PHILADELPHIA, PA — A 41-year-old Maine man wanted on felony sex assault, firearms, and assault-on-officer charges was arrested Sunday at Philadelphia International Airport as he allegedly attempted to board a one-way flight to Germany, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Federal authorities identified the defendant as Matthew Thomas Cooley, 41, of Solon, Maine.
CBP officers encountered Cooley at the departure gate as he was preparing to board a flight to Frankfurt, according to the agency. Officers verified with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office in Maine that an active full-extradition warrant remained in effect and confirmed Cooley as the person named in the warrant.
CBP officers took Cooley into custody and turned him over to Tinicum Township Police to begin the extradition process, authorities reported.
According to CBP, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office has charged Cooley with two Class A counts of gross sexual assault, one Class B count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one Class D count of domestic violence stalking.
Cooley also faces two Class C counts of assault on an officer and one Class D count of refusing to submit to arrest after authorities alleged he pepper-sprayed officers during an earlier arrest.
The underlying cases remain pending in Maine.
All suspects, arrestees, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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