TRENTON, FL — A 36-year-old registered sexual predator has been returned to custody less than a year after his release from prison, following a new confession to the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. Travis Wade Mathis, of Trenton, was apprehended during a high-risk traffic stop on Friday.
Mathis has been charged with Lewd or Lascivious Molestation on a Person Under 12 Years of Age.
The Investigation and Arrest
The Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, after receiving a report regarding a potential sexual battery. Deputies gathered enough evidence at the scene to quickly secure a felony arrest warrant for Mathis.
On Friday, May 15, 2026, deputies spotted Mathis driving in the vicinity of County Road 232 and County Road 337. Units executed a targeted felony traffic stop and took him into custody without incident.
According to investigators, after being read his Miranda rights, Mathis provided a full confession to the new child molestation allegations.
Prior Violent Felony Conviction
Court records show that Mathis is a designated Violent Felony Offender and Sexual Predator in the state of Florida.
In February 2018, he was convicted of Attempted Sexual Battery on a Victim Less Than 12 Years of Age. He served seven years of that sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections and was released from state prison on August 6, 2025. Because he was on active supervision and carries a lifetime predator status, his arrest triggers immediate violations of his post-release conditions.
Due to his prior record and the severity of the new allegations, Mathis is expected to be held without bond at the Gilchrist County Jail.