Opp father, son arrested after chase

Published 8:45 am Sunday, July 24, 2011

A father and son from Opp are in jail following a high speed pursuit Saturday afternoon.

In a press release issued by the Covington County Sheriff’s Office, Wesley R. Cooper, 23, was wanted for felony violation of probation and was pursued by deputies down several county dirt roads south of Opp until he ran into a ditch on J Entry Road and fled on foot shortly before 6 p.m.

When deputies lost sight of him, the K-9 Tracker and the Dale County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit was called in to assist with the search, which lasted for several hours. When night fell, the search was called off; however, at 6 a.m. today, deputies received information that Cooper had returned home. He was taken into custody without incident a short time later.

He is currently being held in the Covington County Jail without bond.

Cooper’s father, 52-year-old Richard A. Cooper, was also arrested after he allegedly tried to interfere with the Sunday pursuit. According to the press release, Richard Cooper continued to interfere and ultimately arrested and charged with obstruction of governmental operations and issued several traffic citations. He was placed in the county jail and held on a $20,000 bond.

Wesley Cooper

Richard Cooper