Clovis man allegedly used lemon drop martinis to drug, rape woman, court testimony reveals
A former Bullard High teacher will stand trial on allegations he used an alcoholic drink to drug and sexually assault a woman, a Fresno County Superior Court judge decided Tuesday.
Donald Mayhew is accused of felony rape, sodomy of an unconscious person and illegally administering a drug – charges that could send him to prison for 12 years maximum, if convicted.
Mayhew has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorney denied the allegations in court Tuesday.
Prior to working at Bullard High, Mayhew was a features writer at The Fresno Bee until 2008. The Fresno Bee is not disclosing the victim’s identity because she is the alleged victim of a sexual assault.
After hearing testimony from detectives and others, Judge Mark Cullers dismissed a count alleging Mayhew poisoned the woman. Cullers said there was no sufficient evidence to support that accusation.
Mayhew was arrested Sept. 26, 2017, after the woman contacted police with allegations of rape, saying she had been drugged, testified Clovis Police Detective Kristjan Herrick.
The detective testified Mayhew, during a phone conversation with a witness, admitted the crimes. “He said that he had done that but he had not done that to anybody else,” Herrick testified.
Herrick went to Mayhew’s Clovis home days after the call. The two spoke in the kitchen about the allegations. Herrick asked Mayhew if he had used illegal or prescription drugs to mix into the woman’s drinks.
The detective testified that Mayhew said he would often crush Ambien pills with a knife and pour them into lemon drop martinis, which he made for the woman on numerous occasions.
A search warrant revealed Mayhew had an active prescription for Ambien, according to court testimony.
Herrick repeatedly stated in court that Mayhew regretted his actions and apologized during the investigation. He sat silent in court Tuesday.
Mayhew remains free on bail, and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 1.
This story was originally published June 25, 2019 at 6:32 PM.
