Matthew Wolny A n information technology technician employed by the Howell K-8 School District was arrested on Sept. 26 following a two-month online investigation into child pornography.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Matthew Wolny, 35, was arrested at his home in Jackson Township.
Detectives from the Ocean County High Tech Crime Unit and officers from the Jackson Police Department executed a search warrant at Wolny’s home.
Authorities said Wolny struggled with the officers in an attempt to flee the house, but he was successfully apprehended. Wolny was charged with one count of second-degree manufacturing of child pornography, second degree distribution of child pornography and third-degree possession of child pornography. Jackson police charged Wolny with resisting arrest and obstruction of the administration of the law.
In addition to seizing what was described as digital evidence, police seized Wolny’s cell phone, a .44 caliber handgun and his vehicle for possible forfeiture.
Bail for Wolny was set at $100,000 with no 10 percent option, and he was placed in the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, in lieu of bail.
Authorities said that in addition to working as an IT technician in the Howell school district, Wolny volunteers as an assistant marching band director at Brick Memorial High School, Brick Township, participates in the Windsor Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and is a member of the Ocean County YMCA, Toms River.
Howell Superintendent of Schools Enid Golden said that in the wake of his arrest, Wolny has been suspended with pay pending the ongoing investigation.
Golden posted a letter to parents to inform them their children were not involved in the matter.
“I spoke with the prosecutor’s office and they were very clear that there was no evidence that would indicate any criminal conduct [occurred] in the schools,” she said.
Wolny could be one of the first individuals to be prosecuted under a revised child pornography law.
Changes to the existing statutes became effective in August and increased a possession of child pornography charge from a fourth-degree crime to a third-degree offense.
Under the revised law, a conviction for possession of child pornography carries a presumption of imprisonment for anyone convicted of being in possession of more than 100 files that depict child pornography, according to the prosecutor’s office.
In addition, a distribution of child pornography charge becomes a strict liability offense if perpetrated via a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. If an individual shares more than 25 files, the charge then has a mandatory period of parole ineligibility.
Anyone with additional information pertinent to Wolny’s activities is asked to contact Detective David Brubaker of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929- 2027, ext. 5329.
Contact Andrew Martins at [email protected].