Former Marshfield School Board Candidate Appears in Wood County Court for Child Abuse and Sexual Assault of a Child

Thursday, November 12th, 2026 -- 12:00 PM

(Karen Madden, Marshfield News-Herald) A former Marshfield School Board candidate facing multiple felony charges for child abuse, domestic abuse and sexual assault of children in four separate cases pleaded not guilty Nov. 11 to the most recent charge.

According to Karen Madden with the Marshfield News-Herald, Mathew L. Samson, 41, of Marshfield, had a preliminary hearing Nov. 11 for a charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

Wood County Circuit Judge Nicholas Brazeau Jr. found there was enough evidence to show a crime probably had been committed and Samson probably had done it. Brazeau ordered the case to continue. Samson's attorney, Alec Noco, entered the not guilty plea for Samson.

Samson previously pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 12, four counts of child abuse, one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety as a domestic abuse incident, one count of false imprisonment as a domestic abuse incident, one count of strangulation and suffocation as a domestic abuse incident and one count of misdemeanor battery as a domestic abuse incident.

Samson's next court date is scheduled for Feb. 19 in all of his cases. Samson was one of seven candidates for the Marshfield School Board on the Feb. 17, 2026, spring primary election ballot. He was arrested Jan 28, 2026, on charges in the initial case.

He did not receive enough votes in the primary to move on to the April 7 spring election.

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