Cody restaurant owners allegedly chased down and threatened customers

An argument over service at a Cody restaurant reportedly got out of hand Wednesday night, leading to the arrest of the business owners.

Cassie's Steakhouse owners Randel and Courtney Hooper each face misdemeanor counts of stalking and breach of the peace for allegedly stalking and threatening to kill certain customers, who themselves allegedly uttered threats against Courtney Hooper.

Randel Hooper also faces a criminal charge of intentionally and knowingly causing bodily injury to a peace officer; he alleges he resisted arrest and kicked a Cody police officer in the head while he was being taken into custody.

After spending part of three days in jail, both Hoopers were released on bail Friday and have been released pending further court proceedings.

Duel threats

Wednesday night's incident reportedly began when a group of customers were upset about the wait time at Cassie's.

Courtney Hooper called Cody police around 8:45 p.m. and reported that some customers “said they would kill her because they waited over an hour and a half to be seated,” the police officer wrote. Cody Daniel Villalobos in a charging affidavit. Villalobos said Courtney Hooper remembered a couple telling her that “they would kill her if she got in her face.”

The couple, who appear to be from Florida, left the steakhouse and headed west on Yellowstone Avenue, but the Hoopers “chased” the man and his wife to confront them, the affidavit states.

After police arrived on the scene, Randel Hooper allegedly yelled at Villalobos, “You better stop them or I'll come back and kill them.” » However, Courtney Hooper reportedly told police that she did not want to press charges and just wanted the couple to stay away from Cassie.

The officers told the Floridians they were no longer welcome at the restaurant, Villalobos wrote, and everyone went their separate ways. However, the Hoopers allegedly showed up at the couple's motel less than an hour later, leading to another altercation.

The Hoopers allegedly went to the Big Bear Motel and sought out one of the couple's traveling companions, a man who had originally booked the group's reservation at Cassie's house. That companion allegedly told the Hoopers to leave the motel and began recording the interaction.

Police were called around 9:40 p.m. and viewed a video in which Courtney Hooper can be heard telling the man that “if he didn't stop videotaping her and move away from his vehicle, she would shoot him,” Villalobos wrote. She repeated this threat to former clients “multiple times,” the officer wrote, while Randel Hooper allegedly said, “You better leave Cody or else.” »

Make arrests

After hearing the group's stories and watching the video recording, Villabolos said he, two other Cody police officers and two sheriff's deputies went to Cassie's house to arrest the Hoopers. In a later report, Villalobos said there appeared to have been “a major overreaction by the Hoopers(').”

Courtney Hooper was arrested without incident, according to charging documents, but Randel Hooper allegedly “actively resisted arrest” and began “struggling” with Officer Tom Wilshusen in Cassie's parking lot.

Villabolos said he took “control” of Hooper’s legs and knocked the suspect and Wilshusen to the ground. Randel Hooper was arrested shortly after, but during the struggle, Villalobos said the suspect kicked him in the head. In an affidavit, Villalobos said the incident left the top of his head and left elbow bleeding and swollen.

Arguing over the link

In court Friday, Assistant Park County Prosecutor Jack Hatfield asked that Randel Hooper's bond be set at $10,000 cash.

“The state is concerned about public safety in light of the multiple instances (of alleged threats) and the serious nature of the crime,” Hatfield said.

He also asked that Courtney Hooper's bail be set at $5,000 cash, saying he was “very concerned that she made death threats twice in about an hour.”

The Hoopers' defense attorneys, however, requested that the couple be released on bail. They noted that, according to the prosecution, Courtney Hooper had no criminal history, while Randel Hooper had not been in trouble with the law since a 2004 incident in Utah. (These were allegations of resisting an officer and disorderly conduct and two of the three charges appear to have been dismissed, Hatfield said.)

The Hoopers' attorneys also noted that the couple owns and operates several businesses in Cody that are in the midst of their busiest months: In addition to running Cassie's on the city's West Strip, they recently opened the Cutthroat restaurant and saloon downtown.

Randel Hooper “is an active member of the company, is responsible for approximately 30 to 50 employees,” is a veteran and suffers from health conditions that require treatment and medication, his lawyer, Sarah Miles, said in arguing for a lower deposit. .

As for Courtney Hooper's attorney, Brigita Krisjansons, she said the couple's businesses “are very important…to the community of Cody” and added that “obviously my client is innocent as she sits here “.

Park County Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah set bail for Randel Hooper at $5,000 cash or surety, and Courtney Hooper at $2,500 cash or surety, and both posted bond later in the day. Although he oversaw Friday's initial hearing, Darrah said he would recuse himself and refer the matter to a magistrate in the future.

Under caution

Although free on bond, the Hoopers must obey the law, have no contact with customers or other witnesses and stay away from the Big Bear Motel, among other conditions.

Hatfield said he did not believe drugs or alcohol were at all related to the case, mentioning that Randel Hooper's breathalyzer test at the jail indicated he had no alcohol in his body.

Randel Hooper is tentatively set for a June 28 pretrial on his felony and two misdemeanor charges, while Courtney Hooper is scheduled for a Nov. 14 trial on her two misdemeanors.

Villalobos initially sought to cite both Hoopers with an additional count of terroristic threats — a misdemeanor that applies when a person “threatens to commit a violent crime with the intent to cause the evacuation of a building , a place of assembly or a means of public transport, or otherwise cause serious inconvenience to the public…”

However, the charging affidavits do not appear to include any information consistent with these accusations and, at least for now, Hatfield has dropped them.