Former Waterloo camp employee faces felony charge for alleged sex with teen
A St. Louis man who formerly worked at a Christian youth camp and a child-care center in Waterloo has been arrested on a felony charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Matthew T. Hubbard, 40, is accused of sexually abusing a “female juvenile” he met at Camp Wartburg, according to a news release from Sgt. Justin Biggs, of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
Camp Wartburg is operated by Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois. It hosts children of all denominations from throughout the region for summer retreats and educational programs.
“During the course of the investigation, it was obvious the suspect ‘groomed’ the juvenile victim by convincing her to isolate herself away from her friends and only hang out with him,” the news release stated.
“This allowed the possibility of more time to sexually abuse the victim. ... Investigators also learned the suspect took the female victim to other states where the victim was sexually abused.”
Hubbard worked at Camp Wartburg from May 2019 to December 2020. He also was employed full time by Caywood’s Youth Center, a child-care center, from May 2018 to July 2019, and part-time from September to October 2019.
“Investigators have been in contact with management of both places,” the news release stated. “It should be noted that investigators have no evidence or belief that there are any other victims at this time.
“However, we have a duty to inform the citizens of what information we can (within) legal guidelines to make sure and confirm there are no additional victims.”
Hubbard’s attorney, Matt Radefeld, told Fox2Now that the female was a 17-year-old employee, not a camper, noting that she could have legally consented to sex in Illinois. Age of consent is 18 in Tennessee, where some of the abuse allegedly took place.
Radefeld rejected the idea that Hubbard was in a position of authority over the teen because he wasn’t her supervisor.
The Republic-Times in Waterloo published a statement from Robert Polansky, executive director of Camp Wartburg, who also verified that the female was an employee.
“First, our sympathies go out to the victim and her family for this deeply concerning situation,” the statement read. “Our primary concern at Camp Wartburg is always for the safety and well-being of all our campers and staff.
“Up until now, our leadership could not comment on what was an active investigation. To clarify, the accused individual and victim were both employed at Camp Wartburg during the summer of 2020. To the best of our knowledge, none of the incidents in question occurred on camp property.
“On Dec. 23, 2020, Camp Wartburg leadership were made aware of the situation. The employee in question was immediately terminated and Camp Wartburg’s executive director reported the accusations to the local authorities for investigation.”
According to the Monroe County news release:
- The sheriff’s department started investigating the Hubbard case nearly a year ago based on an allegation.
- Investigators determined that Hubbard met the female juvenile at Camp Wartburg. (The news release stated that she “attended” the camp.)
- The two formed a sexual relationship that lasted from August to December 2020.
- Investigators worked with Martin Police Department in Tennessee, where some of the alleged abuse occurred and where authorities say Hubbard fled after becoming aware of the investigation.
On Oct. 19, St. Louis Metropolitan Police reported that Hubbard was being transported to a St. Louis hospital for a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Dec. 14, Monroe County took Hubbard into custody on an active warrant after he was released from the hospital.
Sheriff’s department investigators presented their findings to the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, which charged Hubbard with aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Dominic Kujawa set Hubbard’s bond at $100,000.
On Sunday, Hubbard was no longer being held at the Monroe County Jail, according to an employee who referred questions about his whereabouts to officials who couldn’t be reached for comment.
Prior to becoming a Christian camp, Camp Wartburg was formerly known as Thorburg Acres or Thorburg Estates, according to a history on its website.
“In 1967, during the 450th anniversary of the Reformation, the camp’s original name of Lutheran Recreation Center was changed to Camp Wartburg,” the history states. “In the 1970s, Camp Wartburg began what we now consider to be our ‘traditional’ programs.”
Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois bought Camp Wartburg in 1996, when the property consisted of 38 acres surrounding the dining hall. The agency later acquired 86 additional acres.
This story was originally published December 19, 2021 at 1:15 PM.
