FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2021
For press inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Indictment of Etowah County
Man on Multiple Charges of Dissemination, Possession of Child Pornography
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the indictment of a Gadsden man on multiple charges of dissemination and possession of child pornography. Jason Hopkins, 34, of Gadsden, was served notice of the indictment at the Etowah County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest by warrant in May.
Attorney General Marshall’s Criminal Trials Division presented evidence to an Etowah County grand jury, resulting in Hopkins’ indictment* on June 2. Specifically, the indictment charges him with 38 counts of dissemination of obscene matter and 10 counts of possession of obscene matter depicting a person under the age of 17.
Bond is set at $250,000 with a requirement that Hopkins would have to wear an ankle monitor if released. However, he was on probation for felony drug convictions in Etowah County, for which the District Attorney’s Office is seeking probation revocation based on the child pornography charges brought by the Attorney General’s Office.
No further information about the investigation or about Hopkins’ alleged crimes other than that stated in the indictment may be released at this time.
If convicted, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $30,000 for each of the 38 counts of dissemination of obscene matter, which are class B felonies. Hopkins also faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $15,000 for each of the 10 counts of possession of obscene matter, which are class C felonies.
*An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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