Note: This article has been updated to reflect Roberts' re-indictment on charges in White County and his current number of charges in Dawson County. He was sentenced in Dawson County on Oct. 30, 2023. 

A White County man has been formally accused of more than 40 child sexual crimes, according to documents filed in Dawson County Superior Court.  

Matthew Scott Roberts, 40, of Cleveland, Roberts faces 42 counts of sexual exploitation of children and seven counts of child molestation, stated a Jan. 5 indictment. 

He has also been accused of family violence-related battery in another 2022 case.

The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on Oct. 20, 2022. Roberts allegedly committed the various sexual crimes on June 26, July 23 and Oct. 20, according to DCSO warrants.

Collectively, the warrants accused Roberts of filming and possessing more than a dozen explicit videos of a 9-year-old girl with whom he was previously acquainted in Dawson County and allegedly having more than 600 explicit photos of the female victim. 

Seven of the indicted charges against Roberts were dismissed due to being duplicative and having incorrectly listed the victim’s name, according to a document filed Jan. 27. 

Previously, Roberts was also indicted in a similar 2019 case in White County, according to court records from there. 

However, that indictment was thrown out in May 2021 because the allegation dates were too broad, court documents stated. 

Then in July 2021, Roberts was re-indicted in White County on four counts of child molestation and one count of sexual battery against a child under 16 for alleged offenses against three victims in January 2017, April 2018 and February and March of 2019. That case is currently pending.

Roberts remains at the Dawson County Detention Center without bond.

DCN will update this story as more information becomes available.