Minister sentenced in child sex case
Podcast Episode
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Scott Hoppe
ELKHORN — Scott A. Hoppe paid special attention to the high school girl in his youth ministry classes at Grace Church in Burlington.
She was flattered.
She loved her minister, her teacher, as if he were an older brother.
But the feelings Hoppe had for the girl was more than just friendship. It turned into something adulterous, manipulative and illegal.
Starting in 2003, behind the back of his wife and their children, Hoppe had sex with the girl for years—at the church, in the classroom, at Hoppe’s home and at the girl’s home in Walworth County.
“He is not the Godly man we all thought he was,” the girl, now 20, said at Hoppe’s sentencing hearing Thursday. “Instead of upholding God’s word and acting rightly, he indulged himself in evil.”
Hoppe, now 33 and living in Woodstock, Ill., was sentenced to three years in prison and three years extended supervision for a felony charge of child enticement and a misdemeanor count of sex with a child over 16 years old. Eleven related felony and misdemeanor charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. He will register as a sex offender, Judge James Carlson ordered.
Multiple similar charges still are pending in Racine County.
The girl told the court how Hoppe manipulated her thoughts and outlook on life.
Despite his marriage and children, he made her believe their relationship was normal and the way God intended it to be.
He told the girl his marriage was a mistake and that he wished his wife were in a car accident so they could be together.
He told her she was a better mother to his children and that his kids could have been their children.
He taught her how to lie—every time he called, every time she was up late chatting with him on the Internet, every time he sent flowers or notes.
When the girl went to college, she said, she realized how wrong the relationship had been.
Hoppe grew afraid, she said. If he told her that if she exposed him, she’d be responsible for destroying their lives, the lives of their families and the church they both loved.
The girl told anyway, and Hoppe was arrested in late 2006.
“He not only stole my innocence, but years of my life,” she said.
And her faith in Christianity.
“I can’t trust the church that I loved so dearly,” she said. “When I stand at a church, now, I look up front and all I can see are liars, hypocrites and abusers.”
But Hoppe wasn’t the only one in the relationship, his attorney said.
The girl was 16 and 17 years old when the charged abuse happened. The consensual relationship continued when she was 18 and a freshman in college, defense attorney Larry Steen said.
“One thing that is apparent to me is 16-year-old females in our society are no puppets who are moved by strings,” Steen said.
The girl made decisions to keep the adulterous relationship, too, he said.
In the hundreds of e-mails sent between the two, the girl justified their actions because “they were happy and God must want this,” Steen said.
Hoppe didn’t blame the girl for the relationship. He said he was the adult in a position of trust, and he admitted he abused that.
“I did not mean to cause pain and damage, but I did cause it,” Hoppe said. “I was the one who lied, betrayed, manipulated and abused. I was the one who did those things.”
Jul 22, 2009 at 10:14 p.m.
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ProtectingKids - I was gathering my thoughts for a comment on this story, but you nailed it! My sentiments exactly!
Jan 26, 2008 at 6:53 p.m.
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protecting kids thank you for your comment I absoultely agree
Jan 21, 2008 at 5 p.m.
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I just saw this article. Counselor's, teachers, Pastors, Cub Scout leaders, Priests, anyone in a position of authority is the party to blame when an underage youth is involved in a relationship. THEY are the adult and on top of that they are in a postion of authority and should and NEED to be held to a higher standard.
My heart goes out to this young lady and her family. And I pray that her heart will find the healing she so much needs! And as someone who works and volunteers with youth at my church I am so sorry that this has happened to you!
Anyone who doesn't understand this, needs to read the article again and also read about sexual predators and how they manipulate and gain trust. Google it, and be informed.
We need to be protecting our kids!
Jan 20, 2008 at 5:27 a.m.
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gabby, you are wrong! This is statutory rape if he had sex with a minor.
Jan 17, 2008 at 11:03 a.m.
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Don't you say that I never had to deal with rape. You don't know what has happened to me. And to say that to someone you don't know is a horrible thing. I do know that it is hard to talk about rape. In more than one way. But this girl was not raped. She was in a relationship with this man. She knew what was going on...then when things went bad and she wanted to get out he wouldn't let her. I know what it is like to not be able to get out of a relationship for fear of youself and
your family. I also know what it is like to be raped and brutally raped by someone you don't even know. So now you wanna tell me I don't know anything about rape. It took me years and years to be able to tell someone about it. I know what it is like. And I think you need to think about things before you say something. You don't know anything about me.
Jan 17, 2008 at 7:22 a.m.
Jan 17, 2008 at 12:25 a.m.
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Dakota. What on earth are you even talking about? This isn't some random stab at the church. This is a woman who was manipulated into a relationship with someone who she truly believed. I guess you dont read the paper much do ya gabby. This is just one in a hundred that I have read. Ya ever stop to think the paper prints what people will read???? Or that they have to have permission, someone to give them facts, ect. I can tell you haven't had to deal with rape: if you had you would see its painful to talk about. Oh yea doesn't minister normally like little boys? sorry.
Jan 7, 2008 at 2:27 p.m.
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I am not from your part of the country but here in the east offenders are given only 3 months probation for having sex with a 15 year old. I just want to say that the standard needs to be the same for all states. I have so much more to say but I need to gather my thoughts so I make sense because I am so outraged by the way this whole incident was handled by the courts. You all don't know everything. It has been reported from the girl's point only. This is why I hesitate reading the paper any more. Trash, and one sided, every bit of it. Sensationalism!!!
