As part of a plea agreement, Robert “Jacob” Hoopes, a 25-year-old Portland, Oregon man with ties to Newtown (Pa.) Meeting, pleaded guilty at a February 18 hearing to “aggravated assault on a federal employee with a dangerous weapon,” according to the court transcript. He faces a minimum of 24 months in prison, with a possible maximum sentence of 20 years of incarceration and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2026 [April 16 Update: Sentencing has been rescheduled from May 12 at the parties’ request, according to court documents.].
Left: A protester at the federal building. Middle: Photo of injured federal officer (both courtesy USAO). Right: Robert “Jacob” Hoopes at the federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., on February 18, 2026 (courtesy of his family).
Leah Bolstad, attorney for the United States, stated that on June 14, 2025, Hoopes threw a rock from outside a federal building in Portland at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent inside the building, hitting the agent above the eye and causing a cut that required treatment, according to the court transcript.
Judge Adrienne Nelson asked Hoopes if Bolstad’s statement correctly described his actions and he said that it did, the transcript states.
Charges related to Hoopes allegedly using a stop sign as a battering ram to do approximately $7,000 worth of damage to the ICE building in South Portland will be dismissed, court transcripts stated.
Hoopes could have faced an additional ten years in prison for charges of damaging the building, according to a July 28, 2025 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the District of Oregon.
Hoopes agreed to pay more than $7,000 in restitution as part of the plea deal, according to a February 18 press release by the USAO.
The victim requested less than $500 in restitution for medical bills, according to the hearing transcript.
Hoopes agreed to pay restitution to the victim and waived his right to appeal, unless the judge imposes an illegally long sentence, according to the plea agreement, which was signed on December 9, 2025. In the plea petition, signed February 18, Hoopes stated that he understood he would not be eligible for parole. Hoopes could earn credit for good behavior in prison which could shorten his sentence, according to the plea petition.
The assault and alleged building damage occurred at the June 14 protest, according to reporting by KATU, the ABC affiliate in Portland.
Judge Nelson explained that she will determine Hoopes’s sentence based on the type of offense, his personal history and character, goals of sentencing, U.S. sentencing guidelines, terms of the plea agreement, and an overview of Hoopes and his situation.
Hoopes was arrested by FBI agents on Friday, July 25, 2025, and charged with aggravated assault of an ICE officer, KATU reported.
Hoopes spent a weekend in two jails operated by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, according to a statement posted on Instagram by his partner Fable Sorenson. Sorenson detailed the arrest, “At around 9 a.m. on Friday morning, July 25, Jacob and I looked out our bedroom window to see a flood of armed officers race into our driveway and charge at our house with assault rifles.” Sorenson recounted that she and Hoopes were “screamed at, handcuffed, and put on the street in our underwear.” Sorenson’s Instagram account was made private days after the post.
Hoopes previously pleaded not guilty to both charges, according to court transcripts of his August 15 arraignment before Judge Stacie F. Beckerman.
Tom Hoopes, Jacob Hoopes’s father, declined to be interviewed for this article but emailed the following statement on February 19:
Yesterday, in a federal courtroom in Portland, Oregon, Jacob changed his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty” to the charge of Aggravated Assault of a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon. He did this as part of a plea agreement, the least bad option carefully arrived at with the support of his attorney, who is highly experienced with this terrain. In a courtroom filled with supporters from all parts of Jacob’s life—and from Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, and Philadelphia—he stood up and took responsibility for his actions on June 14, 2025, for which he will face the consequences.
There will be no trial. We and his attorney look forward to presenting a fuller picture and placing Jacob in context prior to his sentencing, on May 12. Until then, we ask Friends and supporters to understand that our highest priority at this moment is Jacob’s best interest, and that well-intentioned statements about Jacob’s situation have the potential to adversely affect his sentencing. Therefore, we will not be speaking about the particulars of his case, nor will we engage in speculation about what might be or what might have been.
This story has been updated with a statement from the Hoopes family. It was updated again to add details from the plea agreement and the plea petition. This is an ongoing story. Please check back for updates.
We want to hear from you, not an AI! Please be thoughtful and use your own words. Comments on Friendsjournal.org may be used in the Forum of the print magazine and may be edited for length and clarity.