Matthews chides police, media
■ Says he was helping child
Before his first court appearance on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, talk radio personality Thaddeus Matthews strongly criticized Memphis police and local media for their treatment of him and the child sex case that he said he was trying to help.
Matthews was arraigned Friday morning in Shelby County General Sessions Court on charges of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and exploitation of a minor. He was arrested and charged Wednesday after posting on his Facebook page a photo of an adult engaged in a sex act with a small child younger than 5.
On Friday, Matthews expressed no regret for sharing the photo, saying he was trying to help and identify the child. He intends to fight the charges against him.
“I ain’t pleading guilty to nothing,” he said. “I tried to help a child, and, damn, helping somebody went haywire.”
MPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit is investigating the photo, the source of which is unclear. Matthews said he shared the photo after learning it could be of local origin.
“What actually happened — I had (the photo) two or three weeks ago from two or three different people, and I left it alone,” he said. “When a woman brought it to me, and she in boxed me and said, ‘This is a Memphis baby,’ that’s when I got involved.”
Matthews, 55, was investigated by MPD in 2008 after he posted leaked police documents online. On Friday, he said the exploitation charges against him “sound like a vendetta” by MPD.
“It’s, ‘ We finally got something on Thaddeus,’” he said.
After his arrest, Matthews’ cell phone and computer were taken by police in a search of his office, he said.
Matthews also had harsh — and colorful — words for the media, saying he has been portrayed unfairly since his arrest and that area news outlets have focused little attention on the investigation itself.
“Y’all are painting it — all y’all media — you’re painting it like I’m a child pornographer ... This whole story has been about me,” he said.
The FBI is assisting MPD in its probe of the photo, which has been distributed online to many people in the Memphis area.
The investigation is ongoing.