LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A former Loveland police officer imprisoned in the assault of a woman with dementia was denied entry into a halfway house for a second time this year.

Austin Hopp has served around 10 months of his five-year sentence in the arrest of Karen Garner, then 73 years old, who was hurt when officers detained her on suspicion of shoplifting.

Hopp sought entry into a Larimer County Community Corrections program, but the board rejected his bid on Monday, Garner’s family told FOX31’s Alex Rose.

This is Hopp’s second attempt this year to get out of prison and into a community corrections program. A board in Weld County unanimously rejected a similar effort by Hopp in February, saying he showed a lack of effort to rehabilitate himself.

Former officer will be able to reapply to halfway house

Monday’s denial means the former police officer will not be able to apply for a halfway house program for another six months, according to Garner’s family.

Hopp pleaded guilty in March 2022 to second-degree assault in Garner’s arrest. He was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of parole.

Garner was arrested in June 2020. She was accused of stealing from Walmart when officers responded and used force to take her into custody. During the arrest, officers broke her arm, dislocated her shoulder and sprained her wrist, according to claims made in a lawsuit.

Body camera video was released of the incident and afterward, showing the forceful arrest and officers later joking about the incident. Another officer in the case, Daria Jalali, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and 36 months probation for failing to intervene.

Loveland settled a lawsuit in the case for $3 million.