Matthew Patrick Korman, 43, of Imperial has been accused of attacking a girl younger than 18 at an Imperial home. He allegedly choked and tried to keep the girl from calling for help, according to court documents.
Korman was charged Jan. 2 with abuse or neglect of a child, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. As of Monday, he was being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court records said.
Korman and the girl began arguing at about 2 p.m. Jan. 1 because he was unhappy with the girl’s behavior. The two separated for more than two hours, but Korman returned to the girl’s room at about 4:30 p.m. and demanded her cell phone, according to the case’s probable-cause statement.
The girl gave Korman the phone, but they started arguing again after Korman allegedly told the girl he could make her boyfriend “disappear” because he had access to heavy equipment. Korman then allegedly pinned the girl to the bed, and they began to fight, the report said.
Korman allegedly choked the girl at least twice, and at one point, he pinned her to the floor. While on the floor, he found a vape pen the girl had hidden in the room, and when he reached for that, girl stood up and he hit her with an open hand, according to the report.
The girl went to a different room in the home and contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Korman went into the room, and he yelled at the girl for calling the police, telling her she was trying to ruin his life because he was on probation, the report said.
When deputies arrived, Korman allegedly put his hand over the girl’s mouth to keep her from screaming. She was able to get away from him and contacted the deputies at the front door of the home, according to the report.
The deputies then arrested Korman.
Court records show, Korman was sentenced to seven years in prison in August 2024 after pleading guilty to a second-degree assault charge. However, Jefferson County Div. 4 Circuit Judge Brenda Stacey suspended the execution of his sentence and placed him on five years’ probation.