Once the Sheriff’s Office received reports of Mr. Tilton having inappropriate conversations with minors on social media, investigators initiated the social media operation to contact Mr. Tilton. The conversations began with Matthew Tilton and before long he began asking several inappropriate questions and sent explicit photos to a female he was aware of was 14 years of age.On July 16, 2015 Matthew Tilton contacted the underage teen and asked to meet with her to perform sexual activities, asking her several times to promise not to tell anyone. Mr. Tilton was arrested at McCay Hall in Cathey’s Valley, where he asked the underage teen to meet him.
He is being held at the Mariposa County Jail on charges of:
288.2 (a)(1) PC- Distribution of Lewd Material to a Minor
288.3 (a) PC- Contacting / Communicating with a Minor for Purposes of Lewd Behavior
288.4 (b) PC- Arrange Meeting with Minor for Purpose of Engaging in Lewd Behavior
He is being held on $100,000 bail.
A search warrant was issued for Mr. Tilton’s residence and his social media accounts to pursue further evidence.
This is still an ongoing investigation; if you have any information regarding Matthew Tilton please contact our office at 209-966-3615.
Social Media is any website or application that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.Things like Instagram, Mobile Phone Text Messaging, Facebook, Twitter, Kik, Yik Yak, etc.
For Parents: Some of the signs that your child might be at risk online are; Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night. You find pornography on your child’s computer. Your child receives phone calls from men you do not know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you do not recognize. Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you do not know. Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room. Your child becomes withdrawn from the family. Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else.
More information regarding safety on the internet and other social media please visit https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide.
