He was charged with three additional related charges. Here are details. Warning: Some of this information is graphic and can be disturbing.

By Gary Dickson, Siouxland Observer Editor

Last Thursday turned out to be the day from hell for Matt Vanderpool.

It was going to be a good day early Thursday morning for most people in Siouxland. Channel Four’s morning meteorologist Jacob Howard was saying the temperature was already 50 degrees. Nice for May. It was, though, going to be windy. Typical for this year. Early risers in Dakota Dunes and the McCook Lake area were likely noticing the breezes starting to pick up. Around there they would make the cotton from the towering cottonwood trees start to blow around. Dancing and flitting about in the late May wind. The cotton flying would get worse by mid-morning. The weatherman was also saying the temperatures were going to be rising up to the low 80s. That would bring out a smile on most folk’s faces that Thursday morning.

It’s hard to know whether or not Matt Vanderpool had a smile on his face in a minute or two before 6:30 a.m. Or what his thoughts were. Vanderpool was driving his truck and was near the corner of Alcoma and Streeter Drives. It is probably a good guess, though, the look on his face changed to a look of bewilderment or a frown when he noticed two police cruisers were following him with their lights and sirens on. Then he was asked to pull over. In one of the cruisers was North Sioux City Police Officer Andrew Ryan and in the other one was Officer Adam Spates.

This was when Vanderpool’s day started to get really bad.

The police officers had in their possession paperwork that charged Vanderpool with five different counts: rape, solicitation of a minor, abuse and neglect of a child, sexual contact with a child under the age of 16, and sexual exploitation.

According to court documents, Officer Spates then placed Vanderpool under arrest. It was now 6:30 a.m. Then the police officer transported Vanderpool to the Union County Jail in Elk Point where he confiscated the suspect’s cell phone.

Vanderpool’s day had continued to get worse after he was booked into the jail. He had his initial appearance in the First Judicial Circuit Court of South Dakota and was advised of his rights and informed of his bond. He is no longer a suspect but is instead a defendant.

The defendant told the judge he’d like to be represented by a court-appointed attorney. Jeffrey Meyers of Elk Point was appointed to represent him. Vanderpool was ordered to be jailed under a $500,000 bond. His next court appearance will be a status hearing at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 30 at the Union County Courthouse.

The allegations

As mentioned before, Vanderpool is facing five charges for sexual and abuse-related crimes. Here are the specifics and the background, according to court documents obtained by the Siouxland Observer. Passages in italics are quotes from the Affidavit and Application for Ex-Parte Probable Cause filed May 23, 2024, by Officer Andrew Ryan of the North Sioux City Police Department.

In 2023, Vanderpool hosted two foreign exchange students at his residence. One, whose initials are MV1 for privacy purposes, told police that Vanderpool told him “that there was only one rule: to take a shower when coming home and then MV1 would be allowed to walk around nude in the house. Vanderpool sent a picture of an athletic supporter for boys and said MV1 would need a “nut cup” when he came to America. MV1 was removed from Vanderpool’s residence before the projected end date by MV1’s mother. Vanderpool was subsequently removed from the foreign exchange student program. Vanderpool stated that he would still have contact with MV1 despite being removed from the program.”

Another juvenile, not a foreign exchange student, had known Vanderpool since 2015 when he moved into the boy’s family’s neighborhood in McCook Lake. This boy is called MV2 for privacy purposes. According to court records, MV2 reported he did minor chores around Vanderpool’s house and that the man offered to tutor MV2 around the summer/fall of 2021. Apparently, MV2 suffered from a learning disability and he said Vanderpool tutored several other students with learning disabilities.

MV2 said “Vanderpool placed two tall poles in his front yard and attached approximately six security cameras on them. The security cameras were directed toward various angles along Alcoma Drive, with several cameras pointing toward a bedroom window across the street. MV2 stated that Vanderpool had shown MV2 that his cameras could zoom in a considerable distance across the street. MV2 also observed that Vanderpool had cameras attached to Vanderpool’s residence. MV2 later stated that Vanderpool also has numerous security cameras throughout the inside of his residence.“

MV2 told police that Vanderpool had cameras in his home’s bedrooms, in the living room and in the garage. He also said Vanderpool could access the video cameras with his cell phone.

