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Barring a change of heart by the alleged victim, the prosecution of former state Rep. Perry Hooper for felony sexual assault will be difficult to move forward, according to information provided by a chief deputy district attorney.
Speaking in general terms about sexual assault cases, Montgomery County Chief Deputy District Attorney Azzie Taylor said moving forward in a case in which the alleged victim declines to participate is “almost impossible.”
Hooper was arrested in August and indicted by a grand jury earlier this month for allegedly assaulting a restaurant employee following a fundraiser at a Montgomery restaurant.
Taylor declined to comment specifically about the Hooper case, other than to say that she has not yet been contacted by the alleged victim and formally informed that she would not participate in the prosecution of Hooper.
The alleged victim issued a press release on Monday stating that she would like the charges against Hooper dropped after she and Hooper “resolved” the matter. The statement said Hooper could put the matter to rest with “a heartfelt public apology.”
To date, Hooper has not issued an apology or spoken publicly about the incident. His attorney, Montgomery’s Joe Espy, said that Hooper would not be commenting on the matter in the near future.
According to police records, which included a statement from the alleged victim, Hooper came up behind the restaurant hostess as she stood near the entrance, grabbed her breasts from behind, then grabbed her waist and began thrusting his pelvis into her and kissing her neck.
According to a source familiar with the case, video of the incident was obtained by Montgomery police and is in possession of the district attorney’s office. However, rules for getting evidence into a legal proceeding would likely keep the video out of court without participation by the victim.
