CHS staff member arrested on felony sex charges

A 58-year-old Camas School District employee was arrested today on several counts of sexual misconduct.

Robbyn D. Mattson, 58, is a softball coach and janitor at Camas High School. He has been charged with eight counts of second-degree child molestation, five counts of second-degree sexual misconduct and four counts of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.

Camas police began an investigation on Wednesday after the district reported that Mattson had allegedly touched female students inappropriately.

He was placed on paid administrative leave on Tuesday afternoon, after district officials learned of the allegations.

Mattson is a longtime Camas resident. He currently coaches junior varsity softball and freshman fast pitch softball, according to the CHS softball website. He served as the head softball coach from 2003 through 2008, and has worked as a janitor at the high school since 2010.

After police learned of the allegations, detectives spent the next two days at the high school interviewing Mattson, victims, witnesses and staff members, according to Sgt. Scot Boyles.

“In addition, they were able to watch surveillance video that assisted in developing probable cause for Mattson’s arrest,” a press release stated.

The investigation revealed that during the past month Mattson had inappropriately touched 17 different female students during school hours. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 18.

The district issued a statement following the arrest.

“There is nothing more important to us than the safety of the students we serve,” said Steve Marshall, CHS principal. “So once we became of aware of this situation, we took immediate action to protect both our students and the educational environment of our school. Over the past three days, we have shared in the pain felt by these students, their families and the community. Every day, we are responsible for the safety of more than 2,000 students. There is a trust put in us to protect the children we serve and that trust is something I value and want to keep.”

Camas High School counseling staff will be available to students throughout the winter break, which begins Monday.

At the time of hire, all district employees are required to undergo an FBI background check and are fingerprinted by the Washington State Patrol.

Marshall and Boyles are encouraging parents to talk with their students about the incident and to contact the district and police department if there is information to report. Marshall can be reached at 833-5750 and Boyles at 834-4151.

“I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the responsive, thorough, and respectful manner in which the Camas Police Department has handled this issue,” Marshall said. “This has been a multi-faceted investigation and they have conducted it very well. Our priority now is to reach out to students who have been affected and support them in any way possible.”