Former Sikeston police officer pleads not guilty in deadly DUI crash

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A former Sikeston police officer charged in a deadly crash that occurred Feb. 29 has pleaded not guilty.

Andrew Cooper, who is charged with one Class B felony count of driving while intoxicated and causing a death, one unclassified felony count of armed criminal action and three Class D felony counts of driving while intoxicated and causing serious physical injury, waived a formal arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 26 in front of Madison County Judge Robin Fulton, who was appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court after Judge Zac Horack recused himself from the case.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol investigation, Cooper, 47, who resigned earlier this month as a captain of Sikeston Department of Public Safety, was driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed and went through a stop sign and crashed into a vehicle driven by Christopher M. Cohen, 24, head-on. Cohen's passenger, Abigail T. Cohen, 22, was killed in the accident and four others were seriously injured, including Cooper himself. Christopher Cohen has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Cooper.

Cooper turned himself in to authorities May 22, and his bond was set at $25,000. Cooper bonded out and was ordered not to drive, have any contact with the victims, no alcohol, no entering bars or taverns and GPS monitoring as a condition of release.