DUI charges brought against man who dragged motorcycle deputy

GIBSONTON (FOX 13) - The man accused of dragging a Hillsborough County motorcycle deputy was arrested more than a month after the incident. 

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said deputies arrested 26-year-old Kenneth Cooper, III, of Tampa, January 26. He's accused in a December 22 crash resulting in the injury of Deputy Timothy Berg. 

It happened on Gibsonton Road over Interstate 75. Deputy Berg, on his motorcycle, was hit from behind and dragged 150 feet by Cooper's vehicle. He was pinned underneath two trucks and had to be extricated.

Investigators said Cooper also hit six other vehicles after dragging the deputy, then coming to a stop. 

Cooper's blood was drawn at the scene. Results showed "he was under the influence of a chemical substance that affected him to the extent that his normal faculties were impaired," according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Cooper faces 12 counts of DUI with injury and property damage, DUI with serious bodily injury and two counts of violation of probation.