a member of Cooper's dance group.
According to the incident report, the victim said he and Cooper apologized to each other. When asked if Cooper admitted to the sexual assault, the victim confirmed he did.
The victim said that he felt pressured to file a report about the incident. He never wanted "it to go this far," but stated that he had been truthful when he gave his account of what happened during the initial investigation.
The incident report says the victim said he has communicated with Cooper multiple times since his arrest via calls and text messages, with the last communication being on May 25. The victim said he spoke to Cooper earlier that day about the victim's call to the state attorney.
Based on the incident report and Cooper's violation of his release conditions, the state filed a motion to revoke Cooper's $10,000 bond.
A warrant for Cooper's arrest was electronically filed on Aug. 14.
On Tuesday, documents say officers stopped Cooper's car in the area of Thomasville Road and 7th Avenue for ran red light. While talking to Cooper, officers discovered he had a warrant out for his arrest and took him into custody.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee dance minister has been arrested, accused of sexually assaulting a victim he invited to a church conference.
Curtis Cooper, 37, was arrested on Thursday and charged with sexual battery.
According to a probable cause document, the victim told police in July that Cooper had sexually assaulted him while at a Tallahassee hotel.
The victim said that the weekend of July 8, Cooper, in partnership with Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, hosted a dance conference. He told police Cooper invited him to come along and "paid for everything" including a room at Hotel Duval.
The victim stated that he was showering and getting ready for church at the hotel when Cooper forced him to the bed and sexually assaulted him.
According to the documents, Cooper left after the incident.
The documents say that when a Tallahassee Police officer went to interview Cooper, he denied the allegations, saying that the church organization paid for the victim's expenses.
Cooper explained that he organized the dance conference and that the victim was invited to take part in the conference as a drummer. He said that the victim's family was also invited but the victim was the only one who attended.
When asked about the hotel, Cooper told police that he had fallen asleep July 8 without realizing it, woke up early in the morning, and left the room.
He also told officers that the events leading up to the alleged sexual battery were a "lie" and denied any sexual contact with the victim.
Police wrote that during the interview with Cooper, he kept mentioning an investigation in Blountstown where he was accused of an inappropriate relationship with a male and female victim, both under the age of 18.
When police looked into it, they discovered that the case Cooper mentioned involved a 12-year-old victim who told investigators he knew Cooper because he was the dance instructor at his church.
According to the probable cause document, Cooper had been arrested for sexual battery in connection to the incident back in 2004.
Officers wrote that they were also aware of another case in 2014 where Cooper had been accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old. However, documents say authorities were never able to establish probable cause, leaving the case inactive.
Cooper is currently in the Leon County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
He is the owner and founder of Community-Based Dance Ministry Inc. in Tallahassee.
According to the Reign Dance Company's website, Cooper was one of the founding directors of Divine Praise Dance Ministry of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church.
He is also listed as one of the company's members.
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