BEDFORD — A 24-year-old Bedford woman is facing a misdemeanor battery charge following an investigation into a late-night physical altercation that stemmed from a verbal dispute outside an I Street apartment building.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Officer Michael Bell, he requested an arrest warrant for Geneva N. Cooper on charges of battery following the June 16 incident. Cooper was detained on August 19th.
Officers responded to a call regarding a verbal argument occurring outside an apartment complex in the 1300 block of I Street at approximately 10:44 p.m. Shortly after officers arrived, two women involved in the dispute arrived at the Bedford Police Department station to file a report.
The female driver of the vehicle provided a voluntary audio- and video-recorded statement to police. She reported that after leaving the Lawrence County Jail to drop off money for an inmate, she drove along I Street with two passengers and spotted a resident outside the apartment building.
The female stated that she pulled over to address ongoing personal issues involving Cooper. While she was standing by her driver’s door, Cooper exited the apartment and initiated a confrontation. The female reported that she climbed back into her vehicle and attempted to lock the door, but Cooper allegedly forced the door open and punched her in the right side of the face, causing pain.
The woman and her two passengers told police that a dog belonging to the household was released during the argument. The two witnesses stated that the dog entered through an open passenger door; while no one was bitten, the dog’s movement caused a red beverage inside the vehicle to burst open, staining clothing and the vehicle interior.
Responding officers simultaneously interviewed Cooper, along with two other household residents, at the apartment. Cooper stated that she went outside after hearing a car horn and found the female driver arguing with her mother. Cooper acknowledged approaching the woman while continuing to argue, but stated that the female driver eventually drove off and made a comment about calling the police to report a battery. Cooper and her family members denied that the dog ever entered the woman’s vehicle.
An officer reviewed security footage from the nearby Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department’s cameras, though the video did not capture actionable evidence of the physical dispute. Police collected photographs of the woman’s facial injuries, the interior of her vehicle, and the stained clothing.
At the request of the involved parties, official no-trespass notices were served on the female driver and her passengers, who were trespassed from Cooper’s I Street residence, while Cooper was officially trespassed from the female driver’s home on 23rd Street.
Officer Bell finalized the investigation and requested a warrant for Cooper’s arrest.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
