Grandview man accused of molesting two children while babysitting: Prosecutors
A Grandview man accused of sexually abusing two girls while providing childcare for them has been charged, according to documents filed in Jackson County court Friday.
Matthew Bales, 35, faces two charges of attempted statutory sodomy and one charge of child molestation, each pertaining to a child under 12, according to court records. Due to their ages, neither child was named in court records.
According to court documents, both children told police detectives that while swimming in the river at Blue River Park, Bales forcibly touched their genitals. Bales often stayed home on Thursdays in the summer to watch both girls and take them to local lakes, parks and swimming pools. The assaults took place during at least one of these trips, though not exclusively, according to court documents.
One of the victims disclosed the assaults to her mother after the victims spent the day with Bales on Aug. 1, prompting both children to share what had happened, according to court documents. Both victims reported that they had been subject to forcible sexual touching by Bales while swimming in Little Blue River in Jackson County earlier that day.
One of the victims reported that she had been assaulted more than once, with instances of molestation starting several years prior, according to court documents. .
The victims met with Grandview police detectives and forensic investigators at Children’s Mercy Hospital later that afternoon, and the Grandview Police Department later involved the Kansas City Police Department with their investigation. A warrant for Bales’ arrest was prepared Aug. 2.
Bales was previously incarcerated in Jackson County jail for 30 days after pleading guilty to domestic assault in June.
He was also charged with misdemeanor assault and battery in Kansas in 2006, along with illegal possession of a firearm, according to court records. Bales was charged again with assault in Kansas in 2008, followed by a third assault charge and a domestic battery charge, both in Kansas in 2013.
This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 9:24 PM.
