A West Georgia high school coach is behind bars, accused of targeting teenage boys on school grounds — and police say there could be more victims out there.
Why It Matters: If your child attends or attended Bremen High School, this case may directly affect them. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward now.
What’s Happening: Geoffrey Matthews, a teacher, coach, and shuttle bus driver at Bremen High School, faces 12 charges — including grooming a child for a sexual offense and sexual assault by a teacher. Bremen Police say four boys between the ages of 14 and 17 are confirmed victims, and two more have come forward since his arrest.
How It Started: The case broke open not because of a tip to administrators, but because of a conversation between students at a lunch table. Bremen Police Sgt. Dalton McKinzie says the 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, and the investigation launched the next day.
Between the Lines: Matthews coached multiple sports and drove a school shuttle bus, giving him repeated, close access to students. According to Sgt. McKinzie, some of the older victims were first targeted when they were much younger, suggesting a long-running pattern of behavior. Police say Matthews appeared to test boundaries with each student, moving on when one resisted and targeting another.
If you have information related to this case, contact the Bremen Police Department. You do not have to be certain — investigators want to hear from you.
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.
