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Sean Hopkins was sentenced to no more than 10 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to 3rd degree sexual abuse. Hopkins is more than four years older than his victim. Hopkins was accused of performing a sex act on an 14-year-old girl. In addition to sentencing Mr. Hopkins to prison, the Court ordered that he would be on parole for the rest of his life, register as a sex offender upon the discharge of his prison sentence and provide the State of Iowa with a DNA sample. The Court also ordered the defendant to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family for the next 5 years.
County Attorney Ed Bull says, “This sentence sends a strong message to the members of our community that want to harm a child. If you hurt a child, my office will fight with every breath in our lungs to ensure justice is served. These cases are never easy, and although the offender is going to spend time in prison we must be mindful that the victim must continue to live with the pain he has caused. I especially want to thank the Knoxville Police Department and my entire staff for their work on this case.”