Marty RoneyMontgomery Advertiser
Note: This story contains graphic details of an alleged sexual assault.
WETUMPKA − A Florida man charged in connection with a Friday evening sexual assault and robbery at a Prattville shopping center was denied bond Monday after an investigator described the brutality of the alleged crimes.
Isaac Mathis, 29, of the West Palm Beach area, faces rape, robbery, attempted murder and arson charges in the case, court records show. Elmore County District Judge Ben Baxley ruled in an Aniah’s Law hearing Monday afternoon that Mathis will be held with no bond.
According to testimony, Mathis was released from a Florida jail on Aug. 1 after having served 252 days on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
The attack happened at a business in High Point Shopping Center. Prattville police got the call at 6:07 p.m. Evidence presented at Monday’s hearing showed that the victim worked at one of the center’s businesses, and that Mathis allegedly forced her into the back room of the business at closing time then raped and beat her.
The Montgomery Advertiser is not naming the business or using its address because that could identify the victim.
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Investigator describes attack
The victim attended the hearing, sitting on the front row of the gallery about 10 feet away from Mathis as he sat at the defense table. Mathis was wearing orange jail clothing and was in handcuffs.
The victim’s face showed bruising and her right hand was bandaged. According to testimony, she was taken to a Birmingham hospital for treatment after the attack, and she had a broken right hand and “extensive” bruising on her face and body.
The victim had a group of about a dozen supporters with her in the courtroom.
Prattville Police Department Investigator Zane Holt was the sole witness called by the state. He testified that the victim told officers Mathis came into the store about closing time, browsed and asked for price checks on several items. When the victim went to the back of the store on one of the price check requests, he allegedly pushed an object into her back and forced her into a back room, Holt testified.
Mathis allegedly told the victim the object in her back was a gun. The victim told investigators Mathis allegedly told her “…not to yell or scream, or her would shoot her,” Holt said.
She told investigators she was raped and that Mathis allegedly strangled her several times, beat her, kicked her, punched her, struck her with a microwave oven and that she lost consciousness several times during the attack. Mathis also allegedly poured a caustic chemical over the victim’s face, scalp and in her mouth, Holt told the court.
When she regained consciousness, she went to a nearby store for help and that’s when the call to police was made. She was able to give responding officers a physical description of Mathis including what clothing he was wearing, Holt said.
'They made me do it'
During the investigation, officers found out that Mathis had allegedly robbed the business after the attack, making off with the night deposit, and allegedly attempted to set fire to the store, Holt said.
Prattville officers swarmed the shopping center after the call and were searching stores for the suspect, Holt said. A drone was deployed and Mathis called 911 to turn himself in. When officers found him about 45 minutes after the initial call, he was wearing clothing that matched the description given by the victim and was in possession of the business’s night deposit, Holt said.
After he was arrested Mathis told officers that he was not in Alabama, and that he was in Florida. Holt said Mathis told officers several times that “they made me do it,” but that Mathis never specified who he meant.
There is video footage from the store’s camera system that shows Mathis inside the store, as well as the attack, robbery and arson, Holt said.
Brandon Stone, Mathis’ appointed attorney, cross examined Holt and asked the officer if he had noticed Mathis showed any signs of “mental disorder.”
“That is not my area of expertise,” Holt answered.
Stone then asked if Holt knew if Mathis had a history of alcohol or substance abuse, to which the detective answered he was unaware of a history of alcohol or substance abuse connected with Mathis.
Previous convictions in Florida
Assistant District Attorney Mandy Johnson told the judge that Mathis has a “extensive criminal record” in Florida, Johnson told the court, including seven felony convictions as an adult for armed burglary, armed carjacking, robbery and grand theft of vehicle. He also had a history of probation violations, she said.
In November 2023, he was charged with assault and felon in possession of a firearm. The assault charge was dropped, and Mathis served 252 days on the firearms possession charge, Johnson said.
Investigators have not been able to establish a connection between Mathis and Prattville, Holt testified. The victim does not know him, and investigators have been unable to find relatives of Mathis in the area or where he had a job locally.
There was an elevated law enforcement presence in the courtroom, including Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson and the command staff of the PPD, along with several PPD investigators. Mayor Bill Gillespie also attended the hearing.
Mathis is being held in the Elmore County Jail since the crimes happened in the Elmore County portion of Prattville. During the hearing in Wetumpka, there were several Elmore County Sheriff’s Office corrections officers in the courtroom. Four corrections officers escorted Mathis in and stood by him during the hearing.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available 24 hours a day the RAINN national hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
