State prosecutors have charged a former USA Climbing coach who lives in Summit County with 13 felonies for allegedly possessing and distributing sexually explicit videos involving children.
Court documents indicate Matthew Maddison, 37, was charged last week with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, and three counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a first-degree felony.
Maddison is being held without bail in the Summit County Jail after prosecutors described him as a “flight risk” during a detention hearing earlier this month. They said Maddison is a citizen of the United Kingdom and does not have solid ties to Utah. They also claimed he “presents a danger” to the Summit County community due to the nature of his charges.
“The defendant is a coach at USA Climbing, where he works with youths and has unfettered access to them as a coach and in a position of authority,” the indictment said. “Additionally, the defendant has a young child who lives in his home. The defendant has successfully surrounded himself with children who are around the same age as the children in the (explicit) files he possessed and distributed, which makes him a direct threat to all children in the community, as well as his home.”
Detectives had been investigating Maddison for more than a month at the time of his arrest in April.
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 because of its connection to his USA Climbing email address, according to court documents. Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Maddison’s Summit County home last month, and Maddison reportedly admitted to owning the social media account, its associated email address and the explicit materials.
He also allegedly told law enforcement that he knew the files were illegal to possess.
The task force searched Maddison’s phone and found “a large” number of photos and videos, including 30 he had distributed to others on the social media site.
Maddison worked as a strength and conditioning coach and speed team manager for USA Climbing. The organization confirmed he had been placed on administrative leave shortly after the arrest, and his employment was terminated on May 1.
“While the charges appear to be unrelated to his coaching responsibilities, we are deeply disturbed by the allegations,” USA Climbing said 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.”
Maddison is scheduled to appear in court for a scheduling hearing at 1:30 p.m. May 29.