GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Nathan Daniel Cooper, 39, of Strasburg, Ohio, was arrested yesterday in connection with the alleged sexual battery of a 16-year-old girl in Gainesville during the summer.
According to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office detective, the girl was initially reluctant to take part in a forensic interview. Investigators later obtained a photograph of the man accused of sexually battering her, as well as information indicating that she had met him at a billiards bar in Alachua while out with her sister. Witnesses reportedly said Cooper was told the girl was 16 and spent considerable time speaking with her.
The detective determined that Cooper worked for an Ohio-based company and was staying at an Alachua motel around the time of the alleged incident.
The victim reportedly told investigators that she met a man named “Nathan” at a “pool hall or bar,” matching her sister’s description of the Alachua billiards bar. She gave him her phone number, and he contacted her several weeks later to ask whether she wanted to spend time together. The girl said he asked her for nude photographs and asked whether he could send her nude photos. She declined both requests.
She said she agreed to let the man pick her up and described his vehicle as a red, four-door work truck with three seats across the front. According to her account, he stopped at a gas station resembling the Oaks Mall Chevron, bought her a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and drove around with her. She said he became “touchy-feely” before allegedly sexually battering her in the parking lot of the abandoned Toys ‘R’ Us. She told investigators that he later took her to a walking trail and then drove her home.
The victim said her sister told “Nathan” several times that she was 16, but he did not appear concerned. She also said he told her he had an ex-wife and two children. When she asked how he would react if his own children were involved in a similar situation, he reportedly said he would pat his son on the back and “kill the motherf*****” who did something like that to his daughter.
A witness reportedly gave investigators the man’s name, the company where he worked and the license plate number of his truck. The witness said the vehicle had been parked at an Alachua motel. The tag was registered to an Ohio company, and the detective used Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras to confirm that the truck had been in the area and matched the victim’s description.
The detective located Cooper at an Alachua gas station on October 29 and detained him. After being read his Miranda rights, Cooper reportedly acknowledged visiting a billiards bar across from his hotel earlier in the year and meeting the victim and her sister. He said he had been told the girl was 16. Cooper also spontaneously stated that he had never touched her, even though the detective had not yet raised that allegation.
DON’T MISS: China and Russia Block US Proposal for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza – NewsFinale
Cooper initially denied communicating with or meeting the victim and her sister anywhere outside the bar. He later acknowledged communicating with the girls and taking two girls to a job site after dropping off the victim. He continued to deny communicating with or otherwise interacting with the victim after the night at the bar.
The detective told Cooper that ALPR footage can sometimes show a vehicle’s driver and passengers and asked whether the system might show the victim in his truck. Cooper reportedly then said he had forgotten about meeting her. He acknowledged picking her up, taking her to a gas station and buying her an alcoholic drink before driving to an abandoned parking lot behind Oaks Mall. Cooper said he did not know her age until he asked why she could not purchase her own beer and she told him she was 16. He reportedly admitted he knew it was “not right” to be with her and became nervous when a mall security guard made a round.
Cooper continued denying that he had sexual contact with the girl. He said he intended to take her home after learning she was 16, but instead drove her to a park, where they walked along a trail.
The detective said Cooper asked to call his wife when he was first detained. During questioning about his family, Cooper reportedly acknowledged lying to the victim about being divorced because he wanted attention. When asked how he would respond if someone did something similar to his children, Cooper reportedly said he would congratulate his son and beat up anyone who harmed his daughter. The detective noted that the response closely resembled the victim’s account of Cooper’s answer to the same question.
The detective said Cooper made several false statements during the interview, including claims that he never interacted with the girls outside the bar, did not know the victim’s age, had never been alone with her and had never communicated with her. Cooper reportedly acknowledged, “I lied about a few details,” but continued to deny engaging in any sexual activity.
Cooper is charged with sexual battery involving a 16-year-old victim. His criminal history was unavailable because records involving sexual offenses are not posted. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail while the State Attorney’s Office seeks to keep him in custody without bail through trial. If the judge rejects that request, bail will be set during the hearing.