Amy Cooper, the white woman, dubbed “Central Park Karen” after calling the police on a Black man who was bird watching, is facing misdemeanor charges for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, the Manhattan District Attorney announced Monday.
“Today our office initiated a prosecution of Amy Cooper for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree,” said Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance, according to the New York Times. “We are strongly committed to holding perpetrators of this conduct accountable.”
Ms. Cooper was issued a desk appearance ticket and will be arraigned on October 14, the publication reports. The charges carry a max sentence of up to one year in jail.
Ms. Cooper was recorded on video back in May, calling the police and falsely accusing Christian Cooper, an avid bird watcher, of threatening her life after he asked her to put her dog back on its leash. Ms. Cooper was walking her dog in a part of the park, known as the Ramble, where dogs are required to be on a leash.
After the video went viral, Ms. Cooper was fired from her job at Franklin Templeton, and she surrendered her dog back to the rescue group from where she adopted him. The surrender was temporary, and Ms. Cooper eventually got her dog back.
