Kendall James Hopper, a 62-year-old resident of Smithville, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to time served for illegally possessing a firearm. The sentencing was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Hopper pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025, to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Law enforcement officials reported that on January 2, 2024, they found Hopper at a residence in Smithville with a lever-action .30-.30 caliber rifle. At that time, Hopper had already been convicted of an offense punishable by more than one year in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, and the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is a collaborative initiative between law enforcement agencies and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence. In May 2021, the Department of Justice introduced an updated strategy for PSN focused on building community trust, supporting organizations that prevent violence, targeting enforcement efforts strategically, and tracking outcomes.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White presided over the sentencing hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the government in this case.
