Woman indicted on federal charge of supplying weapon in Hesston shooting

A federal grand jury has indicted Sarah Hopkins on a charge of knowingly transferring a firearm to a convicted felon — namely Cedric Ford, who used the gun allegedly given by Hopkins in a mass shooting in Hesston last week that killed three people and wounded 14.

If convicted, Hopkins, 28, faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a statement. She is the mother of Ford’s 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, according to court records obtained by The Eagle

Hopkins initially was charged Feb. 26 with a criminal complaint accusing her of giving firearms to Ford, who she knew was a convicted felon and thus was prohibited from possessing firearms. The alleged crime for which she was indicted occurred on July 30, 2015, in Harvey County.

Ford had a Zastava Serbia, AK-47 type semi-automatic rifle and a Glock Model 22 40-caliber handgun, when he was shot and killed Feb. 25 as law enforcement officers responded to a shooting spree that began in Newton and culminated at Excel Industries in Hesston. Hopkins was accused of providing both guns to Ford.

An arraignment date on the indictment against Hopkins has not yet been set.

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 8:36 AM with the headline "Woman indicted on federal charge of supplying weapon in Hesston shooting."