Former Poplar Bluff police officer sentenced to 25 years on child porn charges

A former Poplar Bluff, Missouri, police officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday for the production of child pornography.

According to a news release from the United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Missouri, U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. sentenced Brandon M. Hopper, 40, of Poplar Bluff to 300 months in prison for one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Hopper pleaded guilty to this charge in October.

According to the release, Hopper's co-defendant, Amber M. Longhibler, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December for her role in the crime, used a cellphone to take sexually explicit pictures of an 11-year-old girl. Hopper was a law enforcement officer with the Poplar Bluff Police Department at the time.

Following his prison sentence, Hopper was ordered to be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life, and is required to register as a sex offender.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution.