Casper Man Denies Repeated Sexual Abuse of Young Girl

A man who stands accused of sexually abusing a young girl appeared in Natrona County District Court on Tuesday and denied the five felony charges brought against him.

Matthew Canady, 32, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of incest and one count of sexual exploitation of children. If convicted on all counts, he could face 55-142 years in prison.

The case has been assigned to the Oct. 1 trial stack. Canady remained in custody on $50,000 cash or surety bond at the time of Tuesday's arraignment hearing.

According to an affidavit, Casper police began investigating on June 5 after receiving a report from the Wyoming Department of Family Services. That report contained allegations that Canady had abused a six-year-old girl.

The alleged victim participated in a forensic interview at the Children's Advocacy Project on June 6.

When a detective contacted Canady regarding the case, Canady asked, "Is this about me raping [name redacted]?"

In a police interview, Canady allegedly admitted to certain allegations, but denied others. He reportedly told the detective that he began abusing the victim in 2017, and the abuse occurred six or seven times.