Bank robber who became Georgetown Law prof faces new criminal charges
Shon Hopwood, a former federal inmate, joined the faculty at the Georgetown University Law Center in 2017. He is facing new legal troubles after he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of assaulting his wife. Photo by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty Images.
Shon Hopwood is well known for the story of how he turned his life around after becoming a skilled jailhouse lawyer while in prison for bank robbery.
Hopwood went to the University of Washington School of Law, clerked for a federal appeals judge and became a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
But Hopwood faces new legal troubles after he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of assaulting his wife, lawyer Ann Marie Hopwood, according to the Daily Mail, which broke the story, and Law.com.
Above the Law noted the Daily Mail coverage.
Ann Marie Hopwood said in an affidavit posted by the Daily Mail that her husband had broken her tooth and finger during a fight. She was hidden in another room at their Washington, D.C., home when police discovered her Sept. 24, she said.
Police had come to the home after an allegation that Ann Marie Hopwood was locked in the basement. Shon Hopwood allegedly told his wife to stay there and then told police that his wife was not at home. One police officer who had previous interactions with the family was suspicious. He texted Ann Marie Hopwood, who told him where he could find her, the affidavit said.
The affidavit also alleged previous instances of domestic abuse.
Hopwood pleaded not guilty Oct. 3 and is subject to a protection order. He is not currently teaching at the Georgetown University Law Center according to a representative who spoke with the Daily Mail and Law.com.
Shon Hopwood’s lawyer, Philip Andonian, told Law.com that “this is an incredibly sad and difficult time for Shon and his family, and we hope everyone will respect their privacy as the legal process plays out.”
