Man secretly drugged, raped woman for years before she caught on, prosecutors say

FRESNO, Calif. -- Four years ago, the woman who Clovis Police say knew Donald Mayhew for decades walked into police headquarters to report a crime she said was undeniable. She spoke to officer Samantha Rodriguez.

"She told me that she became aware of being drugged around April of 2015," Rodriguez said.

Donald Mayhew is accused of secretly drugging the victim to commit sex crimes. He told police sometimes the victim was awake and other times passed out.

The victim told police after she drank the ice cold cocktails, she had no memory of what happened next.

"She said the next day, she would be aware that she had sent emails or texts that were jibberish," said detective Kristjan Herrick. "She had no recollection of those."

But one puzzling detail the victim noticed was after each incident was that she always awoke without her clothes on, she said she sleeps in pajamas.

Herrick says he interviewed Mayhew, who confessed to the crime.

"He described crushing the Ambien pills with a knife," Herrick said. "He described keeping the Ambien in a flask in the freezer and he putting it into the victim's drinks."

The defense attorney tried to point out the fact the victim owed money to Mayhew and also admitted she might be drinking too much around the time she alleges the crimes occurred.

Police also set up Mayhew by having an acquaintance call him and ask questions about the accusations. On the phone, Mayhew said what he did was wrong, and he was selfish.

The judge found there is enough evidence to hold him to answer.

Mayhew is still on unpaid leave at Bullard High School.

If he's found guilty, he could spend several years in prison and be forced to register as a sex offender.