State v. Bradley J. Cooper
Court: Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Docket: M2024-00872-CCA-R3-CD Filed: April 27, 2026 County: Rutherford County Outcome: Aggravated stalking vacated on Double Jeopardy; harassment affirmed
The Holding
A Rutherford County aggravated stalking conviction was vacated on Double Jeopardy grounds. The harassment conviction stemming from the same course of conduct was affirmed. The Court of Criminal Appeals held that maintaining both convictions for what was effectively a single course of conduct violated constitutional double jeopardy protections.
Why It Matters
Stalking and harassment statutes in Tennessee overlap in ways that produce duplicate prosecutions. Prosecutors will charge both arising from the same set of facts — a series of unwanted contacts, for example — and ask juries to convict on both. Cooper says that, where the conduct genuinely constitutes a single course rather than two separate offenses, only one conviction can stand.
If you are facing simultaneous stalking and harassment charges in Tennessee — or any other pair of offenses arising from a single continuous course of conduct — your defense lawyer should be analyzing whether the State has fragmented one offense into two for charging leverage. Cooper is the 2026 authority to anchor that analysis.
Statute / Rule References
Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-315 (stalking and aggravated stalking); Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-308 (harassment); Fifth Amendment Double Jeopardy Clause
Read the Opinion
You can find the full opinion on the Tennessee Courts website. Search the [Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals 2026 opinions index](https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/court-criminal-appeals/opinions) by docket number M2024-00872-CCA-R3-CD.
Charged with a Tennessee Criminal Case?
I’m Nathan Cate. I defend criminal cases in Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, and Maury Counties. If your case touches the issues above — or any other Tennessee criminal matter — call (615) 664-8083 for a free consultation. I’ll review the charging document, run the procedural posture, and tell you what your case actually looks like.
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This is a summary of a published opinion, not legal advice. Holdings cited may evolve as later cases distinguish or overrule them. If you have a pending case that touches one of these issues, contact N. Cate Law for case-specific guidance.
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