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JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. — No jail time for Johnson County Prosecutor Brad Cooper. That’s if a plea deal reached between he and a special prosecutor is approved by a judge.

Cooper was charged in a domestic violence case in March in which he admitted to hitting and holding his fiance against her will. 

Doug Brown is the deputy prosecutor in Decatur County and he served as the special prosecutor in Cooper’s case. Many in the county are asking him why he is agreeing to not push for Cooper to be put behind bars.

“That’s a question I can better answer at the sentencing hearing,” Brown said.

If the judge accepts the deal, Cooper would get a little over 500 days on supervised probation under which he would also have to complete a course on domestic violence. Some are asking why Cooper is still in office.

Brown said since a judge has not approved the deal yet, Cooper has technically not been convicted of a felony. 

“If he accepts the plea he could enter judgement of conviction that day,” Brown added. “That might trigger the statute in regards to removal from office.”

The deal would also downgrade his felony convictions to misdemeanors if he holds up his end of the deal. The downgrade would also mean he’d be allowed to run for public office again in the future.

Johnson County residents are none to happy with the deal calling it a “slap on the wrist.” Rev. Mark Powell said “we need to hold out elected officials to a higher standard.” 

(PHOTO: WIBC)