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Matthew Christopher Schutter, 54, of South Whitehall Township (previously of Allentown and Jim Thorpe, according to his social media), was exposed as a predator after a months-long investigation that started when Google flagged videos of child rape linked to his email and reported him to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
Schutter, who ran as a Libertarian for Pennsylvania’s 132nd District in 2022, was arrested in November 2023 on 20 counts of possession of child pornography after detectives raided his home and seized his tablet and cellphone, prosecutors said.
Digital forensic analysts at the Petzold Digital Forensics Laboratory uncovered encrypted files containing child rape videos and images, officials said. But the investigation didn’t stop there—detectives say Schutter wasn’t just a collector; he was an active distributor, sharing the sickening material through the Telegram app.
Authorities called the evidence disturbing, revealing Schutter had repeatedly sent and received graphic child sex assault content.
The disgraced politician had a long history of failed campaigns, running for Penn Forest supervisor in 2011, Jim Thorpe School Board in 2013 and 2017, Carbon County Sheriff in 2015, state representative in 2016 and 2022, and South Whitehall commissioner in 2021. He briefly held office as Penn Forest auditor from 2013 to 2018 before leaving the area.
His criminal record paints an even darker picture—Schutter pleaded guilty to assaulting a Carbon County detective in 2016, has multiple disorderly conduct offenses, and was kicked out of a Lehigh County meeting for causing a disruption in 2020, officials said.
His campaign slogans once promised to "fight for the people and their constitutional rights," but prosecutors say the only thing he was fighting for was access to child victims.
Authorities credited the Lehigh County DA’s Office, South Whitehall Township Police, and forensic specialists for securing Schutter’s conviction and ensuring he will never have access to children again.
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