CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- A federal felon who pistol-whipped and Tased a Cedar Rapids home owner during an armed home invasion has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
43-year-old Sherman Hopkins, Jr. of Cedar Rapids pleaded guilty in December to attempting to extort an internet domain name during the home invasion. He admitted to to entering the victims home in June 2017, and assaulting the victim in an attempt to obtain the victim's internet domain "doitforstate.com." Prosecutors said, during the home invasion, Hopkins used a 9mm pistol stolen from Michigan in 2014.
Court documents show Hopkins became increasingly violent while attempting to force the victim to change the domain name from one GoDaddy account to another. At one point, authorities said Hopkins put the gun against the victim's head and cocked it. The victim turned quickly to move the gun away from his head and managed to gain control of the gun.
During the struggle, the victim was shot in the leg. The victim then shot Hopkins several times in the chest, and called police.