Former Atlanta police officer accused of offering child money for sex

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A former Atlanta police officer was arrested and charged over the weekend after investigators say he offered $200 to a 14-year-old boy to perform a sex act.

On Saturday, authorities arrested Benjamin Hopson, 34, and booked him into the Richmond County Jail in Augusta on one count of Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes.

As of Monday afternoon, Hopson was being held without bond.

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Right now, it’s unclear if he’s retained an attorney.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden reports that in June, authorities began investigating after a 14-year-old boy reported that he was walking down a street in Augusta when Hopson pulled up to him in a car and asked if he needed money, authorities said.

When the boy said “yes,” Hopson told the teen that he would pay him $200 to perform oral sex, according to the arrest affidavit.

The child ran away from Hopson and reported the incident to his mother.

Earlier this month, the teen was inside his high school when he spotted Hopson who was working as a hall monitor.

The teen reported this to authorities and the investigation began, officials said.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to Atlanta police and a spokesperson sent us the following statement via email:

“The Atlanta Police Department is aware of the investigation and criminal charge involving former employee Benjamin Hopson. Hopson had been relieved from duty and placed in a non-enforcement, administrative assignment on May 19, 2023. More recently, Hopson had been on extended, unpaid leave before being terminated from the department on August 23, 2024.”

Hopson was a familiar face to the Atlanta media. Working as a member of APD’s public affairs unit, Hopson was tasked with working with the media on multiple stories, including breaking news.

In 2020, APD featured Hopson on its YouTube page.

In the video, Hopson talked about his family’s reaction when he told them that he was leaving his hometown of Augusta to pursue a career in law enforcement.

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“Leaving Augusta and making the transition from the medical field to policing was a big transition for my family and myself,” he said. " Growing up in a single household, my mother was extremely shocked. We have no policing in our family. I was the very first one. To know that I had her 100 % support going through this process made me push farther.”

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