KOPBUSTER BUSTED

Pot Advocate Jailed On Possession, False Report Charges

For his next DVD series designed to help marijuana smokers avoid the
hassle of law enforcement, Barry N. Cooper may want to come up with a
new name.

The former Odessa narcotics agent and producer of the promotional
video series "Never Get Busted" was jailed Tuesday on multiple charges
- - including possession of marijuana - while conducting one of his
notorious hoaxes on police in Florence, Texas, authorities said.

Williamson County Sheriff's Office Sgt. John Foster said Cooper
recently called in a suspicious package on the campus of the Florence
Middle School. Foster said the package contained "a glass pipe that is
normally used to smoke crack cocaine."

"Apparently, he was doing this to test us," Foster said. "When you do
something like this on a school grounds, even though it's after school
hours . I'm sure the parents and faculty would probably have been
quite alarmed to find a crack pipe on their campus."

Foster said the officers were being filmed but did not know it at the
time. Cooper was jailed on charges of filing a false report, a
misdemeanor. Travis County authorities searched his house shortly
after the arrest and reportedly located a small amount of marijuana,
Foster said. Cooper also was charged with one count of misdemeanor
possession of marijuana.

Jail officials said Cooper posted a $2,000 bond for the false alarm
charge and was awaiting transfer Wednesday afternoon to Travis County
to appear before a judge for the marijuana charge.

Since retiring from law enforcement, Cooper, a former narcotics agent,
has advocated for the legalization of marijuana, contending that jails
are full of non-violent criminals. He has spoken openly of his own
marijuana use and gained national attention with the release of his
DVD series "Never Get Busted," a video designed to help viewers
conceal their drugs, avoid profiling and fool canines searching for
narcotics.

In Odessa, Cooper is known for his role in Kopbusters, an organization
that advocated for the release of Yolanda Jean Madden, an Odessa woman
awaiting a retrial on federal drug charges. In January 2009, Cooper
and Kopbusters set up an elaborate hoax to try and show that the
Odessa Police Department is corrupt. The organization has been
involved in similar projects across the state.

Cooper also has tried his hand in politics. In 2008, Cooper ran as a
Libertarian as he challenged Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, for the
District 31 seat in U.S. House of Representatives. Cooper garnered
just 3 percent of the vote.

He also has announced his intention to challenge Texas Attorney
General Greg Abbott in the general election this November.

A message left on Cooper's cell phone was not returned Wednesday.