Former Willits Respiratory Therapist Sentenced to 11 Years for Rape, Drugging and Distributing Intimate Photo

A former Willits respiratory therapist was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in state prison after being convicted of raping an incapacitated woman, drugging her and distributing an intimate photograph without her consent.

Matthew Ryan Mayo, 46, formerly of Hopland and Sonoma County, was convicted by a Mendocino County Superior Court jury in May of three crimes stemming from a 2020 incident: felony rape of an incapacitated person, felony drugging another person to facilitate a felony, and misdemeanor distribution of a photograph of an intimate part of another person without consent.

Judge Victoria Shanahan imposed the maximum sentence allowed by law during a sentencing hearing Wednesday afternoon.

At the time of the crimes, Mayo was a state-licensed respiratory therapist working at Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits. According to evidence presented at trial, Mayo invited a female co-worker to his home after work to watch a movie.

The Mendocino County District Attorney's Office said Mayo put the prescription sleep medication zolpidem, commonly sold under the brand name Ambien, into a beer he gave the woman without her knowledge.

After she became incapacitated, Mayo sexually assaulted her and gave her additional liquid containing the drug before raping her repeatedly, according to the DA's office.

Zolpidem is a central nervous system depressant that can cause sedation, impaired coordination and memory loss. When combined with alcohol, its effects can be intensified.

The case was investigated by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, the California Department of Justice DNA laboratory in Redding and the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigations.

The prosecution presented testimony from several expert witnesses, including Dr. Kristen Marin of Adventist Health Ukiah Valley's Sexual Assault Response Team; Carolyn Heitsman, a DNA analyst with the state DOJ crime laboratory; Richard Kreutzer, a digital-forensics expert from Lake County; and Dr. Marc A. LeBeau, a toxicology expert from Missouri.

Mayo's professional license had already been restricted during the criminal case. The Respiratory Care Board of California obtained a court order preventing him from working as a respiratory therapist while the charges were pending.

The District Attorney's Office said it expects the board to permanently revoke Mayo's license following his conviction and sentencing.

District Attorney David Eyster, who prosecuted the case at trial in May, returned to court Wednesday to argue that Mayo should receive the maximum prison sentence. The victim attended the sentencing hearing.

As the hearing concluded, Shanahan addressed Mayo directly.

“You deserve every year of the eleven I have imposed,” she told him, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The DA's office credited the victim's cooperation with making the prosecution possible.

“Prosecutions like this are not possible without victims having the courage and confidence to come forward and cooperate,” the office said in its announcement of the sentence.

Editor's note: This story is based entirely on information provided in a press release issued by the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office. MendoLocal.News did not have the resources to independently report on or attend the trial or sentencing hearing. We have identified the information as coming from the District Attorney's Office where appropriate.