Judge dismisses charge against Jonathon Cooper's girlfriend

A judge has dismissed the charge of criminal mischief against Jonathon Cooper’s girlfriend, according to Brooke Baitinger of 9News.

Cooper and the woman were both arrested on June 4 following an alleged domestic violence incident. One week after the initial arrests, Cooper was arrested a second time after allegedly sending messages and calling his girlfriend and knocking on his door. He now faces five total charges.

Cooper is facing charges of second-degree assault (strangulation), third-degree assault (knowingly or recklessly causing injury), criminal mischief ($300-$1,000), violating a protective order and harassment (repeated telephone calls), according to 9News.

The Denver Broncos are holding a mandatory minicamp this week, but Cooper was excused.

“He’s taking this time, obviously… He’s got to work on himself,” coach Sean Payton said after Tuesday’s practice. “The club is very much in tuned to the league office, local authorities here, and we’ve had several meetings. Clearly, from an ownership standpoint, head coach, organizationally… there’s a bar that we have, and an expectation that we have, that’s very high. We’ll consider all of that as we continue to gather the information.”

Those comments from Payton seemingly suggest that Cooper’s status with the team is in jeopardy. Cooper could also face discipline from the NFL. The 28-year-old outside linebacker has a motion hearing set for his first arrest on July 6, followed by a jury trial hearing on July 22. He also has a motions hearing for his second arrest set for July 14.