The 69-year-old Tenino area man accused of shooting a man in August is back in custody after detectives found firearms and explosives at his residence.
John Paul Cooper is accused of shooting a 58-year-old man in Tenino shortly before 5:47 p.m. on Aug. 28.
The victim, identified in court documents as a tenant on Cooper’s property in the 2600 block of Angus Drive Southeast, sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound to the arm.
Cooper allegedly fled the scene, and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) soon put out a call to the community for help locating him.
Cooper was initially arrested Sept. 5 after a week-long manhunt.
He posted $20,000 bail on Sept. 10, with release conditions that required him to surrender all firearms and to have no contact with the shooting victim.
He was charged Sept. 10 with one count each of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
A few days prior, on Sept. 18, TCSO detectives “received information that Cooper was violating an anti-harassment order and possessing firearms and explosives in violation of his conditions of release,” TCSO said in a news release.
Cooper was taken into custody without incident during his scheduled arraignment hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Detectives served a search warrant at Cooper’s residence and located three firearms and approximately 1.5 pounds of commercial mining explosives, according to TCSO.
The Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad took possession of the explosives for destruction.
Cooper was booked into the Thurston County Jail on new charges of unlawful possession of an explosive device, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and violation of an anti-harassment order.
Because Cooper violated his conditions of release for the shooting case, his bail has been revoked, and he will remain in custody until the case is resolved or the court makes another ruling on conditions of release.
Trial for the shooting case is currently scheduled to begin Dec. 14.
