Man in Crash Wanted on Molestation Count
A man arrested last week on suspicion of driving under the influence of cocaine has been wanted on misdemeanor molestation charges since 1983, California Highway Patrol officials said Monday.
A 15-year-old San Diego warrant was discovered by the CHP after Dennis P. Hooper, 49, was arrested in a multi-vehicle crash on the Ventura Freeway in Studio City at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Dwight P. MacDonald, a spokesman for the CHP, said the arrest warrant for Hooper dated back to July 21, 1983.
“A warrant was issued on a misdemeanor charge for a lewd and lascivious act in front of a child under 14,” MacDonald said. “He apparently skipped bail and took off, and San Diego law enforcement couldn’t find him.”
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has not decided whether to file criminal charges in the freeway accident, a spokeswoman said.
Hooper was treated for injuries suffered in the crash and booked at the Twin Towers Jail in downtown Los Angeles.
At the time of the accident he was driving a rental car, a white 1998 Pontiac Sunfire, from Enterprise Leasing in Arizona, MacDonald said.
The arrest report showed he was driving with a New York state license but had an Arizona residential address.
“We called San Diego and they’re going to come up and get him for sure,” MacDonald said.
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