Demiteras Cooper, Arrested Yesterday For Murder, Has Quite A Record...

Wikipedia commons photo, blog post by John Hoff

Last night, JNS blog was looking at the jail roster and caught the name of a newly arrested murder suspect, Demiteras Cooper . Cooper reportedly lives at 822 Thomas Ave. N. It's likely the crime for which he was arrested was a murder yesterday on the 2000 block of Hillside Ave. N. but I have been unable to confirm that and, believe me, I did some checking.

Yesterday, my searches weren't turning anything up but it was late at night and I may have been spelling "Demiteras" wrong. Today all kinds of stuff turns up, with a lot of leads left by anonymous commenters.

This guy has a record as long as my arm...


First, here's a mug shot--one of several--so readers can see what he looks like, click here. 

And here's the promised rap-sheet-as-long-as-my-arm:

27-CR-97-018077 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 03/04/1997 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed ASSAULT 5TH DEGREE (DOMESTIC)

27-CR-98-074691 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 07/24/1998 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed CONSUMING IN A PUBLIC PLACE 27-CR-99-024717 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 03/04/1999 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Ridgedale Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed DISORDERLY CONDUCT

27-CR-99-092611 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 09/24/1999 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed ASSAULT IN THE FIFTH DEGREE Not applicable - GOC

27-CR-99-094901 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 10/13/1999 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed RECKLESS DISCHARGE OF A FIREARM Not applicable - GOC REMOVAL OF A FIREARM SERIAL NUMBER Not applicable - GOC

27-CR-01-036594 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 05/03/2001 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed ASSAULT IN THE FIFTH DEGREE Not applicable - GOC

27-CR-01-059207 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 07/20/2001 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM Not applicable - GOC

69-K4-02-600991 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL SR 04/11/1976 09/16/2002 - St. Louis-Duluth Sullivan,David P. , Misdemeanor Converted Closed (TCIS Amended Charge) MISD DOMESTIC ASSAULT Not applicable - GOC

27-CR-03-071024 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 09/19/2003 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed AMPLIFIED SOUND FROM A VEHICLE

27-CR-03-092376 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 12/31/2003 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Ridgedale Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed DRIVING W/O A VALID DRIVERS LICENSE

27-CR-05-007534 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 04/01/2005 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed 4TH DEG DWI-REFUSAL TO SUBMIT TO TEST Not applicable - GOC 4TH DEGREE DWI - ALCOHOL Not applicable - GOC

27-CR-05-052030 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 08/18/2005 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed ASSAULT IN THE SECOND DEGREE Not applicable - GOC TERRORISTIC THREATS Not applicable - GOC INTERFERENCE WITH AN EMERGENCY CALL Not applicable - GOC

27-CR-07-107241 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 08/20/2007 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Under Court Jurisdiction Drive While Under the Influence of Alcohol Third Degree Drive with an Alcohol Concentration of .08 or More Third Degree

27-CR-08-19994 1070216492 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 04/23/2008 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown Crim/Traf Mandatory Closed Loiter with intent to solicit any act prohibited by law

  27-CR-10-27975 2100004403 2100004403 COOPER, DEMITERAS AL 04/11/1976 06/18/2010 Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale Crim/Traf Mandatory Under Court Jurisdiction Fail to provide proof of insurance whether or not the owner Child Passenger Restraint System - Child under 8 and under

Again, with thanks to my anonymous commenters, I was led to the following information:

HIGHLIGHTS SUBMITTED

2118 Penn – Thursday – 0245 hours – 08-108942. SHOTS call w/spotter identifying shots fired in front of 2107 Penn. Earlier information relayed aired regarding a large party at 2118 Penn and upon officers arrival, approximately 50 people where leaving 2118 Penn. Resident said he was having a birthday party and when someone started a fight he made everyone leave and then heard several shots outside across the street. Demiteras Cooper a 32 year old black male w/46 CAPRS – tagged for Noisy Assembly http://4thprecinctcare.org/article/read/4th_precinct_highlights_week_534_april_15_21_2008

According to the Star Tribune, Cooper sued for "police brutality" and the jury found for the cops:

Jury finds for cops in alleged brutality case

Two police officers used reasonable force in a traffic stop in February 2005 and aren't liable for injuries to 31-year-old Demiteras Cooper, a jury decided Friday.

A Hennepin County District Court jury agreed within a couple of hours that officers William Woodis and Clinton Letch behaved reasonably.

In his closing argument, Assistant Minneapolis Attorney Tim Skarda said Cooper had numerous mental and physical health problems before the incident and his injuries weren't consistent with the repeated kicks and stomps he alleged. The officers acted reasonably throughout the traffic stop, he said.

Cooper, who claims to have suffered cracked teeth and facial abrasions, blamed the verdict on the fact that all but one of the eight jurors was white. "I didn't have a jury of my peers," he said. A county arbitration panel had awarded Cooper $25,000, but he took it to trial, seeking unspecified damages.

Ouch! Walked away from a $25,000 award and lost with the jury! How many times has JNS blog wrote about the composition of juries in Hennepin County and advised defendants to plead out? The same logic applies to a plaintiff in a police brutality case. Here is how the case appears on MNCIS:

27-CV-07-2218

DEMITERAS COOPER vs CLINTON LETCH, and William Woodis, individually and as Police Officers for the City of Minneapolis Police Department, and the City of Minneapolis Police Department

01/31/2007 - Hennepin Civil Rosenbaum, Marilyn Brown

Personal Injury Closed

Cooper has also appeared right here on JNS blog, on my jail roster, as follows:

2011008699 COOPER, DEMITERAS.AL 4/11/1976 1004 31ST AV N, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55412 4/5/2011.13:30
http://adventuresofjohnnynorthside.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-hennepin-county-jail-roster-o-rama.html

2010031984 COOPER, DEMITERAS.AL 4/11/1976 PO BOX 581891, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55458 11/18/2010.15:20
http://adventuresofjohnnynorthside.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-can-you-do-with-hennepin-county.html
Odd how he was using a P.O. box at one point. What's THAT all about? But the 1004 31st Ave. N. address is a rental owned by Veritas Real Estate Holdings of Danville, California. Does that name sound familiar to readers of JNS blog? It should! This is the entity who were landlords (apparently, based on jail roster information) to none other than Devon Derrick Parker, the accused "Good Samaritan Murderer" of Thomas Sonnenberg.

What's the deal, Veritas? Is there a little box where applicants check "yes," and they're only accepted if they're planning to murder somebody?

Allegedly?

Cooper also filed a lawsuit in 2007 against some guy named Randy Brown of the Spring Lake Police Department. (Oh! Even MORE police brutality allegations?) That lawsuit didn't work out so well for Cooper, who not only lost but still owes $4,883.60 for his failed lawsuit. Yeah, good luck collecting THAT Randy Brown and Spring Lake Police Department.

Cooper has two child support cases by two different women, neither of which has the last name "Cooper." I am refraining from publishing those names at the moment but that will change if anything interesting turns up.

In 2005, Cooper and one of the women whose name is in a later child support action were evicted for non-payment of rent while living in Golden Valley. The eviction action was interesting because it was just Cooper and the woman but there were four different plaintiffs. There was an uncollected judgment of $247.

I am told that an actual criminal complaint may not happen until Monday or even Tuesday. If anybody knows anything--including the specific address where the Hillside Ave. N. murder took place--please spill what you know in comments.