Ex-Alabama legislator accused of groping restaurant hostess

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A former Alabama legislator who campaigned in the state for former President Donald Trump is accused of grabbing a restaurant hostess from behind and groping her before she was able to break free.

Perry Hooper Jr., 67, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Aug. 16 incident in downtown Montgomery. He was charged with first-degree sex abuse, according to court documents, and released on $15,000 bond.

An affidavit filed with the arrest warrant alleges Hooper approached the woman from behind at the hostess stand and “grabbed the victim’s breasts and waist while shoving his pelvis against the victim’s backside. He then began kissing her neck before she was able to break free.”

A text message to Hooper was not immediately returned. It was unclear if he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

State law defines first-degree sex abuse as subjecting a person to sexual contact by forcible compulsion.

Hooper, a member of a prominent Republican family, served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1983 to 2003. He raised money for Trump in 2016 as chairman of Alabama Trump Victory in 2016. Hooper’s father, Perry Hooper Sr., was chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.