Former Marshfield School Board Candidate Appears in Court for Domestic Abuse and Child Sexual Assault

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 -- 2:00 PM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A former Marshfield School Board candidate accused of domestic abuse and child sexual assault stood silent during a court appearance this morning.

Mathew Samson didn’t speak as a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to multiple counts, including first-degree recklessly endangering safety, false imprisonment, strangulation, and child abuse.

Charges stem from multiple criminal complaints filed against the 41-year-old in the last month. Samson is accused of threatening himself and a woman with a gun during an argument earlier this year. He’s also been accused of kicking a child in a separate incident.

After those accusations came to light, a child came forward to accuse him of forcing her to have sex with him on at least two occasions between May 2022 and November 2023. She said she didn’t tell anyone at the time because she didn’t want him to get in trouble.

The plea did not cover those charges; he’s due to enter a plea in that case during his next appearance on March 11th. Between now and then, he’s being held on a half-million-dollar cash bond.

Samson participated in the February primary for the Marshfield School Board election but failed to advance to the April ballot, finishing in 7th. Court documents list Samson’s first name as both “Mathew” and “Matthew,” with two Ts.

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