A former White River Juvenile Detention Center guard charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy at the lockup now faces, regarding the teen, two counts of exposing another person to HIV.
The new charges were filed against Bradley Kyle Hopper, 27, of Batesville on Thursday in Independence County Circuit Court, according to a court official. He was being held at the Independence County jail Friday with a plea and arraignment scheduled for Tuesday.
Hopper was arrested June 26 on two charges of first-degree sexual assault and two charges of second-degree sexual assault after the boy told the lockup's administrator that Hopper had removed him from his cell on two occasions to have sex in the evening hours of June 16 and June 20.
The two counts of exposing another person to HIV involve the same boy. Exposing someone to human immunodeficiency virus is a Class A felony, punishable by six to 30 years in prison.
Hopper, who had been employed at the Batesville center for 26 days, was fired the same day he was arrested on the original charges.
His bail was set at $50,000 on those charges.
According to an arrest affidavit, the boy reported Hopper arrived at his cell June 16 in the maximum-security wing, and the boy told Hopper he was "sexually frustrated" and asked Hopper what to do.
The boy said Hopper suggested masturbation, which the boy said he had not done because of the camera in his cell, according to the affidavit. Hopper left but returned and slipped the boy a note that read, "What do you want to be done to you?"
The boy wrote back, describing a sex act, and Hopper wrote: "I will take you to the bathroom when everyone is asleep," according to the affidavit.
The boy said Hopper returned between 10 and 10:30 p.m. and took him to the employee bathroom in the maximum-security wing, which is not equipped with a surveillance camera, according to the affidavit.
The boy said he and Hopper had sex, then Hopper left him unattended, according to the affidavit.
The boy said Hopper returned to the bathroom, where they had sex again before Hopper returned the boy to his cell, according to the affidavit. The boy reported that a similar event occurred June 20.
According to the affidavit, an Independence County sheriff's office detective interviewed Hopper on June 26, and Hopper admitted having sexual contact with the boy but not to the extent the youth reported.
Hopper also told the detective that on the night of the second encounter, the boy "threatened to tell everyone about the first incident."
"Mr. Hopper got scared, so he got [the boy] out of his cell and took him to the staff bathroom" and again had sexual contact with the boy, according to the affidavit.
Hopper previously was arrested on felony charges of theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card in Faulkner County in 2014. He pleaded the felony charges down to one misdemeanor and received a year of probation.
Faulkner County court records show a warrant was filed for Hopper's arrest Aug. 6 because he violated the conditions of his probation by failing to pay his fines.
Hopper owes a balance of $4,555.30, of which $3,990.30 is restitution, court records show. His last payment was Feb. 12.
Metro on 08/22/2015