A Newton woman pleaded guilty Thursday to concealing from authorities that a convicted felon unlawfully possessed firearms that he later used in a shooting incident at Excel Industries.
In a news release, acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Sarah T. Hopkins, 28, admitted that on Feb. 5, 2016, she redeemed an AK-47 rifle from a pawn shop in Newton and gave it to Cedric Ford, a convicted felon. On Feb 25, 2016, investigators recovered the rifle and a handgun at Excel Industries in Newton, where Ford shot three people to death before being killed in a shootout with police.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 28. Hopkins faces up to three years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Beall commended several agencies for their work on the case: the Hesston Police Department; the Harvey County Sheriff’s Department; the Newton Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the FBI; as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind.
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