SAN ANTONIO – A longtime business associate of Brad Simpson was arrested late Monday on felony charges, two weeks after Simpson’s wife Suzanne Clark Simpson was reported missing.
James Valle Cotter, 65, faces felony charges of tampering with evidence with the intent to impair an investigation, Bexar County Jail records show.
Read more details about the charge here.
Jail records also show Cotter faces a felony charge of possession of prohibited weapons. Cotter’s updated booking page removed the prohibited weapons charge during the day on Tuesday and then placed the charge back on Cotter, Tuesday evening.
Cotter’s bond on the felony charges has been set at $1,000,000, court records show.
A law enforcement source told KSAT Tuesday Cotter is accused of helping Brad Simpson hide a weapon possibly tied to his wife’s disappearance case.
Cotter and Simpson, 53, have been partners in multiple real estate business ventures, background checks for the two men reveal.
The two were co-defendants on a 2012 lawsuit filed against Cotter’s company, Cotter & Sons Inc, according to court records.
Simpson’s background checks shows he was a manager at the company.
BJ Corporation, a janitorial company, sued Cotter & Sons for failing to pay for cleaning services at several buildings, according to the lawsuit.
A jury ruled in favor of BJ Corporation in 2016, but determined they should take nothing from Cotter and Simpson, court records show.
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, Cotter’s arresting agency, told KSAT Tuesday afternoon, “The Texas Rangers and the OPPD (Olmos Park Police Department) arrested Mr. James Valle Cotter at his home yesterday. During the Missing Person investigation in Olmos Park, investigators learned that Mr. Cotter had committed the offense of Tampering with Evidence, which is a 3rd Degree Felony. Mr. Cotter is a business associate of Mr. Brad Simpson, husband of Suzanne Simpson, who has been missing since 10-07-2024.”
The spokesman declined to release additional details from Cotter’s arrest.
Cotter’s arrest late Monday came more than two weeks after Brad Simpson reported his wife Suzanne missing. Law enforcement authorities have said Brad Simpson has been uncooperative.
He remains in the Bexar County Jail on bonds totaling $3 million and has a federal detainer due to a pending felony firearms charge.
Cotter, who remained at the Bexar County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon, will be prohibited from possessing guns and will be on full house arrest if he posts bond, court records show.
The search for Suzanne Clark Simpson is ongoing. The Olmos Park mother of four and realtor was last seen on Sunday, Oct. 6, and her husband has since been arrested on charges unrelated to her disappearance.
>> What we know about missing Olmos Park woman Suzanne Clark Simpson
Here’s a timeline of events in this case:
Sunday, Oct. 6:
- The couple attended a party at The Argyle, a private dinner club on Patterson Avenue in Alamo Heights, before returning to their home, which they share with their two children. Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas said the couple fought at that event.
- A neighbor told police that between 10-11 p.m., he heard an argument outside his bedroom window that became louder and “seemed closer to his window.” When the neighbor looked out his window, he saw the Simpsons in a physical altercation, an arrest warrant affidavit stated. He said Suzanne Clark Simpson was trying to get away from Brad Simpson as he tried to pull her down. It appeared Brad Simpson “was clearly attempting to keep Ms. Simpson from running away,” the neighbor told authorities, according to the affidavit.
- The neighbor told authorities he last saw the couple heading westbound. The neighbor went outside to investigate, and a short time later, he heard two to three screams from a brushy area east of his home, the affidavit states.
- About an hour later, the neighbor saw Brad Simpson start his black GMC pickup truck and leave his house. The neighbor told authorities he saw Brad Simpson return one to two hours later. The neighbor did not call the police but told them the account he was questioned at a later date.
Monday, Oct. 7:
- The last activity on Suzanne Simpson’s phone was around 7:15 a.m., according to police. The coordinates showed the phone was in a business parking lot in Olmos Park.
- At 3 p.m. their child’s school called Brad Simpson and advised him that their child had not been picked up, the affidavit states. Suzanne Simpson typically picks up their child from school, Brad Simpson told police, according to the affidavit. Brad Simpson told this to police late, when he reported his wife missing.
- Around 10 p.m., Brad Simpson reported his wife missing.
Tuesday, Oct. 8:
- At some point, Brad Simpson became uncooperative with investigators and failed to show up for an interview. Police learned that he relocated to his ranch in Bandera County, the affidavit stated.
- Investigators questioned Brad Simpson’s brother, Barton Simpson, who told police that Brad Simpson had called him and apologized for all the problems he had caused, the affidavit stated.
- At 4:30 p.m., police interviewed staff at the school one of their children attends. The child told staff that her parents were “fighting” and that her dad assaulted her mom and took her phone away, the affidavit states. The child also said Suzanne Simpson had a bruise on her elbow.
- Olmos Park police released a missing person flyer to news outlets around 1 p.m.
