On July 7, 2015 at approximately 10:35 a.m., SRJC District Police Officers responded to the area of Elliott Avenue fronting the SRJC Bertolini Student Center for a report of a sexual battery which had just occurred.
Responding officers arrived in the area within one minute and began their search for the suspect who had fled the area on foot. District Police personnel quickly identified a female juvenile victim and ensured her safety.
The female victim stated she was walking along the Elliott Avenue sidewalk toward the SRJC Bertolini Student Center when the male suspect walked up behind her. The male suspect, not known to the victim, grabbed the victim's buttocks in a sexual manner. The female immediately spun around and shouted for help. The male suspect then proceeded to run in a northeast direction toward Mendocino Avenue. Witnesses in the immediate area confirmed the details of the incident and provided statements to investigating officers, collaborating the victim’s statement.
The male suspect was spotted by District Police Officers as he walked briskly along the Mendocino Avenue sidewalk, just north of the SRJC area. Officers immediately detained him and placed him in to custody without further incident. Subsequently, the male suspect was identified as Johnathan Michael Hoppner, a 22 year old Santa Rosa resident. Hoppner is not a current SRJC student. Hoppner is on active parole for a previous sexual battery conviction.
Hoppner was booked at the Sonoma County Jail for violations of California Penal Code Sections 243.4(e)(1) - Misdemeanor Sexual Battery, 243.2(a)(1) - Battery on School Grounds, along with an added charge for violating the terms of his active state monitored parole. Hoppner was admonished of his withdrawal of consent to be on SRJC District Properties for the next 14 days, pursuant to California Penal Code Section 626.4.
The Police Department would like to remind our community that the SRJC is an open campus and allows the public to use its facilities for educational and enrichment purposes. While the SRJC campuses are relatively safe environments, they are not crime free. Members of the SRJC community are encouraged to stay alert of their surroundings, regardless of the time of day. Please help the Police Department by reporting any suspicious persons immediately at (707)527-1000.
