CLAIBORNE COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of a former Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

In October 2025, at the request of 8th Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler, TBI agents began investigating an allegation of misconduct involving Matthew Joseph Lucas Hopson (DOB: 7/6/1997), who was employed as a deputy at the time. During the course of the investigation, agents gathered and presented evidence alleging that Hopson solicited an individual as part of a murder-for-hire scheme.

On August 13th, a Claiborne County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Hopson with one count of Official Misconduct. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Claiborne County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.