Police have arrested a man who had been working at a local theater group, charging him with eight sex-related felonies for allegedly pursuing, and in some cases having, sexual contact with underage females who were receiving theater training.Sabrina Post Comments(Note: This is an updated and expanded version of a story originally published on March 18, 2016.)

Police said that after learning that they held a warrant for his arrest, Matthew A. Madden, 22, turned himself over to police at the police station on the afternoon of March 17, and was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, three counts of risk of injury or impairing the morals of a minor, and three counts on enticing a minor by computer contact.

Police provided a New York City address for Madden, but information provided in an arrest warrant affidavit on the case indicates he also has had a local address.

A complainant reported to police in November that Madden, who police said worked as a theater coach/director at Sabrina's Encore Productions, LLC, at 316 South Main Street (Route 25), had contacted them through social media on the Internet and engaged in an inappropriate conversation, police said.

"The complainant reported that the conversation made them very uncomfortable," police said.

Officer Liam Seabrook, who is the police department's school resource officer at Newtown High School, received the complaint.

Officer Seabrook "began an investigation into an alleged inappropriate relationship between a juvenile and an older man," police said in a statement.

Police said that through their investigation, they identified "several more victims" involving incidents dating back to 2011.

Police allege that Madden had initiated conversations with the victims, using his position at the theater group to do so.

"The subsequent investigation revealed that Madden had a pattern of contacting young females through social media, and convincing these young females to meet him in secret," according to police.

"Madden would then attempt to engage in sexual contact with these juvenile girls and make them promise not to tell anyone. On several occasions, the juveniles did allegedly engage in consensual sexual acts," police said.

Through a search-and-seizure warrant, police obtained from Facebook a digital 9,788-page document containing Madden's Facebook account history, according to Officer Seabrook's redacted arrest warrant affidavit.

Police said that by comparing digital information pertaining to multiple alleged victims, they found that Madden's behavior showed a pattern in which he groomed and manipulated young girls through Facebook messages and cellphone text messaging.

"Upon reviewing the messages exchanged between Madden and [a victim], it is clear that he used his position as a production director at Sabrina's Encore Productions to initiate a sexual relationship with [the victim]," according to the affidavit.

In response to Madden's arrest, Sabrina Post, proprietor of Sabrina's Encore Productions, issued a statement on March 22.

Ms Post wrote, "Matt Madden was a student of Sabrina's Encore Productions from 2007-2011, when he left to attend college. There are no allegations of criminal behavior during this time," she said.

"Matt Madden, at no time throughout the period of 2011-present, was an employee of Sabrina's Encore Productions LLC," she added.

"Matt Madden was allowed to assist the theatre director Sabrina Post in September, asking if there was anything he could do at the studio for a short period of time before he moved [to New York City] to audition," Ms Post added.

"Sabrina Post then gave him the opportunity to assist the director in the rehearsals for the 2015 holiday musical. Due to Matt's other responsibilities, he was only present at the studio for a total of four to six hours in the month of November 2015, assisting the director, and no longer," Ms Post wrote.

"Throughout the four-to-six hour period Matt Madden was present at the…studio, parent volunteers were always present and visible at the studio," Ms Post wrote.

"At no time did any alleged communication with students take place at the…studio," she added.

"Matt Madden was at no time the 'theatre director' at Sabrina's Encore Productions. LLC," according to Ms Post

After learning on November 23, 2015, of Madden's digital communications with one of the studio's students, Ms Post within an hour, terminated Madden and asked not to return to the studio, according to the statement.

Also on that day, she issued an e-mail to the studio's student body to state that Madden would no longer be assisting with rehearsals, Ms Post added.

After arrest processing on March 17, police released Madden on $100,000 bail for an arraignment on the eight felony charges on April 5 in Danbury Superior Court.