Former MD school social worker sentenced for child porn charge

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Matthew Allen Powell, of Berlin, who for the 2025-26 school year was employed as a social worker at James M. Bennett High School, has been sentenced for the promotion/distribution of child pornography.

According to court records and confirmation from Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser, Powell was sentenced to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended on April 17. After his prison sentence, Powell must complete five years of supervised probation and register as a Tier II Sex Offender.

In January 2026, Powell pleaded guilty to one count felony promotion/distribution of child pornography. The various other charges against him were not pursued, according to online court records.

Powell, 47, was charged with a total of 10 counts related to child pornography, according to court documents. Two of the charges are felonies, for allegedly promoting/distributing child pornography. The eight misdemeanor counts are for allegedly possessing child pornography.

Court records state the alleged child pornography activity begin in November 2023.

A criminal indictment was filed Sept. 22, and court records show Powell was arrested on a warrant on Sept. 23. Court documents also show Powell was released from commitment on Sept. 24 after posting $2,500 toward his $25,000 bond.

According to the 2025-26 JMB student handbook, Powell was listed as a social worker in the guidance department for students with last names from A-M.

A statement from the Wicomico County Public Schools when Powell was arrested acknowledged that Powell was indeed employed at JMB, but couldn’t comment further because this is “a personnel matter and an active law enforcement investigation.” Here’s the board’s full statement.

“Matthew Allen Powell, employed at James M. Bennett High, has been charged with multiple offenses unrelated to the school. Wicomico County Public Schools first learned of this when charges were filed last week in Worcester County Circuit Court. All of the alleged offenses occurred before the individual began working for our school system.

“We want to reassure you that the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. As soon as we learned of these charges, we took immediate steps to ensure the individual no longer has contact with students. The school informed parents and staff of the situation Friday.

“Our school system is following established protocols, and because this is both a personnel matter and an active law enforcement investigation, we cannot provide further details at this time.”

Contacted by email for clarity on Powell’s sentence, Heiser offered the following statement:

“I would note that the defendant’s sentencing guidelines were probation to six months and we secured a sentence above the guidelines with backup time of 8 and ½ years if probation is violated at any time during the 5-year-long probation. I think it’s a message to other online predators that they face serious jail time in Worcester County if they choose to distribute child sexual abuse material. These crimes are not victimless and we will fight to keep all children safe from this type of exploitation.”

Reporting by Keith Demko, Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.