Boyfriend: Anti-Abortion Trooper Seemed ‘Unstable’ Unlawful Imprisonment, Misconduct Case Expected To Go To Jury Next Week

A man stopped by a Washington State Patrol trooper as he drove to an abortion appointment with his girlfriend testified Friday that the officer appeared “unstable” as he coerced them into following him to an anti-abortion counselor.

Justin Cooper’s description of the encounter with trooper Lane Jackstadt last July 27 largely matched the scene painted a day earlier by his girlfriend, Deanna Thomas.

Both described Jackstadt as sternly advising them against having an abortion, and putting them in a situation where they felt scared and unable to refuse his offer to lead them to the counselor.

“His voice and his facial expressions and his mannerisms to me seemed unstable,” Cooper said.

Jackstadt, 34, is accused in King County Superior Court with two counts of unlawful imprisonment and two counts of official misconduct for allegedly detaining Thomas and Justin Cooper after he stopped Cooper for speeding on Interstate 90 east of Seattle.

Both Cooper, 20, and Thomas, 18, agreed they never directly told Thomas they wanted to leave or didn’t want to follow him to Special Delivery in Woodinville, a counseling service run by Overlake Christian Church.

Cooper explained that failure by saying, “I was scared.”

“He’s a trooper. I didn’t want to tell him he was wrong,” he said.

The woman had the abortion the next day.

Jackstadt was fired last December for allegedly cheating on a promotion examination, but has appealed that action.

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Jerry Karstetter, Cooper agreed he had no academic training in determining whether a person is “unstable,” but said he was “good at judging character.”

He also agreed Jackstadt used no physical force, but said he took Jackstadt’s actions as “threats.”

Jackstadt will testify in his own defense, attorney Thomas Olmstead said. The case is expected to go to the jury late next week.