Mattis sentenced for sexual assault

A Libby man who admitted to raping a child in January was sentenced to 15 years behind bars this week.

District Judge Matthew Cuffe handed down a 35-year sentence with 20 years suspended to 28-year-old Cody Mattis on July 19. A tier two sex offender, Mattis must undergo two phases of treatment and serve a minimum of 10 years before becoming eligible for parole.

The latter stipulation was not included in an earlier plea deal. Mattis was expected to receive his sentence earlier this month after pleading guilty to a single count of sexual assault in June. Prosecutors initially charged Mattis with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent as well as sexual assault.

But Cuffe indicated on July 12 that he would impose a tougher sentence, saying the crime necessitated a harsher punishment. He gave Mattis and his attorney a week to decide whether to work out a different deal with prosecutors or go to trial.

A status hearing set for Monday quickly gave way to sentencing after the new recommendations were announced.

“The agreement was reached after some difficult negotiations,” said Keenan Gallagher, Mattis’ defense attorney. “It should be noted that Mr. Mattis took responsibility for his actions.”

Gallagher told the court that Mattis waived his right to a trial in part because he did not want to force the victim to testify.

Cuffe acknowledged Mattis’ cooperation, but said he took into account the “very real and very serious damage done to the victim and the concerns of community safety” in the sentence.

Authorities arrested Mattis after his then-girlfriend caught him digitally raping a child with his genitalia exposed, court documents said. Suspecting Mattis of sexually abusing the child, a relative of his, the girlfriend installed a camera in the bathroom. On Jan. 17, she checked the video feed and saw the rape, court documents said.

Prosecutors later accused Mattis of raping the child on or about the same evening.

In a statement to the court, Mattis claimed the rape was out of character for him, apologized for the crime and said he accepted punishment for the “misery that I brought upon my family.” Mattis appeared in the courtroom from the Lincoln County Detention Center via videoconferencing software.

Cuffe described the case as “difficult” and said that the added 10-year minimum behind bars was necessary for a “just and appropriate sentence.”

“It takes into account … the fact that Mr. Mattis took accountability for his actions and does indicate, as far as all tests and evaluations, that he is at least on some level a good candidate for rehabilitation,” Cuffe said. “I think the minimum of 10 years is required even under those circumstances.”

Mattis received credit for 176 days served and must pay $1,035 in court fees.