Travis William Mattila

REGIONAL- The Minnesota Sixth District Court sent Travis William Mattila, the man who bit an Ely cop last month, to the St. Cloud state prison on Monday for probation violations.
In a combined pre-trial, omnibus, and probation violation hearing in Virginia, Judge Andrew Peterson dismissed all the charges against Mattila from the June 18 cop-biting incident. However, Mattila’s actions on that day also violated the conditions of his probation for three previous convictions, which prompted Peterson to order that Mattila serve the remainder of his time for the three convictions from 2023 and 2024.
The longest of Mattila’s sentences is 21 months for felony threats of violence made against a Virginia couple on April 26, 2023. He was credited for serving 259 days of confinement, so the remainder of his time in prison for this offense is approximately 12 and a third months.
Mattila will serve his sentence for the April 2023 felony concurrently with two other lesser sentences, including an 18-month sentence for felony threats of violence made against Ely and Virginia police officers in an incident on March 29, 2023. He will again receive credit for 259 days served, making the remainder of this sentence nine and a third months.
The second sentence is for 90 days for a conviction of misdemeanor disorderly conduct from an incident on May 24, 2024, in Ely. He has already served 28 days of that sentence.

Cop biting incident
Mattila was arrested on June 18 for two felony counts of assault and one misdemeanor for obstructing a public roadway. After the passage of the June 18 storm, an allegedly drunk and disorderly Mattila was walking in the middle of the intersection of Seventh Ave. and Sheridan St., shouting at passing motorists. According to court documents, when the Ely Police Department asked him to leave the area, Mattila allegedly committed assault while being arrested, including biting one officer on the hand. Mattila’s June 18 arrest was covered in detail in the June 28 edition of the Timberjay.

History repeats itself
The June 18 incident is remarkable for its resemblance to Mattila’s actions on March 29, 2023, which led to the felony conviction for threats of violence described above. In the March 29 incident, an Ely resident reported Mattila jumping in front of his daughter’s car at the intersection of 14th Ave. and Conan St. and blocking her from driving away. Carrying and drinking a six-pack with him, Mattila then moved to the intersection of 10th and Sheridan where witnesses reported he was stopping cars, yelling obscenities, and throwing beer cans at them.
Due to Mattila’s “vulgar screaming in a public setting,” Ely police officers attempted to place him in a squad car, which he resisted. Mattila’s actions during his arrest and transport led to his felony conviction for threats of violence against Ely and Virginia law enforcement personnel.
The June 18 incident also parallels Mattila’s arrest and subsequent conviction for a gross misdemeanor of disorderly conduct on Aug. 2, 2021. This occasion started when an Ely police officer received a report of Mattila “yelling and acting strangely,” near Ninth Ave. and Conan St. The officer also heard Mattila yelling when he arrived to speak to the reporting party. He found Mattila at his garage in the alley between White and Conan and said he wanted to speak with him, at which time Mattila fled. When stopped by the officer, he again launched into loud insults and vulgarities and physically resisted arrest.
Two and a half weeks later on Aug. 19, 2021, Mattila was once again exercising his lungs in the middle of an Ely street at 6:39 a.m., as he screamed obscenities and yelled that he had women for sale. A resident in Mattila’s neighborhood reported that Mattila “was standing in the street yelling and has been yelling since (11 p.m.) last night.” The responding police officer observed Mattila had a strong odor of alcohol. In this incident, Mattila did not resist arrest, although he did verbally abuse the Ely police officer who arrested him.
The charge of disorderly conduct against Mattila for the Aug. 19, 2021, incident was dropped; however, Matilla was convicted of the petty misdemeanor of possessing drug paraphernalia because he attempted to light up a pipe of marijuana during his arrest.