Boone County mother opens up about helping make case in child porn arrest

CENTRALIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Centralia man was sentenced to 15 years for attempted enticement and possession of child pornography Friday. David L. Hoppock’s two sentences to be served concurrently was confirmed Saturday by Hoppock’s attorneys.

The 33-year-old was first charged in August. 

About a day before his arrest, a mother said her 14-year-old daughter was messaged by Hoppock. To protect their privacy, ABC 17 won’t be sharing the mom’s face or last name.

Amber said her daughter deleted Hoppock’s first message, but was messaged again over Facebook on Aug. 11.

“That night it was almost 9 o’clock, she comes flying in the bedroom and was like, ‘mom he’s messaging me now,’” Amber said. “And so the original message that she saw said, ‘Hey, gorgeous lady, how are you this evening?’ And I took the phone away and I pretended to be 14 for the next day.”

Over the course of about 22 hours, Amber sent messages back and forth with Hoppock through her daughter’s Facebook account- while in contact with the police at the same time.

“I said that I was only 14. And he said, ‘LOL. Cool,’” Amber added.

The next day, she said Hoppock sent a picture of his face, then started asking for photos. Amber eventually sent a photo of her own thigh, which was met with more sexually explicit messages from Hoppock she said.

Around 7 p.m. that night, he asked to meet up at one of Centralia’s public parks. 

“He was arrested on the way to meet me at the park, or meet my daughter,” Amber said, then paused. “It was a very long day. Lots and lots of messages teaching her things, talking about things that no kid should… I'm 43 and it made me sick to my stomach.”

The 33-year-old man was charged with attempted child enticement in Boone County Aug. 12. His first court appearance took place Aug. 15 and he appeared by video from Boone County Jail, online court records say.

And for every court appearance, for every bond hearing, Amber was there, she said.

“I looked at him several times just to look him in the eye,” she said. “I wanted him to know that it was me. He didn't get my daughter, but I was the one that saved my daughter.”

According to a probable cause statement, Hoppock sent sexually explicit messages to a 12-year-old girl through social media and asked her to send him photos. The statement said Hoppock admitted to the messages under interrogation.

The following week, prosecutors added a charge of child porn possession and two charges of promoting child pornography after finding videos on his cellphone that was seized during his arrest.

Hoppock pleaded guilty during his trial.

“I want parents to talk to their kids. I want parents to have open relationships. I want parents to check their kids' phones,” Amber said. “It is really hard as a mom to come out and say that these things have happened, even though he didn't get to my daughter. The ‘what could've’ goes through my head. And it's really hard. It's really hard.”

Hoppock’s lawyer added on Saturday, “he took responsibility.”