MV2 said Vanderpool would buy him clothes and ask him to try them on. He said he would stay at Vanderpool’s house for hours at a time, multiple times a week, “He said Vanderpool would sit on the floor in front of MV2 while MV2 would sit in a chair. Vanderpool would sit in between MV2’s legs with the back of his head resting back toward MV2’s genitals. MV2 stated that Vanderpool would frequently touch his shoulders and give him hugs. He also stated that Vanderpool was frequently at his residence in MV2’s bedroom where Vanderpool would shut the door behind him when he was there. This was apparently witnessed by MV2’s father.“

MV2 stated that Vanderpool offered to rent a hotel room for him so he could take his girlfriend to the hotel room and have sex. “MV2 stated that Vanderpool asked him if his penis was growing and told him to eat specific foods to make his penis grow. Vanderpool asked him if he was growing pubic hair. MV2 stated that on New Year’s Eve of 2021 Vanderpool asked MV2 to give him a hand job in Vanderpool’s living room, but MV2 refused.“

You’re sucking a 15-year-old’s dick! Don’t you see anything wrong with this?

MV2 to Matt Vanderpool
as quoted in Affidavit and Application for Ex Parte Probable Cause
filed by Officer Andrew Ryan NSC Police Department

MV2 said that he frequently took naps at Vanderpool’s residence. He stated that in the summer of 2022, he fell asleep in one of the spare bedrooms at Vanderpool’s residence. “MV2 stated he was woken up by Vanderpool giving him a blow job. MV2 stated that Vanderpool had taken MV2’s pants off while he was asleep. MV2 stated that Vanderpool had put a condom on MV2’s penis. MV2 stated that Vanderpool’s mouth had enveloped MV2’s penis and that his head was moving up and down as his penis was inside of Vanderpool’s mouth. MV2 stated when he realized what was happening, he told Vanderpool: ‘You’re sucking a 15-year-old’s dick! Don’t you see anything wrong with this?’ Vanderpool replied No. Vanderpool told MV2 not to tell anyone about the hand job or blow job. Vanderpool told MV2 that if he told anyone about the hand job or blow job he could go to jail. MV2 stated that he was fairly certain that Vanderpool had recorded himself giving MV2 a blow job. MV2 stated that there was a nearby nightstand in the bedroom where Vanderpool had given him a blow job. MV2 stated that the nightstand had a tinted glass pane that he believed to be a concealed camera.“

Coach Vanderpool served with protection order

MV2 said he cut ties with Vanderpool in May of 2022. Yet, according to court documents, “Vanderpool sent MV2 a new mini fridge for his birthday. Later that year MV2 transferred to another school district for the 2022-2023 academic year. MV2 said he transferred so he could get more time playing sports and was living with a relative while attending school. He said somehow Vanderpool found out where MV2 was staying in that town and dropped off a package filled with drinks and snacks.

“MV2 stated that he observed Vanderpool watching him play football for the new school district. MV2 stated that Vanderpool showed up to his football games wearing a football jersey with MV2’s name and number on it. MV2 stated that Vanderpool wrote MV2’s name and jersey number on his truck windows with his new school’s colors.

“In January and February of 2023, MV2 was playing basketball for his new school. MV2 said it was brought to his attention that Vanderpool had posted on his Facebook that he was a basketball coach at his new school. MV2 stated that Vanderpool subsequently showed up to his basketball games. MV2 stated that Vanderpool would wear a polo shirt that had the school district logo and the words “Coach Vanderpool” on it. MV2 stated that Vanderpool also carried a whistle and a stopwatch. MV2’s parents had secured a protection order for MV2 against Vanderpool which expired when MV2 turned 18 years old.“

Vanderpool was able to get involved in youth sports later in 2023 despite the disappointment of seemingly not being able to follow MV2 in his athletic endeavors. He decided to volunteer with Dakota Valley Baseball that summer in their concession stand. That July, according to court records, “there was an incident of vandalism at the DV Baseball concession stand. Vanderpool apparently decided to install several cameras to “catch the perpetrators”. Vanderpool was the only one with access to the cameras at the DV Baseball concession stand. When this detail was made known, Vanderpool was dismissed from working at the concession stand. He was hesitant to return a computer that was linked to the camera system. When the computer was returned, the computer had its hard drive erased.

So, just to sum everything up, Matt Vanderpool is facing the following charges:

• Rape
• Solicitation of a minor
• Abuse or neglect of a child
• Sexual contact with a child
• Sexual Exploitation of a minor

Some things in Officer Ryan’s affidavit indicate more information is yet to come. Ryan wrote, “A complete report of the Defendant’s arrest shall be completed at a later date.” This alludes to the likelihood that other things like the possibility of computers, monitors, video cameras, etc. were or would be confiscated. One never knows. There may be more victims and witnesses yet to be interviewed as well. We shall see.

One of the interesting things about this case is that it appears some of Vanderpool’s past work history was known as well as how he was viewed by his neighbors. Yet some North Sioux City community leaders wrote glowing letters of recommendation for him for an empty City Council seat. Why did they miss Vanderpool’s background and other warning signals? We’ll take a look at those issues and Vanderpool’s recent experiences with North Sioux City, Sioux Bee Honey and more in the next article.

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