Vader man Matthew M. Allison was set to be released without bail Wednesday afternoon during a preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court when he instead refused the court’s order that he be administratively booked as part of his conditions of release.
Administrative booking includes fingerprinting and photographing for record-keeping purposes while a case is pending, but does not include jail time.
So Judge Joely Yeager offered the alternative, in this case a trip to jail with a $5,000 bail.
Allison appeared to accept the offer. According to Lewis County Jail records, he was arrested at 4:45 p.m. Court records confirm a bail of $5,000 cash or bond.
The 45-year-old, who has no criminal history, according to prosecutors, had responded to the court summons on Jan. 21 to face three counts of malicious prosecution, all Class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
Though he was not there to plead — preliminary hearings serve to determine a defendant’s understanding of the charges and set conditions of release — Allison did at one time say he was not guilty.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Allison had previously contacted the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office to allege that two deputies had watched an “underage” individual “change clothes through a window” at his Vader home on Sept. 27, 2025.
The affidavit states that Allison became upset after he was “confronted with the fact the body worn cameras clearly showed the incident… did not take place.”
Then, on Nov. 19, 2025, during a Vader City Council meeting, Allison accused “two city employees” of coming onto his property on Sept. 27 at 10:30 p.m. and spying on a 14-year-old.
Allison told the council he had informed the city and the sheriff’s office about the incident and later said he had contacted the state’s “internal affairs” department.
“What’s the city going to do about their pedophiles?” Allison asked the council.
On multiple occasions, Allison appeared to ask whether the council members were also pedophiles. Finally, Councilor Mike Parsons stood up and ordered Allison to leave.
The two men faced off briefly before a deputy escorted Allison out of the room.
According to the affidavit, Allison later claimed the deputy “repeatedly kicked him in the knee, yanked his arm,” and used “deadly force.”
The affidavit does not specifically indicate where Allison alleges the assault took place, though publicly available video of the council meeting shows no physical altercation between Allison and the deputy while inside the room.
“The defendant complained the level of assault was so severe that he was hospitalized,” the affidavit states.
The affidavit does not explicitly say whether or not Allison was hospitalized, but states “all of the allegations were proven to be incorrect by the videos observed by law enforcement.”
Allison's allegations against the deputy at the council meeting and the two deputies he accused of spying form the basis for the three counts of malicious prosecution.
The defendant was scheduled to appear for an arraignment on Jan. 22.
