Michigan State defensive end Demetrius Cooper is facing a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery following an arrest this past November. Cooper allegedly spit in the face of an East Lansing parking enforcement officer after being given a ticket.
MSU's Demetrius Cooper faces misdemeanor assault & battery charge https://t.co/fG0NvYEylZ
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 9, 2017
The charge stems from an incident that occurred shortly before 9 p.m. ET the night before Halloween in East Lansing. A Parking and Code Enforcement (PACE) officer saw Cooper's car was parked illegally in front of an East Lansing restaurant. As the officer was writing a citation for impeding traffic, Cooper came out to confront him. According to police, Cooper then returned into the restaurant and the officer then wrote Cooper a second citation, which infuriated the MSU defensive lineman and led to spitting on the officer.
PACE officer Mark Dalen claims Cooper then said, “I’m going to spit in your face. I should spit on you right now,” then did.
Cooper claims he was confused as to why he would receive another ticket and said he should spit on the officer, but never did. He was arrested Nov. 30 after police issued a warrant following an investigation, and later posted $500 bond. He now faces a reported $500 fine and/or up to 93 days in jail following his scheduled court hearing in East Lansing Thursday morning, details of which have not been disclosed.
Cooper this past season recorded 23 tackles, 6.0 for a loss, and 2.5 sacks in 12 games played. This coming fall, he will be entering as a fifth-year senior and presumably a favorite to be a starter up front for the Spartans.
