Lincoln man takes plea deal on child porn charges

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -The husband of a former Lincoln daycare owner is taking a plea deal on child porn charges.

58-year-old Matthew Tibbels pled guilty to one federal county of producing child pornography. In exchange, the court will drop two other charges.

Tibbels was indicted for child exploitation crimes on Oct. 19, 2021. The daycare was operated out of the home where Tibbels lived. The FBI found evidence he had downloaded numerous videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children.

A search warrant was signed on Oct. 5 and a search of the home led to the arrest of Matt Tibbels on Oct. 7. A grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Matt Tibbels on Oct. 19. The indictment charges Tibbels with committing child exploitation crimes between Aug. 31, 2020 and Oct. 5, 2021.

Matt’s wife, Theresa, was the licensed operator of the daycare. According to court documents, Theresa said she occasionally left Matt alone with the children and described him as a substitute. Court documents state Matt primarily worked from home in the basement and was consistently present in the home while the children were there.

A search warrant of Matt’s electronic devices revealed hundreds of child pornography images, including photos of children as young as 2-3 years old being subjected to sexual abuse. Court records say that downloads of child pornography occurred on the same days there would have been children present in the home.

According to court records, Tibbels faces up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He’ll be sentenced in August.