WESTERVILLE (OH)
10tv
June 7, 2018
By Glenn Mcentyre
The mental health worker accused of sexually assaulting a young boy has a long, troubled history with children.
Monday morning 33-year-old Matthew Gatton turned himself into Westerville Police.
Gatton is charged with two counts of gross sexual imposition against an 11-year-old boy in his care.
Gatton was an employed by OhioGuidestone as a mental health worker.
“It seemed like Matthew was a godsend, to be honest,” said the mother of that boy.
We’re not identifying them, to protect his anonymity.
“He helped him a lot with anger management, how to deal with regular day to day stuff.”
But this week Westerville Police said Gatton admitted to touching their son’s penis between 20 to 50 times.
“It’s just such a shock and betrayal,” said the boy’s father. “It’s a sucker punch and we’re still reeling from it.”
Public records reveal a long, disturbing trail of red flags in Gatton’s history with children.
Vineyard Columbus church says approximately five years ago, Gatton was a volunteer with their kids’ ministry.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.