In Guntersville, Ala., a harassment charge against John Cooper, the state Transportation Director, was dismissed by a judge on Tuesday after the neighbor who accused Cooper of threatening him expressed a desire to drop the case. The complainant no longer wished to pursue the matter, leading prosecutors in Marshall County to request the dismissal, which was approved by District Judge Mitchell S. Floyd.

Cooper had been arrested last year on a misdemeanor harassment charge following allegations from a neighboring landowner, Gerald Carter. Carter claimed that during an argument, Cooper had threatened him with violence, alleging that Cooper had threatened to shoot him and beat him during a dispute over the use of a gravel road for property access.

According to court records, Carter argued that he had legal rights to the easement in question, while Cooper accused him of trespassing. Furthermore, Cooper’s owned establishment, South Sauty Creek Resort, filed a civil lawsuit against Carter seeking a declaration that the resort was the rightful owner of the land and that Carter did not have the right to use the easement.

Cooper, 76, has served as the director of the Alabama Department of Transportation since 2011, overseeing a 4,000-employee state agency responsible for constructing and maintaining highways, roads, and bridges in Alabama. Additionally, he is a member of Governor Kay Ivey’s cabinet.