Portland city worker arrested on federal charge, accusing him of accessing child abuse images online

A city employee who once coached Clackamas Little League girls softball is accused of accessing online chat rooms to view images of child sexual abuse.

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

A federal agent used a web page to help identify and locate Hoyt; the site listed him as a team coach for the 2021 Clackamas Minor League Softball Tournament, according to the complaint.

On Tuesday afternoon, defense attorney Bear Wilner-Nugent entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Hoyt during his first appearance in federal court in Portland. Hoyt is accused of receiving, possessing or viewing images of child abuse.

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

Wilner-Nugent argued for Hoyt's release pending trial, suggesting that Hoyt be allowed to live with his mother-in-law and continue his work for the city. Wilner-Nugent said the charge represented “low-level” sharing of child sexual abuse material online, but no direct abuse.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Chernick objected to the release, saying Hoyt was “soliciting concrete abuse of a child to whom he has access.” Hoyt is accused of telling Internet users “that he wanted to see” a 12-year-old girl being sexually assaulted, of sharing photos of a 12-year-old girl in a bikini by a swimming pool and to having admitted after his arrest to having fantasies of children having sexual relations with adults, according to the complaint, the prosecutor and the district judge.

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

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

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

Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe to OregonLive.com today.