Member Removed From Olympia Planning Commission After Arrest for Child Molestation

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Darrell K. Hoppe was removed from the Olympia Planning Commission on Monday night following allegations that he molested an 11-year-old neighbor.

The Olympia Police Department arrested Hoppe, 60, on Oct. 27 and booked him into the Thurston County jail. Hoppe appeared before Thurston County Superior Court Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax on Monday, and the commissioner found probable cause for two counts first-degree child molestation.

Kortokrax set bail at $50,000.

The matter came up at Monday night's Olympia City Council meeting, when Councilwoman Jeannine Roe made a motion to rescind Hoppe's appointment to the Planning Commission. Hoppe was serving a three-year term that would have ended in 2020. The council unanimously voted to remove Hoppe from the commission.

Mayor Cheryl Selby said that Hoppe was removed due to a legal matter, and that she couldn't comment further.



The Olympia Police Department began investigating Hoppe in September, after a man reported that his stepson had been sexually assaulted by a neighbor, according to court documents. They had lived near Hoppe for about two years and trusted him.

The man said that Hoppe gave him a used cell phone a few months ago, and that the phone was still connected to Hoppe's Google account. He allegedly found child pornography on the phone.

He questioned his stepson about his relationship with Hoppe. The boy broke down in tears and said, "Hoppe needs to go to jail," according to court documents.

The boy reported that Hoppe had touched his genitals on multiple occasions.

During questioning, Hoppe denied touching the boy, but he admitted to looking at child pornography, according to court documents.