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Order of protection granted against man accused of shooting dogs




A Hendersonville woman was granted an order of protection against Phillip Looper, who is charged with stalking the woman and shooting her dogs.TENA LEE

A Hendersonville woman was granted an order of protection against Phillip Looper, who is charged with stalking the woman and shooting her dogs.TENA LEE

A Sumner County judge granted on Thursday an order of protection for a Hendersonville woman who says she saw a stranger shoot her two dogs and then hid in fear as the man tried to enter her home with a shotgun.

Following the incident that occurred at around 10:30 a.m. on June 18, the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office issued a Code Red alert for the area and told the community to be on the look-out for a white male driving a white pick-up truck with an extended cab.

Phillip Looper, 67 of Springfield, was arrested by deputies when he returned to the woman’s home in the 1600 block of Anderson Road almost 24 hours later on June 19. He is being held in the Sumner County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

The victim and Looper both appeared in front of General Sessions Court Judge Jim Hunter on Thursday.

Visibly shaken, the victim said she did not know Looper and had never met him.

She said the man first came to her home and threatened her and her dogs on May 7.

The woman said Looper returned to her home on June 18 and shot her dogs with a handgun. He then retrieved a shot gun from his truck and tried to enter her house.

“He killed my dogs in front of me and he tried to get in my home and kill me,” she said.

The victim says Looper returned on June 19, but she wasn’t home.

“I understand he was arrested in my driveway with a loaded gun in his vehicle,” she said.

Judge Hunter asked Looper if he had an attorney who is going to represent him in the criminal case. He said that attorney Roland Mumford is representing him.

“He probably does not want you to testify at this hearing today,” said Hunter. “I would highly recommend you not give testimony. You can if you want to.”

Looper declined to testify and Judge Hunter granted the order of protection.

Hunter ordered Looper to not have any contact with the victim or her family.

“It’s like they don’t exist,” said the judge.

According to a police affidavit, Looper told a sheriff’s office deputy that he was at the Anderson Road home on June 18. He also admitted he killed the dogs with a .22 pistol and that he pulled out a shotgun and walked on the victim’s porch. Looper stated that he was looking for a person named Ronnie Brown. He also admitted that he was at the home on May 7. He said on that day he parked up the street and walked to the residence. He stated that he was carrying both guns to protect himself.

Sheriff’s office deputies held a press conference following Looper’s arrest on June 19.

Maj. Tim Bailey said then that Looper surrendered peacefully. He declined to discuss a possible motive in the case but said Looper was “very forthcoming” with information.

Looper, who authorities have said does not have a past criminal record, is charged with two counts of aggravated stalking, two counts of aggravated animal cruelty and two counts of aggravated assault.

He has been ordered to have a forensic evaluation before he makes bond. If he does post bond, he must wear a GPS device and report weekly to a probation officer. He has also been ordered to surrender his weapons to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office.

Looper is scheduled to appear next in court at 9 a.m. on Aug. 14.

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