Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 09/30/2008

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Hilary Moores - 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Assistant District Attorney Christine M. Cook Deputy District Attorney, Marianna Green

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

FORMER FIRE CAPTAIN CONVICTED OF SEX CRIMES
WITH TEENAGE BOYS IN EXPLORER PROGRAM

District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced that, on September 26, 2008, Matthew David Phillips, 33, pled no contest to six felony charges relating to sexual exploitation of teenaged boys involved in the Explorer program through the Bennett Valley Fire Department.  As a result of his pleas,  he was found guilty on those charges and faces up to twelve years in prison when sentenced on November 14, 2008.

Phillips was a volunteer captain with the department and ran the Explorer program.  He  also committed several of the crimes while he was working as a police officer with the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.  Phillips was convicted of the following charges: felony child endangerment for causing emotional harm to a child; showing a minor a film of a minor engaging in sexual activity; taking photographs of a different minor engaged in sexual activity for commercial purposes; and three counts of surreptitiously filming people engaged in sexual activity.

Deputy District Attorney Marianna Green handled the prosecution of this case along with District Attorney Investigator Kris Allen.  Fire Chief Andy Pforisch initiated the investigation and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Detective Mitch Mana was the lead investigator on this case.