Misdemeanor charges against Amy Cooper, the so-called “Central Park Karen” who wrongly accused a black birdwatcher of “threatening” her, were dismissed Tuesday.
On a single charge of falsely disclosing an incident in the third degree, she had faced up to a year in jail.
A judge approved the motion of Manhattan prosecutors to toss Cooper’s case at a brief virtual hearing after she completed five counselling sessions “designed for introspection and progress,” Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon.
“They sent her to Critical Therapy Center … who provided psychoeducation and therapy services which focused on the ways in which Ms. Cooper could appreciate that racial identities shape our lives but we cannot use them to harm ourselves or others,” Illuzzi-Orbon told Manhattan Criminal Court Justice Anne Swern. “Psychoeducation about racial equality is woven into each therapy session to prompt understanding and reflection.”
Asked if she wished to be heard, Cooper, dressed in a black turtleneck, told the judge, “No, your honour.” Her counsel also refused to speak, claiming he listened to the evaluation of the prosecutors.
Cooper was charged in the May on-camera incident, which showed her calling 911 to Christian Cooper’s black birdwatcher after he asked her to put a leash on her dog.
She falsely reported to the police during the hysterical call that Christian was “threatening my life.”
The rehabilitation programme that she completed with Manhattan Justice Opportunities was a penalty that was “consistent” with other misdemeanour cases, Illuzzi-Orbon said on Tuesday.
“Ms. The therapist from Cooper reported that it was a moving experience and Ms. Cooper learned a lot together in their sessions,” the prosecutor said that during the hearing.
Following global outcry over the incident, Christian Cooper declined to comply with the prosecution, saying “she has already paid a steep price.”
