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On Tuesday, Alabama authorities arrested Perry Hooper Jr., a politician accused of groping a woman in a restaurant. According to Fox News, the arrest affidavit states that Hooper physically violated a woman in the Ravello Ristorante in downtown Montgomery.
Soon after Hooper was identified as the suspect, he was arrested by the US Marshals Task Force and detained in Montgomery County Detention Facility. He is currently free on a $15000 bond.
Perry Hooper is a former Alabama Republican lawmaker who is best known for campaigning for former President Donald Trump.
Perry Hooper Jr. has been an active political pundit
Perry Hooper Jr., the son of a former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, first ran for the Alabama House of Representatives in 1982, losing to Ham Wilson Jr. in the general election.
The Montgomery Advertiser reported that in 1983, he won a special election in the 73rd District. He sustained the position for almost 20 years, losing in 2002 to fellow Republican David Grimes. He currently serves as a member of the Alabama Republican State Executive Committee.
According to WBRC, Perry Hooper Jr. garnered national attention in 2016 when he served as co-chair of Donald Trump's first election in Alabama. He primarily acted as a fundraiser and described himself as the chairman of the 2016 Trump victory in Alabama in a press release.
After this, his career gained enough momentum, and thus he attempted to become the Attorney General of the United States, though he was unsuccessful. Hooper Jr. has acted as an active political pundit in the past few years, contributing opinions and analysis to the Montgomery Advertiser.
His last official opinion piece for the Montgomery Advertiser was published in 2021, though he continued to submit entertainment tributes over the past year.
Details of the allegation against Perry Hooper Jr.
In the arrest affidavit, authorities state that as he was leaving the Ravello Ristorante, Hooper Jr. allegedly approached the woman and groped her.
The affidavit read:
"The suspect grabbed the victim's (...) waist."
It continued:
He then began kissing her neck before she was able to break free."
As Hooper is a member of a well-known Republican family, the incident was controversial, prompting a response from the Alabama Republican party. In an official statement, the party said they take the allegations seriously.
The statement continues:
"We are committed to personal rights and public safety. We will be monitoring this situation closely as it makes its way through the judicial process."
As per Fox, the accusations against Hooper are classified as a C-class felony. As of now, the case remains under investigation.
