Man released from jail without bail after being accused of sexually assaulting multiple women and children

POCATELLO — A 46-year-old man was released from jail on his own recognizance after being accused of sexually assaulting multiple women and children, including relatives.

Kristopher Gattman of Oroville, Washington, is charged with one count of rape where the victim resists but resistance is overcome by force or violence, two counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16 years old, and one count of child sexual abuse with a minor.

Court documents do not specify the ages of many of Gattman’s alleged victims.

Gattman was released from jail on March 4 and has been appearing for court hearings remotely. It is unclear why he was released. We have reached out to Bannock County Prosecutor Ian Johnson for clarification. We will update if we hear back.

Being released on your own recognizance means that Gattman was allowed to go home without paying bail, and as long as he shows up for all future court dates.

The case

According to court documents, on March 13, 2025, the Pocatello Police Department learned of a report from a teenage girl who was staying at the Avery House in Boise, a residential teen treatment facility.

The girl had written a “trauma letter,” saying she had been sexually abused by Gattman when she was 12 or 13 years old. She gave the letter to her therapist, who reported it to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Children and Family Services. The letter indicated that Gattman engaged in grooming behaviors like winking and rubbing her arm, and then sexually assaulted her while he was drunk.

The teen said she reported the abuse to her mother, but she wasn’t believed, even though the girl said her mother had been physically abused by Gattman.

On April 29, the girl participated in a forensic interview, where she stated that Gattman had touched her inappropriately. While reporting the abuse to her mother, she said she was told that the grooming actions were “signs of affection.”

Gattman reportedly caught the girl reporting the abuse to her mother, and “slapped” her, leaving her face red for “at least 20 minutes afterward.”

The teen also told the interviewer that Gattman had groped her when she was around 11 or 12 years old. A few nights after, the teen says Gattman restrained her with a rope and silenced her with duct tape as he sexually assaulted her. He then allegedly “made a generalized threat to hurt (the girl) if she told anyone.” After this, she says she told a sibling what happened via text message, and Gattmman did not assault her again.

According to the teen, she also witnessed Gattman being violent and physically abusive toward one of his children, including shooting airsoft guns at him that would “leave horrible wounds on his skin ” and pinning him to a wall. The teen said she hasn’t seen Gattman since either 2021 or 2022.

During the investigation, officers learned that Gatmann had also been accused of touching another young girl in 2015. That girl’s mother had reported to officers that Gattman had given her daughter some candy “and requested a kiss in exchange.” When the girl went to kiss Gattman on the cheek, he turned his face “at the last moment” and kissed her on the lips, documents allege.

When detectives tried to contact the girl, they found that she had died in a car accident in 2017. They were able to contact her mother, who said she believed Gattman had sexually abused multiple other women and young girls. She told police that many had contacted police, but there had never been any charges brought against him. According to court documents, Gattman has multiple cases regarding domestic abuse out of Spokane, Washington, and a history of violating no-contact orders.

According to Idaho court filings, Gattman was charged with a misdemeanor violation of a domestic violence protection order, but has no violent charges in Idaho.

Police were then directed to a second ex-wife of Gattman’s, who said she had been married to Gattman for almost two years, from 2016 to 2018. She told police that there had been “unwanted sexual advances” from Gattman toward her young daughter and herself.

On one occasion, the second ex-wife says she had been away on a business trip when her daughter texted her, saying that Gattman was drunk and causing a disturbance. The woman changed her plans and drove home from Salt Lake City. When she arrived, she said her daughter had barricaded herself in the bedroom by pushing her bed against the door. The mother was reportedly arrested for domestic violence after hitting Gattman in the head and knocking him down.

Over the next few years, she says she heard from her daughter’s friends that her daughter had disclosed that she had been raped by Gattman.

The woman says her daughter “has started to acknowledge that (Gattman) used to get her drunk and would molest her.” After leaving Gattman, the woman says he continued to stalk her and her daughter, even allegedly messaging the girl on her 18th birthday, allegedly saying, “Your mom can’t stop us from getting together now,” according to court documents.

Police scheduled an interview with the daughter, who said that while her mother was on a business trip, she had “made a bad decision” by going to a friend’s house and drinking alcohol, and she had called Gattman to come pick her up. When they got home, she says she wanted to go to bed, but Gattman made her sit by him on the couch. Eventually, Gattman allowed the girl to lie down, but insisted they lie together in his bed.

The girl said he placed them into a spooning position, and that she was “uncomfortable” and aware that others had made sexual assault allegations against him. According to the girl, she fell asleep, went to her bedroom in the morning, and refused to speak to Gattman. When asked if she had been sexually assaulted by Gattman, the girl said, “It was a long time ago,” and she didn’t remember that happening.

On July 23, police became aware of another woman who had alleged sexual abuse by Gattman. This woman told police that in 2015 or 2016, she was a babysitter for Gattman when she was 18 or 19 years old. She was a homeless single mother, and Gattman offered her a room at his home in exchange for babysitting his child.

The woman claims that Gattman would make uncomfortable sexual remarks toward her, and that she would always turn him down. One night, Gattman bought alcohol for her when she was underage and then sexually assaulted her.

On Oct. 28, police contacted a third ex-wife of Gattman’s, who claimed that Gattman had raped one of his own teenage relatives. She also told police that he was physically abusive to her during their marriage, stating that he had “tripped me and slammed my head into the concrete floor”, according to police documents.

The woman told police that Gattman had also frequently raped her, saying it was an “every night thing.”

The next day, the officer spoke with one of Gattman’s female relatives, who allegedly described him as a “woman beater and child molester,” police documents say.

According to the relative, Gattman repeatedly sexually abused and raped her during their childhood. She also said Gattman had physically and sexually abused multiple children related to him. Detectives spoke with one of the children, who said she had been raped by Gattman when she was 10 or 11 years old. Following the rape, she said Gattman “started threatening my mom’s cats and our lives, and he started getting really abusive.”

According to the girl, Gattman threatened to “hurt (her) brother until he couldn’t feel it anymore” if she told anyone of the rape. She believed he would, because he “had sticks and boards on the wall and would administer ’10 strikes from each of them’ if chores were not done,” according to court documents.

On Nov. 12, detectives spoke with a fourth ex-wife of Gattman’s, who stated that he is a “really good liar and manipulator” and has “talked himself out of every allegation he’s ever had,” according to court documents. She also told the detective that Gattman was “sexually and physically abusive to me” and was “worse with (a minor, male relative).”

She states that she was physically and sexually abused, as well as stalked during their marriage, describing that he would sit on her stomach while she was pregnant and pour water on her face. Eventually, she left Gattman and got a restraining order against him after he allegedly stalked her.

Later that day, Nov.12, police interviewed this woman’s daughter. After living with Gattman, the girl said she was diagnosed with disassociation and derealization, along with “frequent nightmares and panic attacks related to (Gattman).”

Throughout the next month, detectives spoke with more people familiar with Gattman’s allegations, including some of his children. One of them said their father was an “extremely abusive person and manipulative.”

Multiple people told the detective that Gattman was currently living “off the grid” in a very rural area in Oregon with a woman and her minor daughter. Many interviewees indicated their concern for the girl.

Police documents do not indicate if the detective interviewed Gattman before his arrest. A warrant for Gattman’s arrest was issued on Dec. 12, and he was booked into the Bannock County Jail on Feb. 27. A no-contact order was issued for multiple victims, and Gattman was booked on a $500,000 bond but was released March 4.

Further court hearings have not yet been scheduled.

EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Gattman’s public defender, Sean Wynn, who declined to comment due to the pending case.