http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/martial-arts-instructor-child-services-worker-among-3-men-arrested-in-summit-county-child-porn-case-1.572016
(link not active, page not found on original server: archive of article shown here below)
Martial arts instructor, child services worker among 3 men arrested in Summit County child porn case
Beacon Journal staff report
Published: March 5, 2015 - 09:11 AM | Updated: March 5, 2015 - 11:00 AM
child porn
TALLMADGE: Police assisted the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in the arrest of three men they say had child pornography on their computers.
Interim Tallmadge Police Chief Ron Williams said the men were arrested after authorities executed warrants at various Summit County locations earlier this week.
Mathew Pearlman, 32, a Tae Kwon Do instructor at Asian Sun Martial Arts studios in Fairlawn and Tallmadge, was arrested when authorities raided his Norton home. The martial arts business said he was fired as soon as they learned of the allegations.
Chris Riggle. of Akron, who works for the Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services department, was arrested when police executed a search warrant for his computer.
Barry Bobb, 66, of Akron, was also one of the men arrested.
Bobb has a prior charge for gross sexual imposition involving a 13 year old, Williams said.
Williams said warrants were served Monday and Tuesday at five locations, including Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Barberton, Norton and Tallmadge. Additional arrests are possible.
Authorities continue to investigate evidence seized from the Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls locations.
All three men were being held at the Summit County Jail.
Police said they found various child pornography files on the computers.
Click here to read or leave a comment(s) on this story.
(link not active, page not found on original server: archive of article shown here below)
Martial arts instructor, child services worker among 3 men arrested in Summit County child porn case
Beacon Journal staff report
Published: March 5, 2015 - 09:11 AM | Updated: March 5, 2015 - 11:00 AM
child porn
TALLMADGE: Police assisted the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in the arrest of three men they say had child pornography on their computers.
Interim Tallmadge Police Chief Ron Williams said the men were arrested after authorities executed warrants at various Summit County locations earlier this week.
Mathew Pearlman, 32, a Tae Kwon Do instructor at Asian Sun Martial Arts studios in Fairlawn and Tallmadge, was arrested when authorities raided his Norton home. The martial arts business said he was fired as soon as they learned of the allegations.
Chris Riggle. of Akron, who works for the Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services department, was arrested when police executed a search warrant for his computer.
Barry Bobb, 66, of Akron, was also one of the men arrested.
Bobb has a prior charge for gross sexual imposition involving a 13 year old, Williams said.
Williams said warrants were served Monday and Tuesday at five locations, including Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Barberton, Norton and Tallmadge. Additional arrests are possible.
Authorities continue to investigate evidence seized from the Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls locations.
All three men were being held at the Summit County Jail.
Police said they found various child pornography files on the computers.
Click here to read or leave a comment(s) on this story.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/summit-county-child-protection-worker-resigns-after-writing-letter-supporting-fiance-in-child-porn-case-1.625039
Summit County child protection worker resigns after writing letter supporting fiance in child porn case
By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published: September 17, 2015 - 06:06 PM
A Summit County Children Services caseworker resigned Thursday morning after agency officials learned that she wrote a character reference letter for her fiancé while he was awaiting sentencing this month on child pornography charges.
The resignation of the woman came after Children Services Board (CSB) attorneys and officials from the human resources department reviewed the matter for the past two days, agency spokesman Chris Vasco said.
She had worked in the child protection unit since January 2013.
Vasco said the agency was “very concerned “ and troubled by the letter, but declined to comment on any other aspects of the agency’s involvement in the woman’s resignation.
Her fiancé, Mathew A. Pearlman, 33, of Norton, was sentenced Sept. 8 to four years in prison after pleading guilty in July to three felony counts of pandering sexual material involving a minor.
All three charges are second-degree felonies, each carrying a potential prison term of two to eight years. Under terms of the plea agreement, seven additional pandering charges were dismissed.
