CARY, N.C. – Dylan Matheson, a 23-year-old resident of Cary, has been arrested for 18 counts of 2nd-degree child exploitation. He is charged with downloading and distributing several photos of young children performing sexual acts.
Some of the photos were sent from his email address to another of his accounts, according to the arrest warrant. Other pictures had been sent to another address, though the document does not state whether the recipient was an investigator or someone else who may yet be charged.
The warrant states that the incidents happened between Oct. 17 and Oct. 25, 2016. The investigation began on Oct. 26, 2016.
Among the court records is a letter from Matheson’s lawyer, requesting a reduction in his bail bond to $100,000. He is being held at the Wake County Detention Center under a $540,000 secured bond.
According to his lawyer, Matheson resides with his mother and stepfather, and graduated from Cary High School in 2012. He is enrolled at the online Liberty University working toward a degree in Religious Studies. He has one previous conviction, for driving while impaired in 2015.
The lawyer claims that his mother and stepfather stay home during the day, ensuring that he would have a “substantial amount of supervision and structure during the day.” They do not allow Matheson to have private access to any computer other than his stepfather’s tablet, which he uses for classes. They are active church members and volunteer regularly. At the time of his arrest, Matheson was attending counseling sessions with an associate pastor and a private counselor. Matheson surrendered himself to police for his arrest.