A 61-year-old Cheboygan man will serve three to 15 years in prison after threatening a local judge and prosecutors, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Barry Hopkinson received the sentence on June 18 from visiting Judge Colin Hunter of the 46th Circuit Court. The ruling follows a guilty plea Hopkinson entered in March to a single count of attempting to make a terroristic threat as a habitual fourth offender.
The state’s case against Hopkinson began in January 2025. Investigators found that while Hopkinson was serving time in the Cheboygan County Jail for a previous stalking conviction, he repeatedly claimed he was being treated unfairly.
State officials said Hopkinson detailed plans to acquire firearms upon his release with the explicit intent to harm staff at the 53rd Circuit Court, specifically targeting a circuit court judge, the Cheboygan County Prosecutor, and a Cheboygan County Assistant Prosecutor.
Hopkinson’s sentencing comes at a time of legal uncertainty surrounding Michigan’s anti-terrorism statute. The Michigan Court of Appeals initially struck down the law as unconstitutional. Following that ruling, Attorney General Nessel joined the Wayne County Prosecutor in an emergency application to the Michigan Supreme Court, which subsequently vacated the lower court’s decision.
Though the Court of Appeals ultimately upheld the law upon further review, the judges strongly urged state lawmakers to clarify and update the statute to protect it from future legal challenges. That specific issue is still pending clarification, as the Michigan Supreme Court has granted leave to appeal the case.
To address these legal vulnerabilities, Nessel testified last year before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee in favor of Senate Bill 502. Sponsored by Senator Sue Shink, the proposed legislation amends the Michigan Anti-Terrorism Act. It establishes that anyone who communicates a terrorist threat with reckless disregard for the risk faces a felony charge, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $20,000, or both. The bill passed the Michigan Senate unanimously in March and currently awaits a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
“My office will continue to uphold the law and prosecute those who threaten prosecutors and members of the judiciary as long as we have a legal avenue to do so,” Attorney General Nessel said. “Without this legislation, our anti-terrorism laws remain vulnerable. Terrorist threats are too dangerous to tolerate, and we must ensure we have the tools available to protect our public servants and our communities.”
The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit, which Nessel formed in 2019, currently handles five active cases under the state’s anti-terrorism statute. State officials advise residents to report dangerous threats to local police departments first, before contacting the Department of Attorney General.
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