Charges against 21-year-old accused of robbery at gunpoint sent to grand jury

The charges facing a 21-year-old man accused of robbery at gunpoint in November 2015 were sent to a Hamilton County grand jury Tuesday.

General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes agreed with prosecutors that enough probable cause existed to bind over Jamil Mathis on an aggravated robbery charge. After 30 minutes of a preliminary hearing, Starnes kept the $80,000 bond and revoked Mathis’ probation to execute the sentence.

Prosecutors say Mathis went to Dennis Floyd’s house on 1007 Normal Ave. because he’d agreed to sell him a handgun for $150. But during the exchange on Nov. 27, they say, Mathis held a gun to Floyd’s head while his friend grabbed the cash and a black .223-caliber assault rifle.

Floyd, who knew Mathis from a local rap video in which they both participated, testified Tuesday in Sessions Court.

“I wasn’t scared,” he said of the attack. “I was worried about my kids.”

Floyd said Mathis came over to the house with another man he’d never met before and plopped on the couch. Floyd then left the room for a few minutes. When he returned, Mathis pulled a gun out of his left pocket and held it to Floyd’s head. “It was the same gun he was going to buy.”

After the robbery, Floyd said he watched Mathis and his friend ride away with a woman in a silver Toyota Camry. He had a friend listening in on Xbox Live to ensure the deal went as planned. That night, Floyd said, police showed him eight photographs of possible suspects.

Chris Dixon, Mathis’ attorney, responded by calling Keondra Ratliff to testify.

Ratliff said she saw Mathis, her boyfriend, around 6 p.m. that night. She went to work two hours later, where she expected to start her 12-hour shift into the morning. Thirty minutes into the job, however, her phone started to buzz with voice mails – from Floyd.

During his cross examination, Dixon asked Floyd if he’d ever threatened Mathis. When Floyd replied no, Dixon asked Ratliff to play some of those messages, which included a number of swear words, racial slurs, personal insults and threats of lynching. The messages continued several days in a row, she said.

Williams, the prosecutor, said he didn’t condone the voice mails, “but I understand why he [Floyd] would be upset.”

Dixon said the court should reconsider Floyd’s credibility since he lied under oath about threatening Mathis. “Can we believe anything he says?” Dixon asked. “I believe he’s angry, and I think he’s willing to say anything to get even.”

Starnes agreed there may be “some credibility issues,” but said the state had established probable cause.

If the grand jury returns an indictment on Mathis, he will receive a Criminal Court date and be arraigned on his charge.

Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347 with story ideas or tips. On Twitter, follow @zackpeterson918.