Workman Forestry Voyeur Has Domestic Violence Case Expunged from Court Records

Editor’s Notes: A report on Johnny Cooper's arrest was published on Sep 27, 2024, but has been replaced with the following update after discovering the outcome of expungement:

Johnny Christopher Cooper Jr., 35, has had his 2024 domestic violence case expunged. The case no longer appears when searching his name on court records. 

On September 14, 2024, Cooper, a years-long Workman Forestry LLC employee, was arrested in a domestic violence case. 

The victim reportedly had physical injuries. Cooper allegedly told police he and the victim tussled when he thought she was hiding something on her phone. Blaming alcohol, he reportedly said she hit her head on the ground by accident. 

Cooper wasn't found guilty of domestic battery, but he did previously plead to a sexual offense. 

Roughly a decade ago, prosecutors formally filed charges against Cooper for felony video voyeurism.

A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer reported the following: 

On Sunday, October 05, 2014, at approximately [11:10 a.m.] , I was dispatched to Family Dollar, 2286 SE University Ave, in reference to Voyeurism. I was in uniform driving a marked police car. 

Once on scene I made contact with the suspect who was sitting on a bench outside subway. The victim was also outside, a few yards away from the suspect. I identified the suspect as Johnny Cooper... I informed Cooper of my reason for contacting him, and asked for his account of what took place. Cooper stated he was in the store looking for washing powder. While looking on the bottom shelf he placed his tablet on the floor, while his tablet was on the floor [the victim] accidentally stepped on it. Cooper apologized to [the victim]; she replied ‘it’s ok’ and continued to shop.  

I then spoke to [the victim] who stated while she was shopping in the pine sole aisle, she stepped back to look at something. While doing so she looked down and noticed [Cooper] picking up his phone which happened to be directly underneath her with the camera facing up. [The victim] noticed a green light was on the camera lens. [The victim] was wearing a dress. [The victim] discussed the incident with her mother… who was also present and decided to call LEO.  

[Witness] stated she heard her daughter say ‘excuse me,' [looked] at the ground, and saw Cooper [holding] a cell phone directly under her daughter’s dress.  

Video surveillance viewed by Officer Preston showed [the victim] standing in an aisle looking at items on the shelf and Cooper kneeling beside her hold a device directly under [the victim’s] dress. As [the victim] moved away from Cooper, he would reposition himself keeping the device located under [the victim’s] dress.  

I again made contact with Cooper and questioned him regarding the video surveillance. Cooper stated as he moved down the aisle to look at items on the shelf, he was sliding his tablet on the floor along with him. 

Because Cooper’s phone and tablet are suspected to be used in the commission of a crime and may contain evidence, I confiscated both as evidence. A copy of the video surveillance will be provided by the store manager at a later date… 

[On] Tuesday October 07, 2014, I went by the address listed in the report for suspect Johnny Cooper. I was advised by a male on scene that they are related to Cooper but that he does not live there. The male could not provide an address for him. I left a business card requesting he ask Cooper to call me should he speak to him. 

I [later] received a phone call from [Cooper]. A message had been left at [1:46 p.m.] from this same number where the caller gave his name as Johnny Cooper and the correct case number. 

I was able to record the call starting approximately 30-45 seconds in to it... [after] Cooper and stated the allegations against him were correct. During the recorded call, Cooper acknowledged he had used his cellular phone to record up the skirt of the woman in the store and that the video should still be on the phone. Cooper said he had only done something like that once before, but that video would have been deleted. Cooper said he has ADHD and sometimes does things without thinking. Cooper stated he would be willing to sign a consent to search and stated verbally that he was okay with both the phone and his netbook being searched. Cooper stated he was out of town and could not make contact with me until Monday… 

[On] Friday, October 10, 2014, I received the search warrant for the tablet and phone, signed by Judge Groeb. I went to property and evidence and retrieved the items for examination. I located several videos on the cellular phone, two of which appear to be related to this case. The first appears to show Cooper walking through the Family Dollar with the phone in some kind of red basket, recording upward. The second video depicts laundry items and a woman standing nearby in a black and white dress with pink flip flops on, which is what [the victim] told me she was wearing in a phone conversation. Eventually, the phone goes underneath the dress and is recording the crotch region. The woman steps back and stumbles over the person holding the phone. This was all consistent with events as described in the report. 

There were other videos on the phone, involving different persons than [the victim], where it appeared that the phone was being used to try to record up dresses or skirts, without success however.”

Cooper took a no contest plea deal, meaning he didn’t overtly admit guilt but also didn’t dispute the reports charging him. Cooper was granted a withheld adjudication, meaning the case remains on his record but he wasn’t formally convicted. Cooper was sentenced to three years of probation but it was extended by two years following violations for not submitting to drug treatment, cannabis usage and failing to complete community service or pay court costs. Cooper's probation was ultimately terminated in 2020.

In 2020, Peaceful Paths, a service helping domestic violence victims, received landscaping assistance from Workman Forestry LLC. 

Before Workman Forestry LLC made their website private, it stated publicly that they put “safety first” and that they can “get the job done” with a “variety of specialized equipment and highly skilled operators.” 

There is a photo on Facebook showing Cooper alongside his colleagues.

When the initial article was published, GnvInfo gave Tom Workman, head of Workman Forestry LLC, the opportunity to respond, but he didn’t. 

Gainesville residents can contact Workman Forestry for landscaping services, however, GnvInfo has not independently verified if Cooper is still working there today.

The initial article can be accessed here but it contains some inaccuracies. The legal definitions of a withheld adjudication and no contest plea deal are misconstrued with each other, and it was initially reported that Cooper was hired by Workman Forestry LLC while on probation when he was actually employed there at the time of the sexual offense and continued working there while on probation, records show. The latter was revealed in the voyeurism report which GnvInfo did not have at the time of the initial publication.