Darke County softball coach pleads guilty to child porn

Nov. 5—A Darke County softball coach who reportedly texted girls demanding nude images pleaded guilty to charges.

Matthew Shoffstall pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Dayton to one count of production of child pornography and two counts of interstate threats (extortion) on Oct. 31, according to U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio records.

He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his sentencing.

Shoffstall is accused of contacting girls as young as 12 for nude images of themselves. He had at least 32 videos and 29 images of child pornography, including a video that showed sexual abuse of a toddler-aged girl, according to court documents.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Gentry noted in pretrial documents Shoffstall was accused of texting several girls on a middle school softball team he coached and demanded they send him nude photos.

"He allegedly used threats and intimidation to coerce these minor children into complying with his demands," Gentry wrote. "He allegedly tried to procure access to one or more minor children so that he could engage in sexual conduct with them."

Shoffstall previously was associated with the Greenville Girls Softball Association. He has not been affiliated with the organization since October 2023.

A statement of facts accused Shoffstall of offering an acquaintance drugs or cash to procure a "little girl" to engage in sexual conduct with him.

He reportedly offered to buy food for a sex worker's children if she would allow him to engage in sexual conduct with her children and perform sex acts with him in front of her children.

After he was contacted by law enforcement Shoffstall attempted to factory reset his cellphone to conceal evidence, according to court records.

Shoffstall initially was indicted in Darke County Common Pleas Court. The case was dismissed the day he was indicted in federal court.