By Howard Koplowitz and Mike Cason
Alabama’s transportation director was jailed late Monday morning on a harassment charge in north Alabama, records showed.
John Cooper, transportation director for the Alabama Department of Transportation, was in the Marshall County Jail for about 30 minutes before posting $500 bond on a charge of harassment/intimidation, according to jail records.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office said it could not detail the allegations against Cooper, 75.
George Barnett, Cooper’s personal attorney, appeared to suggest the arrest stemmed from a land dispute between Cooper and his neighbor.
“This morning, Mr. Cooper directed me to file a complaint for declaratory judgment cause of action in Marshall County Circuit Court regarding a neighbor who is falsely claiming an easement on Mr. Cooper’s property,” said Barnett.
“The clearest legal path to resolving this matter is to have the court determine whether an easement exists, and we look forward to resolving this matter,” he continued.
Marshall County District Attorney Jennifer Bray could not immediately be reached.
Cooper has served as transportation director for ALDOT since 2011.
Efforts to reach ALDOT were not immediately successful.
“While the legal process plays out, I will refer you to the statement from Director Cooper’s personal attorney,” Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kay Ivey, said when asked to comment.
Last month, Cooper filed an emergency request to continue construction on the two-lane bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Alabama Supreme Court, in a 5-3 decision earlier this month, denied an emergency motion to stay a lower court’s decision for contractors to discontinue building bridge.
Cooper was the CEO of Avocent Corp. in Huntsville from 2002 until 2008 and was also chairman of Avocent’s board from 2003-2008.
From 1996-2001, Cooper was chief financial officer and senior vice president finance and administration for Adtran Inc. of Huntsville, a global telecommunications provider.