The Berkeley Scanner reported that a former private‑school music teacher in Berkeley was sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting an autistic high‑school student. The Alameda County district attorney’s office originally charged Jason Hoopes with 23 felony sex crimes, including arranging to meet a minor with intent to commit a sex crime, unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation with a person under 18.
Hoopes, then 49, allegedly abused the 16‑year‑old student at abandoned naval‑base buildings in Alameda from March through May of last year on eight separate occasions. He entered no‑contest pleas to four counts and was sentenced to six years and four months, though sentencing calculations and time already served mean he may be released in about two years.
During the hearing, the victim’s parents delivered impact statements, and school officials described the broader harm to the vulnerable student population at Bayhill High School, a private school for learners with differences. The father reported discovering sexually explicit and threatening text messages from Hoopes on his son’s phone, prompting the school to alert police and terminate the teacher.
The judge accepted the plea deal after hearing statements from family members, school representatives and the defendant, who chose to speak at the close of the proceeding.
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