Get notified by email when this case is updated.
Written by: A. Smith
Published August 22, 2025 @ 9:45 AM ET
COBB COUNTY, Ga. – A Cobb County police officer is facing multiple charges, including public indecency and distribution of obscene material, after warrants detailed disturbing allegations connected to incidents at a local elementary school and a church.
Officer Matthew Clements Abbott, who has been with the department since 2019, was booked into the Cobb County Jail on Wednesday. He is charged with violation of oath of office, distribution of obscene material, and two counts of public indecency.
According to arrest warrants, the first alleged incident happened on June 2 when Abbott was accused of “performing an act of lewd exposure of his sexual organs in a public place, public parking lot, while on duty as a Cobb County Police Officer.” The address where the offense occurred is listed as Kincaid Elementary School in Marietta. Investigators say a second incident took place a week later, when he allegedly masturbated in his patrol vehicle in a church parking lot on New Macland Road in Powder Springs, again while on duty.
Additionally, Abbott is also charged with violation of the oath of office and distributing obscene material. The warrants accuse Abbott of sending an electronic message “describing explicit sexual acts with children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old.” Investigators have not said who received the message, but confirmed that the allegations surfaced during an investigation by the Utah Attorney General’s Office. Officials in Utah then alerted Georgia authorities.
The Cobb County Police Department contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after learning of the allegations. The GBI has since taken over the case through its Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which works to identify “those involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material.” Investigators said additional charges could be added as the case develops.
Interim Cobb County Police Chief Dan Ferrell said Abbott has been relieved of duty while the legal process moves forward and the department conducts its own internal investigation.
“The people of Cobb County expect and deserve officers who uphold the law and conduct themselves with integrity, both on and off duty,” Ferrell said in a statement. “The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing and do not reflect the values of our department. While the legal process moves forward, the officer has been relieved of duty, and we have initiated our own internal investigation. We will follow the facts, uphold due process, and take the actions necessary to maintain the trust of our community.”
Abbott was booked into jail just after 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The investigation remains active.
Get notified by email when this case is updated.