Matthew Maddison, a 37-year-old Summit County resident and USA Climbing coach, has been arrested for allegedly possessing and distributing sexually explicit videos involving children.
Third District Court documents indicate Maddison was booked into the Summit County Jail on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor on Tuesday. He had been under investigation for more than a month at the time of his arrest.
A probable cause statement said a social media company filed a report with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on March 16. The report claimed an account had uploaded and distributed sexually explicit materials involving children, and the information was forwarded to the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The task force identified Maddison as the owner of the social media account and executed a search warrant at his Summit County home on Tuesday. Maddison during the search admitted to owning the account, its associated email address and the explicit materials, according to court documents.
He also allegedly told law enforcement that he knew the explicit materials were illegal to possess.
The task force searched Maddison’s phone and found “a large” number of photos and videos, including 30 files he had distributed to others on the social media site.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office requested Maddison be held in the Summit County Jail because of his reported admissions during the search, but also because his work as a coach required him to travel internationally.
“As part of Matthew’s employment, he works directly with youth, in a position of trust, some of which are the same age as the children in the … files he distributed,” court documents said. “Additionally, Matthew is not a citizen of the United States and does not have extended family in Utah.”
Maddison worked as a strength and conditioning coach and Speed Team manager for USA Climbing, but the sports organization confirmed he has been placed on administrative leave following the arrest.
“While the charges appear to be unrelated to his coaching responsibilities, we are deeply disturbed by the allegations,” said USA Climbing in a press release. “Upon learning of this information, we immediately placed Mr. Maddison on unpaid administrative leave, pending resolution of this matter.”
USA Climbing said the safety of its athletes is its highest priority.
“We are fully compliant with policy and compliance requirements through the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and all (USA Climbing) employees undergo mandatory background checks,” the press release said. “We are cooperating with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation. We have no further comment at this time.”
Judge Richard Mrazik ordered Maddison be held without bail, saying he was “likely to flee the jurisdiction” if he were released.
Official charges have not been filed as of Friday morning.