The former CSB worker, whose family had been preparing for an Oct. 3 wedding, wrote a two-page letter supporting Pearlman and requesting leniency, calling him “a wonderful, caring and genuine person.”
Pearlman’s presentencing memorandum contained 21 character reference letters, all public records as part of the Summit County Common Pleas Court file.
Two of those letters — from the former CSB worker’s mother and father — explained why the woman so strongly supported him.
She was the victim of sexual abuse by a family member when she was a child, her father wrote, “and had struggled for years to overcome her trauma.”
“Her life changed for the better when she met Mat,” his letter explained. “Due to Mat’s personality, she has been re-energized, happy and looking forward to their lives together.”
The former CSB worker is not being identified, because it is the Beacon Journal’s policy not to name victims of sexual abuse.
Her past, her mother wrote, made her determined to obtain a master’s degree in social work so that she could dedicate her life “to helping others, particularly those who have also been abused.”
Her mother wrote that Pearlman was always protective of her and “treats her the way my husband and I had hoped the man she would marry would treat her and has enriched her life in untold ways.”
The woman, who is from Brunswick, did not reply to the newspaper’s detailed messages left on her cellphone voice mail.
In her July 31 letter, the former CSB worker stated, “My biggest fear is that 33 years of a good and noble life will be boiled down to a momentary lapse in judgment.”
“Although Mathew has yet to be sentenced, I am already painfully aware that he will be labelled [sic] with a scarlet letter for the next 25 years, and most likely will be held back in many ways by a criminal record he will now be carrying around for the rest of his life,” she wrote.
As part of Pearlman’s sentence, he becomes a Tier II sex offender and must register his address with the sheriff’s office every six months for 25 years.
Pearlman’s attorney, James L. Burdon, said CSB officials “should be ashamed of themselves” for an outcome that resulted in the woman’s resignation.
Her letter, which was to be used in the judge’s consideration of a sentence, “was supportive of him as a person.”
“She was telling the judge what she knows about him, about his background, and his character other than the incident in which he pleaded guilty,” Burdon said. “It’s incredible to me. I just don’t understand the relationship between an innocent person, no matter where they work, and these charges.”
The Beacon Journal received a tip earlier this month about the woman’s involvement in Pearlman’s case, and contacted CSB on Tuesday seeking the agency’s response to her letter.
“This is really very concerning to us at Children Services — the fact that there was such a letter of support written [for] someone who has victimized children,” Vasco, the CSB spokesman, said on Wednesday.
“It’s totally contrary to our agency’s mission and everything we believe in protecting the children of our community,” he said.
Common Pleas Judge Lynne S. Callahan, who sentenced Pearlman to the four-year prison term and five years of probation following his release, also declined to comment.
Pearlman has been behind bars at Lorain Correctional Institution since Tuesday. He is scheduled to be released on Aug. 29, 2019, prison records show.
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or [email protected].
Click here to read or leave a comment(s) on this story.
Summit County child protection worker resigns after writing letter supporting fiance in child porn case
By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published: September 17, 2015 - 06:06 PM
A Summit County Children Services caseworker resigned Thursday morning after agency officials learned that she wrote a character reference letter for her fiancé while he was awaiting sentencing this month on child pornography charges.
The resignation of the woman came after Children Services Board (CSB) attorneys and officials from the human resources department reviewed the matter for the past two days, agency spokesman Chris Vasco said.
She had worked in the child protection unit since January 2013.
Vasco said the agency was “very concerned “ and troubled by the letter, but declined to comment on any other aspects of the agency’s involvement in the woman’s resignation.
Her fiancé, Mathew A. Pearlman, 33, of Norton, was sentenced Sept. 8 to four years in prison after pleading guilty in July to three felony counts of pandering sexual material involving a minor.
All three charges are second-degree felonies, each carrying a potential prison term of two to eight years. Under terms of the plea agreement, seven additional pandering charges were dismissed.
