A 61-year-old Cheboygan man was sentenced June 18 to three to 15 years in prison for threatening a Cheboygan County judge, prosecutor and assistant prosecutor, according to a statement from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Barry Hopkinson was sentenced by visiting Judge Colin Hunter after pleading guilty in March to one count of attempt making a terroristic threat as a habitual fourth offender.
After previously being sentenced to incarceration in the Cheboygan County Jail for stalking, Hopkinson repeatedly expressed that he was not treated fairly and planned to acquire firearms to harm Cheboygan County Circuit Court staff, according to the attorney general.
Hopkinson was charged by the Department of Attorney General in January 2025.
The sentencing follows recent uncertainty regarding Michigan’s anti-terrorism law after a Michigan Court of Appeals decision initially misinterpreted Michigan’s anti-terrorism statute and deemed it unconstitutional. Attorney General Nessel filed a brief in support of the emergency application filed by the Wayne County Prosecutor with the Michigan Supreme Court, which later vacated and remanded the decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
While the Michigan Court of Appeals ultimately upheld the constitutionality of the law, it urged the Legislature to clarify and update the statute to prevent future challenges, according to the AG’s Office. The Michigan Supreme Court later granted leave in the case on this issue, and that appeal remains pending.
Attorney General Nessel testified last year before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee in support of Senate Bill 502, sponsored by Sen. Sue Shink. The legislation would amend the Michigan Anti-Terrorism Act to specify that a person who threatens to commit an act of terrorism and communicates the threat with reckless disregard of a substantial risk would be guilty of a felony punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of $20,000, or both. Senate Bill 502 unanimously passed the Michigan Senate in March and awaits a hearing before the Michigan House Judiciary Committee.
“My office will continue to uphold the law and prosecute those who threaten prosecutors and members of the judiciary as long as we have a legal avenue to do so,” Nessel said in the statement. “Without this legislation, our anti-terrorism laws remain vulnerable. Terrorist threats are too dangerous to tolerate, and we must ensure we have the tools available to protect our public servants and our communities.”
In 2019, Attorney General Nessel launched the Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit. Currently, the Michigan Department of Attorney General has five pending cases under this anti-terrorism statute. To report dangerous threats, please contact your local police department first and then the Department of Attorney General via email.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan man sentenced for threats against court staff
Reporting by Liz Shepard, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Liz Shepard, Cheboygan Daily Tribune | USA TODAY Network
