AVERILL PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10)– We have now learned new information on the manhunt yesterday in Poestenkill for James F. Cooper, including details of his arrest, and his prior history of violent behavior. After the lengthy manhunt, Cooper was located on foot unarmed in the area of Chain Mountain Way in Averill Park.
State police say he had multiple prior warrants for his arrest, including a felony charge. According to court documents he has now been charged with bail jumping, criminal possession of a firearm, and criminal contempt for disobeying court.
“The public safety concern was primarily due to the fact of how close it was to the school, and the fact we knew he had, at a minimum, two long guns,” stated NYS Trooper Stephanie O’Neil.
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Court documents obtained by NEWS10 outline the incidents prior to his disappearance. According to his ex-girlfriend, she dropped him off at his father’s junkyard where he had been staying, urging him to turn himself in for his outstanding warrants. She says he had been heavily abusing multiple drugs, and had a history of mental health issues. She also noted that he once shot a gun in the basement of her home after an argument…