Bond reduction motion for Joplin man charged with using church youth group connection to molest underage boys denied

Bond for a Joplin man charged with six counts of statutory sodomy will remain at $150,000 cash only.

Jasper County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Hensley overruled the bond reduction motion for Matthew Galati, 29, Tuesday.

Galati allegedly used his connection with the New Beginning Church in Miami, Oklahoma to gain access to underage boys, then molested them, according to the probable cause statement.

On two occasions at Galati's home, the statement said, he touched an underage boy's sex organ. On a second occasion, the boy stayed overnight with Galati, who touched the child's sex organ while the two were watching a movie.



During that same time period, according to the statement, the boy and two other underage boys were sexually touched by Galati at his home, with the four of them naked in Galati's bed. At least two of the boys were in Galati's church group.

Galati is also charged with felony first degree sodomy in Newton County, where he allegedly took an 11-year-old boy into a Jacuzzi and then sexually assaulted him in a room at the LaQuinta Hotel, 3320 S. Range Line on September 16, 2017.

The probable cause statement said Galati and the boy were naked in the bed when Galati performed a sexual act on the boy with his hand. Hotel staff confirmed Galati checked into the hotel on September 16 and checked out September 17.

Galati's preliminary hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court is scheduled for 10 a.m. October 18.