UCSB Researcher Arrested in June for Child Pornography Possession

By the edhat staff

A UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) researcher was arrested this summer and charged with possession of child pornography.

Matthew Peterson, 42, works in the university’s Psychology & Brain Sciences department and was arrested in June then charged by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney a month later with one felony count of “possession or control of child pornography.”

The incident was first reported by UCSB student newspaper The Daily Nexus last week after investigating a post in Carpinteria’s Coastal View News about a raid by UC Police and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office where child sex abuse material was found on a University issued laptop.

According to a criminal complaint, Peterson was found to be in possession of child pornography between January 1, 2020 and June 29, 2022.

Peterson’s attorney, Sanford Horowitz, said Peterson denies all allegations and explained his research has to do with “visual perception and attention studies,” according to a followup by The Independent. Horowitz also stated that university issued computer was shared by several people and Peterson had no prior criminal record, arrests, or convictions.

Peterson’s research focuses on facial recognition through different age populations, specifically how the brain encodes faces between the ages of 5 and 55. 

A University spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Nexus they are aware of the allegations against Peterson and he is still employed by the university but cannot comment further on personnel matters other than he does not teach any classes.