Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Aubrey Chase Mathis, 32, has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison after separate juries found him guilty of battery on a person over 65 and felony battery on a public defender in two separate cases.

Mathis, who had been released from prison on July 8, 2024, was arrested on July 11 near HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, where he attacked a 74-year-old man outside the west entrance of the hospital without provocation, punching the victim in the head multiple times and causing him to fall to the ground; the victim, who uses a walker, reportedly suffered a laceration to the back of his head. 

On March 17, 2025, during jury selection for the July case, Mathis stood up in the courtroom and punched his public defender twice in the face; the victim reportedly had redness and swelling under his eye as a result of the attack.

On May 19, a jury found Mathis guilty of felony battery on his attorney, and Judge James Colaw sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

On May 27, a separate jury found Mathis guilty of battery on a person over 65 after deliberating for less than five minutes, and Judge Colaw sentenced him to a 10-year term, to be served after the first term.

Both juries also determined that Mathis was a habitual offender.