Another Sioux Falls police officer arrested on child porn charges

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - For the second time this month, a Sioux Falls police officer has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Matthew Alan Jock was booked Wednesday on five counts of possession, distribution, or manufacturing of child pornography, court records show. The charges are out of Lincoln County.

Jock is no longer employed by the Sioux Falls Police Department, Chief Jon Thum said in a briefing Thursday.

“While these are actions committed by an individual, they are a violation of trust and have done damage to this community and this department. And that can’t be taken lightly,” Thum said. “When much trust is given, much is expected, and these clearly aren’t actions that reflect that trust.”

According to court documents, the investigation began on Jan. 14 when the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a Kik messenger user whose account contained child pornography videos. Detectives later used data records from Kik to confirm that this user sent at least five media files depicting child pornography to other users.

Investigators eventually tracked down the IP address to Jock’s home in southeast Sioux Falls, south of the Lincoln County line. Officers conducted a search warrant at the residence on Wednesday.

Detectives also interviewed Jock Wednesday, according to court documents. Jock admitted that the Kik account in question was his, and that he used it to access media depicting child pornography. Investigators say he was able to describe one of the videos where a girl between the age of 8-10 performed a sexual act on an adult man. Jock also said it was possible he sent more than one graphic file to other Kik users.

Each of the five counts against Jock are class 4 felonies, punishable by up to ten years in prison. He will be arraigned Thursday.

A “black eye” for the police department

Jock was hired by the Sioux Falls Police Department in February of 2020, according to city records.

The arrest comes less than two weeks after another Sioux Falls Police Department officer, 28-year-old Luke Schauer, was arrested for child pornography. Schauer was taken off active duty when the city learned of the arrest, and is no longer a member of the police department.

Schauer also used Kik to access child pornography, according to court documents. However, it is still unclear whether these cases are connected. Jock is facing state charges, while Schauer is facing charges in federal court.

In a media briefing Thursday morning, both Chief Thum and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken said they are “troubled” by the arrests of Jock and Schauer.

“The actions of Mr. Jock, and Mr. Schauer before have given our organization a black eye and we can’t hide from that, we cannot take that lightly at all,” Thum said.

TenHaken said he’s deeply trouble and even “angry” about the incidents, and while the city is “carefully reviewing” its policies, he said he continues to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the men and women of the Sioux Falls Police Department.

“We will not let the actions of a few tarnish the work of the many in this department,” Tenhaken said. “Our hope is that the community as a whole will feel this way as well.”

Thum added that the department must work harder going forward.

“We will continue to evaluate our personnel procedures and policies and how we handle issues of this nature. We have safeguards in place to protect against this, but obviously we always need to be working for better solutions.”

The Sioux Falls Fraternal Order of Police Council issued a statement saying Jock’s and Schauer’s alleged offenses are “an unforgivable betrayal to the oath we all took.”

“These actions do not reflect the culture of the many dedicated sergeants and officers in our membership,” the statement said. “The Labor Council and its members are grateful for the professional and expedient work done by investigators in these matters. We take pride in knowing that law enforcement continues to perform as it should by holding such offenders accountable, wherever they may be.”

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