Predatory offender pleads guilty to child porn charges

Published 6:50 am Wednesday, August 12, 2020

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Matthew William Garrison, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony possession of child pornography by a predatory offender as part of a plea agreement on Friday in Mower County District Court.

Five additional charges of felony possession of child pornography by a predatory offender will be dismissed at the sentencing as part of the agreement.

Court documents state that Garrison, a registered predatory offender, was arrested for violating his probation on Nov. 8, 2018, at a residence in the 200 block of Fifth Street Southwest. A violation report submitted by an agent of DFO Community Corrections indicated that Garrison had been in possession of child pornography in Austin. The agent had confronted Garrison about tampering with internet monitoring software on his computer and seized Garrison’s computer after Garrison admitted to viewing child pornography.

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On Dec. 6, 2018, an Austin detective received a search warrant for Garrison’s computer. The detective then notified the United States Homeland Security Investigations Unit (HSIU), who advised him to send the computer to their forensic examiner. The HSIU obtained a federal search warrant and notified the detective that the computer contained images and videos of suspected child pornography.

HSIU provided the detective a DVD that contained approximately 70 images and two videos of child pornography from Garrison’s computer. An arrest warrant was then issued for Garrison, who was scheduled to be released from a treatment facility within a few days of the detective receiving the DVD.

A review of Garrison’s criminal history shows an adjudication of delinquency for second-degree criminal sexual conduct and a conviction for possession of child pornography by a predatory offender.

Garrison will be sentenced on Dec. 17.