Portland city employee arrested on federal charges accusing him of accessing child abuse images online

A city employee who coached the Clackamas Little League girls softball team in the past is accused of using online chat rooms to Images of child sexual abuse.

Matthew Thomas Hoyt, 39, a Portland city worker, was arrested Monday morning in Gabriel Park near his city work vehicle, according to a federal complaint filed in court Tuesday.

A federal agent used a website to identify and locate Hoyt; the site listed him as a team coach for the 2021 Clackamas Little League Minors Softball Tournament, the complaint says.

On Tuesday afternoon, defense attorney Bear Wilner-Nugent entered a not guilty plea on Hoyt’s behalf during his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Portland. Hoyt is accused of receiving, possessing or accessing child abuse images.

The lawsuit alleges that Hoyt uploaded photos of a 12-year-old girl in online group chats and private chats and discussed “his fantasies of children having sex with adults.”

Wilner-Nugent argued for Hoyt’s release from custody pending trial and suggested Hoyt be allowed to live in his mother-in-law’s home and continue his work for the city. Wilner-Nugent said the charge involved the “minor” distribution of alleged child sexual material online, but not actual abuse.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Chernick opposed the release, saying Hoyt “incited the practical abuse of a child to whom he has access.” Hoyt is accused of telling people online that “he wanted to watch” a 12-year-old girl being sexually abused, sharing photos of a 12-year-old girl in a bikini at a pool and admitting after his arrest to having fantasies of children having sex with adults, according to the indictment, the prosecutor and the justice of the peace.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You ordered Hoyt to remain in custody, although she acknowledged his ties to the community and his lack of criminal history.

“It’s hard to find words to describe the seriousness of the allegations here,” Yim said. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

— Maxine Bernstein covers federal courts and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, [email protected], follow her on X @maxoregonianor on LinkedIn.

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