SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – A Shelby County martial arts instructor is facing charges of electronically harassing a child.

Deputies say he is accused of soliciting sexual favors from two minors.

Jacob William Hopson, 25, was an instructor at Tiger Rock Martial Arts in Greystone.

According to court documents, in 2020, Hopson solicited and received nude images and videos of a minor, and in July 2024, he solicited sexual intercourse with a minor via cell phone message.

Sheriff’s deputies said this arrest was due to proactive parenting.

They were contacted by concerned parents who cooperated with them to bring forward these complaints, which led to Hopson’s charges and arrest.

Chief Deputy Clay Hammac asks parents to sit down with their children and have open conversations with adults about appropriate and inappropriate conversations, and to know that they have a safe place to go when someone is making them uncomfortable.

Hammac says it’s also important for victims to come forward with these complaints because they may discover you’re not the only victim.

“Because we have the tools and resources to aggressively pursue these criminals. This is not so much, there is an increase in such crimes. I think what we’re seeing now is an increase in our ability to go after these criminals, these predators,” Hammac said.

And that’s thanks to specialized training and partnerships with other law enforcement agencies that give deputies the ability to hold criminals accountable.

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