The former CSB worker, whose family had been preparing for an Oct. 3 wedding, wrote a two-page letter supporting Pearlman and requesting leniency, calling him “a wonderful, caring and genuine person.”
Pearlman’s presentencing memorandum contained 21 character reference letters, all public records as part of the Summit County Common Pleas Court file.
Two of those letters — from the former CSB worker’s mother and father — explained why the woman so strongly supported him.
She was the victim of sexual abuse by a family member when she was a child, her father wrote, “and had struggled for years to overcome her trauma.”
“Her life changed for the better when she met Mat,” his letter explained. “Due to Mat’s personality, she has been re-energized, happy and looking forward to their lives together.”
The former CSB worker is not being identified, because it is the Beacon Journal’s policy not to name victims of sexual abuse.
Her past, her mother wrote, made her determined to obtain a master’s degree in social work so that she could dedicate her life “to helping others, particularly those who have also been abused.”
Her mother wrote that Pearlman was always protective of her and “treats her the way my husband and I had hoped the man she would marry would treat her and has enriched her life in untold ways.”
The woman, who is from Brunswick, did not reply to the newspaper’s detailed messages left on her cellphone voice mail.
In her July 31 letter, the former CSB worker stated, “My biggest fear is that 33 years of a good and noble life will be boiled down to a momentary lapse in judgment.”
“Although Mathew has yet to be sentenced, I am already painfully aware that he will be labelled [sic] with a scarlet letter for the next 25 years, and most likely will be held back in many ways by a criminal record he will now be carrying around for the rest of his life,” she wrote.
As part of Pearlman’s sentence, he becomes a Tier II sex offender and must register his address with the sheriff’s office every six months for 25 years.
Pearlman’s attorney, James L. Burdon, said CSB officials “should be ashamed of themselves” for an outcome that resulted in the woman’s resignation.
Her letter, which was to be used in the judge’s consideration of a sentence, “was supportive of him as a person.”
“She was telling the judge what she knows about him, about his background, and his character other than the incident in which he pleaded guilty,” Burdon said. “It’s incredible to me. I just don’t understand the relationship between an innocent person, no matter where they work, and these charges.”
The Beacon Journal received a tip earlier this month about the woman’s involvement in Pearlman’s case, and contacted CSB on Tuesday seeking the agency’s response to her letter.
“This is really very concerning to us at Children Services — the fact that there was such a letter of support written [for] someone who has victimized children,” Vasco, the CSB spokesman, said on Wednesday.
“It’s totally contrary to our agency’s mission and everything we believe in protecting the children of our community,” he said.
Common Pleas Judge Lynne S. Callahan, who sentenced Pearlman to the four-year prison term and five years of probation following his release, also declined to comment.
Pearlman has been behind bars at Lorain Correctional Institution since Tuesday. He is scheduled to be released on Aug. 29, 2019, prison records show.
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or [email protected].
Click here to read or leave a comment(s) on this story.
http://www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/OH230292220160531/Mathew-Pearlman.html
(link not active, page not found on original server: archive of article shown here below)
Mathew Pearlman Registered Sex Offender
Mathew Pearlman Registration Details
Last Known Address:
1175 Surfside Cir, Aurora, OH 44202
Mathew Pearlman
Mathew Pearlman - Registered Sex Offender
Criminal Record of Mathew Pearlman
DOB:
1982-04-24
Race:
White
Sex:
Male
Eyes:
Brown
Height:
5 ft 8 in
Hair:
Brown
Weight:
140 lbs
(link not active, page not found on original server: archive of article shown here below)
Mathew Pearlman Registered Sex Offender
Mathew Pearlman Registration Details
Last Known Address:
1175 Surfside Cir, Aurora, OH 44202
Mathew Pearlman
Mathew Pearlman - Registered Sex Offender
Criminal Record of Mathew Pearlman
DOB:
1982-04-24
Race:
White
Sex:
Male
Eyes:
Brown
Height:
5 ft 8 in
Hair:
Brown
Weight:
140 lbs