Mattis pleads not guilty to additional charges

Prosecutors have brought more charges against a Libby man accused of raping an 8-year-old in January.

Cody Joseph Mattis pleaded not guilty an additional charge of sexual intercourse without consent and a felony count of sexual assault in Lincoln County District Court on March 8. Mattis previously pleaded not guilty to a single count of sexual intercourse without consent.

The charges stem from a disturbance call in Libby on Jan. 17. According to court documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies headed to an area home after a woman told authorities she caught her boyfriend raping a child.

In an affidavit, Deputy Steve Short recounted speaking with Mattis after taking the call about 10:14 p.m. Mattis admitted to the act, court documents said.

Authorities said that Mattis’ girlfriend caught him in the act. According to court documents, she suspected he was sexually abusing the child and placed a camera in the bathroom. When she glanced at it, she saw Mattis allegedly raping the child and rushed in to stop him.

The video was recorded, according to the affidavit.

The new charges allege that Mattis raped the child in the living room on or about that same evening, according to the amended charging documents.

Sexual intercourse without consent carries a maximum punishment of up to 100 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine. The sexual assault charge is punishable by at least four years imprisonment and up to 100 years, and a fine of $50,000.

An omnibus hearing in the case is scheduled for May 3 with a pretrial conference to follow on June 7. Were the case to go to trial, it would begin the week of July 13.