Former Youth Minister Pleads Guilty To Sending Nude Photos Via SnapChat

By Mike Perleberg (Versailles, Ind.) – A former youth minister who sent nude photos to a 16-year-old girl in the youth group he led has been sentenced to probation. Rodney Mathews came under investigation in March 2016 after relatives of the victim brought allegations to Indiana State Police that he was having relations with her. The girl was a member of the youth group for which Matthews volunteered at the Versailles Church of Christ. Investigators said that the two had exchanged photos of body parts over the social media app SnapChat. The activity happened over more than a year from July 2014 until August 2015. “The social media app allows individuals to send pictures to others for a brief period of time before the pictures delete themselves,” Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel said in a news release. Mathews was originally charged with Child Seduction. However, a plea agreement announced by the prosecutor’s office Tuesday allowed him to plead guilty to Dissemination of Matter Harmful to Minors (level 6 felony). The agreement came just days before the case went to a jury trial. “According to a State’s Motion filed on March 16th the State was provided additional documentation requiring reevaluation of the case. And in an effort to further not re-victimize the victim in this matter the State believed pleading guilty to Dissemination of Matter Harmful to Minors was most appropriate. The resolution and proposed plea was discussed with her, who requested the plea acceptance,” said Hertel. Ripley Circuit Court Judge Ryan King accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Mathews to 1 ½ years of probation. He is also to have no contact with the teenaged victim. Mathews resigned as a youth minister at the church at around the time of his arrest. RELATED STORIES: Former Youth Minister Charged With Child Seduction