A Man charged in West Palm Beach in connection with a sexual assault on Friday night and robbery at an Alabama mall were denied bond after an investigator described the brutality of the alleged crimes.

Isaac Mathis, 29, is charged with rape, robbery, attempted murder and arson in the case, court records show. An Elmore County district attorney ruled in a hearing Monday, Aug. 12, that Mathis be held without bond. He was charged with the sexual assault on Friday, August 9.

According to testimony, Mathis was released from a Florida prison on Aug. 1 after serving 252 days on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

The attack took place at a business in a shopping center in Prattville, just northwest of Montgomery. Prattville police received the call at 6:07 p.m. Evidence presented at the 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 assaulted her.

The investigator describes the attack

The victim attended the hearing and sat in the front row of the stand about 10 feet from Mathis as he sat at the defense table. Mathis was wearing orange prison clothes and was handcuffed.

The victim’s face showed bruises 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 to her face and body.

The victim had a group of about a dozen supporters with him in the courtroom.

Prattville Police Department investigator Zane Holt was the only witness called by the state. He testified that the victim told police that Mathis entered 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 shoved an object into her back and forced her into a back room, Holt testified.

Mathis allegedly told the victim that the object in her back was a gun. The victim told investigators that Mathis allegedly told her “… not to yell or scream or he was going to shoot her,” Holt said.

She told investigators that she had been raped and that Mathis allegedly choked her several times, punched her, kicked her, punched her, hit her with a microwave oven and knocked her unconscious several times during the attack. Mathis also allegedly poured a caustic chemical over the victim’s face, scalp and into her mouth, Holt told the court.

When she regained consciousness, she went to a nearby store to get help and that’s when the police were called. She was able to give responding officers a physical description of Mathis including what clothes he was wearing, Holt said.

During the investigation, police learned that Mathis allegedly robbed the business after the attack, made off with the overnight deposit and allegedly tried to set the store on fire, Holt said.

Assistant District Attorney Mandy Johnson told the judge that Mathis has an “extensive criminal record” in Florida, including seven felony convictions as an adult for armed burglary, armed carjacking, robbery and aggravated vehicle theft. He also had a history of probation, 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 firearm possession charge, Johnson said.

Investigators have been unable to establish a connection between Mathis and Prattville, Holt testified.

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Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at [email protected].

This article was originally published on the Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach man accused of raping woman at Alabama mall