A 42-year-old Williamsburg man charged with producing and distributing child pornography entered not guilty pleas to 25 felony charges Wednesday in Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court.
Police arrested Matthew John Stickle on Dec. 29, two days after investigators executed a search warrant on his home on the 200 block of Claiborne Drive in the Claiborne of Historic Williamsburg subdivision.
A computer was removed from the home during that search. Maj. Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department said in December investigators found a “substantial amount” of child pornography on the computer.
Stickle entered not guilty pleas to 13 felony counts of transmitting or selling child pornography, nine felony counts of reproducing child pornography and three felony counts of producing child pornography. Two more felony counts of producing child pornography were dropped when the case was presented to a grand jury May 21.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Stickle’s attorney, Patricia Nagel, requested the court appoint a digital forensics expert to aid in Stickle’s defense. Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court Judge Michael McGinty approved that request. Nagel said her client has not yet decided if he wants a trial by judge or by jury. That will be decided at a July 28 hearing.
The investigation into Stickle began after the Williamsburg Police Department received a report Sept. 3 about the distribution of child pornography. Riley said Wednesday the investigation is ongoing, however it is being conducted by other law enforcement organizations outside the City of Williamsburg. He said he could not say which agencies were involved, but he noted the case in Williamsburg is “basically closed” unless “we get further information” from the other agencies currently investigating the case.
Nobody else has been arrested in connection to the case, Riley said.
Related Coverage:
