A Carroll County man is facing 39 additional criminal charges after a juvenile reported years of alleged sexual abuse that authorities say began when the child was 12 years old.
What’s Happening: Geoffrey Brad Matthews faces 2 counts of aggravated child molestation, 28 counts of child molestation, 8 counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes, and 1 count of first-degree cruelty to children. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office opened the case on March 31 after the state’s Division of Family and Children Services, the agency that handles child welfare referrals in Georgia, flagged allegations of inappropriate contact with a juvenile.
What’s Important: The alleged abuse began roughly five years ago. In mid-March, the juvenile told a trusted adult about the abuse. That disclosure happened before any public information emerged about a separate, ongoing investigation of Matthews by the Bremen Police Department.
A Second Investigation: Matthews is also the subject of a separate investigation by the Bremen Police Department. Matthews was a teacher, coach, and shuttle bus driver at Bremen High School.
Bremen Police say four boys between the ages of 14 and 17 are confirmed victims in that case, with two more coming forward since his arrest. That case broke open not because of a tip to administrators, but because of a conversation between students at a lunch table, where boys compared experiences and realized they had all been targeted the same way.
A family member of one of the students who works for the school district then alerted police. Matthews coached multiple sports and drove a school shuttle bus, giving him repeated, close access to students.
Police say he appeared to test boundaries with each student, moving on when one resisted and targeting another. He faces 12 charges in that case, including grooming a child for a sexual offense and sexual assault by a teacher. The victim in the Carroll County case does not attend Bremen City Schools and has no connection to the victims in that investigation.
Where He Is Now: Matthews is being held at the Haralson County Jail. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office has placed a hold on him, which means he cannot be released without Carroll County’s involvement first.
The Path Forward: Matthews now faces charges in at least two separate jurisdictions. Anyone with information about the Carroll County case can contact Investigator Kirstie Finley at 770-830-5916 ext. 2248 or kifinley@carrollsheriffga.gov. Anyone with information related to the Bremen case can contact the Bremen Police Department.
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B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
