A former Poplar Bluff police officer sentenced recently in federal court to 25 years on child pornography charges was returned to Butler County jail Friday, Feb. 12, to face outstanding state charges stemming from the same offense.
Brandon Michael Hopper, 40, now faces felony charges of sexual trafficking in children, promoting child pornography and two counts possessing child pornography, according to a complaint filed in Butler County Circuit Court. The possession charges relate to images of children ages 4 and 10 years old engaged in sexual activity with a male, court documents report.
Hopper was originally charged Feb. 27, 2020, in Butler County Circuit Court and arraigned on March 5, 2020, when he pleaded not guilty to charges filed by Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor. Federal prosecutors adjudicated charges against Hopper first, and he pleaded guilty in October to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. He was sentenced to 25 years by U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr.
“After he pled guilty and was sentenced, he was brought back here to face the pending state charges,’’ Proctor said.
Hopper is scheduled for a ‘‘case review’’ before Butler County Circuit Judge Wade Pierce on Feb. 22 at 1 p.m.
In December, Hopper’s codefendant Amber M. Longhibler was sentenced to 20 years in prison for using a cellphone to take sexually explicit photographs of an 11-year-old girl.