- In the afternoon/evening, neighbors and friends started to show up in the area to pass out flyers and search for Suzanne Simpson.
- At 9:50 p.m., police questioned Simpson’s neighbor, who told them what he saw on the night of Oct. 6.
Wednesday, Oct. 9:
- At 12:42 a.m., police obtained an arrest warrant for Brad Simpson on charges of assault-family violence and unlawful restraint.
- At around 1:30 a.m., the Texas Department of Public Safety and Kendall County Sheriff’s Office took Brad Simpson into custody near 542 East Mile Marker on Interstate 10, according to the sheriff.
- Brad Simpson was booked into the Kendall County Jail after 4 a.m. and his bond was later set at $1 million a charge.
>> AFFIDAVIT: Missing Olmos Park woman’s husband ‘uncooperative,’ neighbor heard screams after fight
- At 10 a.m., two of Suzanne Simpson’s friends spoke with KSAT, describing her as a good friend to them and a great mother to four children. They said they were heartbroken about her disappearance but hopeful that she would be found alive.
- Villegas held a media briefing, announcing the arrest of Brad Simpson. Villegas mentioned that investigators found two items in the woods, but he did not offer specifics. He said he was not able to determine yet whether they were connected to Suzanne Simpson. Investigators also searched the couple’s home and surrounding areas but declined to say what, if any, evidence was found.
Thursday, Oct. 10:
- In the morning, police took down the crime scene tape from outside the Simpson home and opened East Olmos to traffic again. They condensed their command post to an area within one block along East Contour.
- At 8 a.m., a detective confirmed in a phone call that investigators completed a search of the home, but he declined to offer any details on what they may have found.
- Brad Simpson was taken to the Bexar County Jail after being transferred from Kendall County.
>> Rumor mill working overtime as police put in long hours searching for missing Olmos Park woman
- Brad Simpson’s mother, who did not reveal her name, told KSAT, “I’m in total disbelief ... we are a devastated family and we do need privacy and that’s all we’re asking for because our only concern right now are these children and these grandchildren.”
- At 4 p.m., Villegas held another media briefing and released a photo from a security camera showing Suzanne Simpson outside The Argyle.
Friday, Oct. 11:
- Federal authorities placed a hold on Brad Simpson. A federal hold, or detainer, is a request from a federal agency to keep an inmate in custody or to notify the agency before his or her release.
- Authorities searched the 33000 block of I-10, near Highway 87 — about a mile away from where Brad Simpson was arrested. The search lasted from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Authorities did not say if anything of significance was found.
Saturday, Oct. 12:
- A warrant to search a southeast Bexar County landfill for any clues regarding Suzanne Simpson’s disappearance was signed after being filed under seal by the Texas DPS.
Sunday, Oct. 13:
- A prayer vigil was held for Suzanne Simpson at Lourdes Grotto on Blanco Road. Her mother, Barbra Clark, spoke at the vigil. “I just don’t understand. I don’t understand why it happened. It wasn’t part of their life,” she told KSAT.
- Barton Tinsley Simpson, Suzanne Simpson’s brother-in-law, released a new statement on social media on Sunday morning. “We are also deeply thankful to the community and to everyone who has supported and continues to support the search,” Barton Tinsley Simpson said. “To all of you who have reached out with love and encouragement, please know that your support means the world to us. We will not stop until we find her.”
Monday, Oct. 14:
- KSAT was made aware of the search happening at the landfill in southeast Bexar County, beginning KSAT’s daily coverage of the search.
- A bond hearing for Brad Simpson was canceled due to the federal hold. It had been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Tuesday, Oct. 15:
- The search at the landfill continued.
- In an email to Olmos Park residents, Villegas revealed that evidence, statements, and further investigation led officers to the landfill.
- In a post on X, formerly Twitter, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the Olmos Park police asked for SAPD’s help in the search. McManus said 25 cadets assisted on Tuesday.
- An affidavit revealed Brad Simpson now faces a federal charge for illegally owning a short-barreled rifle. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the affidavit. This charge is the reason Brad Simpson has a federal detainer on his release from the Bexar County Jail.
>> Brad Simpson faces federal charge for illegally owning short-barreled rifle, records show
Wednesday, Oct. 16:
- The search at the landfill continued.
- The brother of Brad Simpson, Barton Simpson, condemned his brother on social media. He released the following statement on social media:
“Until Brad chooses to cooperate, we will continue cooperate for him, as we have from the very beginning of this heartbreaking ordeal. This is not how he was raised, and this is not who we are. Our parents instilled in us the values of honoring and protecting others, and they are truly remarkable people.
“The devastation this has caused to our family is overwhelming. Brad’s refusal to cooperate is unacceptable. My sister and brother-in-law have stepped up to take care of the children, but the impact on our parents has been shattering. Our lives have been irreparably changed.
“We will not rest until we find Suzanne.”
Barton T. Simpson