A criminal case has rattled a small Orange County community. A Greenwood Lake man has been arrested on child exploitation and sexual abuse charges, and the allegations have sent shock waves through the tight-knit village where, as one resident put it, everybody seems to know everybody.
The accused is a familiar face in town. Police identified him as 42-year-old Matthew Morton, described as a lifelong Greenwood Lake resident and a local boat mechanic.
The arrest came earlier this week. Morton was taken into custody on Tuesday.
Investigators say the alleged conduct unfolded over a short span this spring. He is accused of sexually exploiting and abusing a child over several days in April.
Prosecutors have filed multiple counts against him. Morton is charged with possessing a sexual performance by a child, using a child in a sexual performance, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
His work ties have already been severed. People who know Morton say he worked at a local marina, and his former boss said by phone that he is shocked and disgusted by the allegations and that Morton has since been fired.
The case now moves toward the next legal stage. The Orange County District Attorney's office says the matter is pending grand jury review, while Morton has pleaded not guilty, is being held in Orange County Jail without bail, and is due back in court on Monday.