Jon Hopeman, longtime Great North Board member, has seen the Great North Innocence Project through numerous stages of organizational development; worked on innocence case litigation, including helping to free innocent Great North client Javon Davis from prison in 2020; and provided critical leadership during times of organizational transition.
Current Great North Board Co-Chair Kevin Riach said of Jon, “There wouldn’t be a Great North Innocence Project without Jon. There would be innocent men still in prison sleeping on metal beds without Jon. I have huge respect for Jon as a person and a lawyer.”
We spoke with Jon about his time serving on the Great North Board and what he hopes for the future of innocence work.
Great North Innocence Project: When did you first join the Great North Board of Directors?
Jon Hopeman: I joined the Board in 2009 or so, and I believe I served for fourteen years.
GN-IP: Why did you initially join the Great North Board?
JH: Initially I joined the Board because I served as a federal prosecutor and I had a case in which the FBI arrested a man for stealing a tractor trailer and driving it across state lines from Iowa to Minnesota. The man spoke with the FBI and claimed he knew about bank robberies in Minnesota and other states. He did indeed finger some people in MN for a bank robbery in Washington County. He then began to confess to committing bank robberies in several states. I prepared a plea agreement which he and his lawyer and I signed documenting his admissions to participating in these robberies, and he pled guilty to them. The probation officer discovered while preparing the pre-sentence report that the man had been in custody at the time of each bank robbery and could not have been involved in them. I arranged for his immediate release, which was not hard to do. This was a sobering experience for me which stays with me until this day. I decided to join the Board because I convicted an innocent man of something he did not do.
GN-IP: What has been the most meaningful part of serving on the Great North Board?
JH: There were many meaningful parts to board service. I enjoyed service on the Litigation, Public Policy, Executive, and Development Committees. I enjoyed litigating State v. Javon Davis before Judge Fred Karasov. I loved working with all the other board members when I was Co-Chair of the Board with Joel Kohout, with A.L. Brown, and with John Kingrey. There is not a single board member whom I do not like and I respect each of them. I enjoyed testifying at the Minnesota legislature and working with our lobbyists. But, the best part of all was seeing those innocent guys walk out of jail and into the arms of their families.
GN-IP: What are some of the things that you’re most proud of as you reflect on your time serving on the Great North Board?
JH: I am most proud that during my service we were able to raise significant amounts of money, which allowed us to stabilize the organization after some turbulent times by hiring capable staff. I am also proud we were able to recruit some really good Board members with diverse views and talents. I am proud we were able to finally crystallize our relationship with the U of M Law School, which has been a productive relationship for both GN-IP and the Law School.
GN-IP: What inspires you about the Great North Innocence Project’s mission?
JH: What inspires me about the mission is that I have long understood that the only thing worse than being accused of a terrible crime is to be falsely accused of a terrible crime. GN-IP allowed me to actually do something about that in a small way.
GN-IP: What hopes do you have for the Great North’s future?
JH: I hope that in the future, GN-IP can eliminate the need for its own existence by implementing enough criminal justice reforms so there will be no more wrongful convictions in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.