June trial set for attempted homicide

The man accused of attempting to kill another Havre man in November is scheduled to go to trial June 24.

District Judge Dan Boucher set the date in an omnibus hearing Monday.

Douglas Hopf, born in 1968, was charged Dec. 10 with attempted deliberate homicide, criminal endangerment and tampering with witnesses and informants.

He pleaded not guilty to all three counts before Boucher Dec. 18.

Hopf was released on bail Dec. 23, and works as a truck driver.

During the omnibus hearing Hopf's attorney, Scott Shellenberger, requested that Hopf's conditions of release be amended so that he does not have to provide 48-hour notice before traveling outside of Hill County for work on overnight trips.

"(In) his line of work he often is called to work and must, so to speak, get in the truck and get going and often times isn't provided time that will allow him to provide the county attorney 48-hours notice," he said. "Being as he's already subject to a (global positioning system tracking device monitor), we would ask that that condition be amended."

Boucher agreed to these changes and said that if Hopf will be leaving overnight he is to report to the Hill County Attorney's Office prior to leaving the area.

"That notice is to include all the necessary information previously required - where he's traveling, when he's expected to be back," he said.

Hopf is accused of shooting a firearm the night of Nov. 29 at a vehicle driven by another man, who was its sole occupant.

According to court documents, Hopf told authorities he went out to a bar with the alleged victim's girlfriend the evening of the incident and they returned to his residence afterward.

The alleged victim told investigators he was driving around town trying to locate his girlfriend when his window was shattered.

If convicted, Hopf faces a fine of up to $50,000, life imprisonment or the death penalty, the court documents say.