Jan 6, 2008 at 10:28 p.m.
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That's why you gotta watch Fox News. They are the only ones to have a counterpoint to every opinion.
Whenever there's a commentator or analyst, there is always someone there to argue a counterpoint. They report and let you decide. The Clinton News Network just force feeds you propaganda!
Why has the media been so quiet about Iraq lately? Because what is going on over there is working! There is no negative news, so to them there is no news.
Jan 6, 2008 at 10:14 p.m.
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If this was a cop or a judge it probably would not be in the news. I agree with Dakota, this paper isn't terrible, but the news media as a whole is so liberally biased it makes me sick!
Not to sound crude, the man was way wrong. But can a 16 year old girl not think for herself? Why didn't she tell her parents right away?
Jan 6, 2008 at 9:50 p.m.
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My point is that no matter who the person is the girl was still an everyday girl who was not a public figure. So why should her life be publized too? Yeah they may not print her name but I'm sure there is someone who knows exactly who it is. That is what happened to me. It wasn't even put into the paper and somehow one person found out and the next thing I knew it was all over the place. I literally had to leave the state to get away from everyone hounding me. I hope this girl does not go through the same thing.
Jan 6, 2008 at 9:46 p.m.
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And the man who did it to me, held a public position too. So what now?
Jan 6, 2008 at 4:09 p.m.
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dakota,
You need to find a topic and a story about which you actually know something and then comment on it as you obviously know nothing about this story or this case. Hoppe's wife is standing by him and came to his defense at the sentencing so there shouldn't be any "child support" for him to worry about. As far as him receiving "lifetime humiliation" and "lifetime discrimination" by which I presume you mean people will never fully trust him again; to that I say Amen! He deserves nothing better and much worse.
Jan 6, 2008 at 1:05 p.m.
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"gabby06" as a minister he holds a public position and there for he has to be accountable to the public.
Jan 5, 2008 at 8:57 p.m.
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This story is so biased it makes me puke.I absolutly agree with gabby06. Once again the liberals take another shot at the church simply because they control all the news imformtion.I in no way condone what this young youth pastor did.To say that the girl doesn't have any respect for the church anymore.give me a break.Type into your search engine:Female teachers sex with students. And find out how many female and male perverts there are IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS (at least 10 pages)..How many times have you heard the comment from victims:Iv'e lost all faith in the school system.In the press he got 3yrs. but in reality he got 3yrs. prison,lifetime humilation,life time discrimination, 20yrs of child support(3yrs of back support for the years he is in prison),and criminal restitution.Let those who have no sin throw the first stone.this story should be called "Left Coast News"
Jan 5, 2008 at 9:02 a.m.
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What makes this crime important enough to report on? The inequality of power and the abuse of trust is one very good reason. Ministers should be held to a higher standard and punished more harshly when they commit these types of crimes. As it stands in Wisconsin, teachers, counselors, and psychologists who commit these types of crimes are automatically charged with felonies -- but not pastors or priests. Ministers should certainly be in that group as they fill all of those roles and the damage they do when they take advantage of their position is even greater than those who are currently singled out by law.
Three years behind bars is a light sentence and one can only hope that a more proper sentence is handed down in the Racine County case that is pending. It is in Racine County where the more serious (by statute) crime of sex with a child under the age of 16 occurred and that Felony B count carries a maximum of 60 years. While it is highly unlikely that the maximum sentence will be handed down in this case, Mr. Hoppe is a manipulative monster who deserves to spend more than 3 years behind bars.
Jan 4, 2008 at 9:14 p.m.
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Remember the couple in Milton who had their child witness their sex acts? How about the rape at the Janesville Mall? The kids at the park after a football game. Sadly too many-but I have seen several written about in the paper and the bad guys were basically average joes. Just sayin..
Jan 4, 2008 at 8:03 p.m.
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I agree with spinmaster and bennetonf1, but with something to add. Most girls who are in that type of situation whether it be rape or consentual, do not want public to know about it. Hence the reason a lot of girls don't even report the abuse.
Jan 4, 2008 at 5:24 p.m.
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bennetonf1 is absolutely correct. If this guy wasn't a minister and wasn't held to a higher standard, it would just be another story of some sicko having sex with a minor. It's sad to say that in this day and age, sex offenses aren't big news. They happen so frequently that the only ones that can be (and IMO, should be) covered are ones involving public figures, like ministers. I think parents who had kids that were around this guy would want to (and need to) know about it. It really IS quite a big deal.
Jan 4, 2008 at 3:48 p.m.
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Gabby, I'm sorry you had to endure what you did. I'm sure it took a lot of strenght to come out and put that creep where he belongs.
My take on the the whole Minister issue is that one would think that a person in that position would be held to a higher standard. I'm sure the same would hold true if he were a teacher or a police officer.
Jan 4, 2008 at 12:13 p.m.
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I don't even know where to start with this. You know the only reason this made it to the paper was because this man is a minister. So what big deal??? When I was 17 the same thing happened to me. Almost the the T. The only difference was the man was not a minister. He went to jail and is now registered sex offender but it never made it to the paper. So how is that???? I love reading this paper but sometimes I think they could find better stories. I know it's hard to find stories sometimes, but how is it that you can write a story about one sex offender but not the next. I think if you write about one you should write about them all. Granted in the world today you would need a special section just to hold them all. But I don't think that certain ones should be "publized" more just because of who they were!
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