Coeur d’Alene man charged with child sexual exploitation

COEUR d’ALENE — A man is facing felony charges for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material.

Matthew W. Cash, 41, of Coeur d’Alene, is charged with eight counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material, as well as two counts of possessing visual representations of the sexual abuse of children, all felonies.   

The Internet Crimes Against Children Unit began investigating Cash after “undercover computers” controlled by law enforcement received at least 50 downloads of sexually exploitative material from an IP address later confirmed to be associated with Cash’s address in Coeur d’Alene. 

Police obtained a warrant for Cash’s home and seized electronic devices that contained more than 2,000 still images of child sexual exploitation, as well as more than 50 videos depicting child sexual abuse, according to court records. 

In addition to photos and videos of children being sexually abused, Cash also allegedly possessed multiple animated videos depicting cartoon characters engaged in sexual activity. One of the animated videos depicted a child character from the cartoon series “Gravity Falls,” court records said. 

Last year, a new section of code was added to state law regarding visual representations of child sexual abuse. 

The statutory language states in part that a person commits a felony “if he knowingly ... possesses or accesses a visual depiction, including a video or image created using generative AI or machine learning, that depicts a child engaging in explicit sexual conduct and is obscene.” 

Police arrested Cash on Thursday afternoon. He remains in the Kootenai County jail.