Man accused of lewd acts with minor

Ben Godar

A Burbank man remained in county jail Tuesday, charged with 16 counts

of lewd acts with a 17-year-old girl that a neighbor said was the

man’s stepdaughter.

Chad Lee Hopper, 31, was arrested Aug. 12 on suspicion of engaging

in a variety of forcible sex acts with the girl, court officials

said. Police arrested him at his home in the 600 block of North

Fairview Street after the girl called to report the abuse, Sgt.

William Berry said.

Police could not confirm a neighbor’s report that the girl was

Hopper’s stepdaughter, but Berry said they did live in the same home.

The neighbor, who requested anonymity, said he believed the abuse

had been going on for up to 10 years. He said he called police

dispatchers about six years ago, and twice contacted child-service

officials to report the suspected abuse.

Berry, though, said Burbank Police have never been called to the

home before in response to reports of child abuse, adding that the

department has no record of a report being made to dispatchers. If

the California Department of Children and Family Services were

notified of any incidents, Berry said they would send a report to

police. Police have received no such reports, he said.

Berry said Hopper is suspected of committing the acts he is

charged with between April 1 and July 31 of this year, but the

investigation is ongoing.

As of late Tuesday, Hopper was being held on $750,000 bail. He is

scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 2.