MCSO: Covelo man arrested

Suspected of murdering his girlfriend

A Covelo man was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing his girlfriend while she was calling authorities to report being assaulted by him, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office reported.

According to the MCSO, deputies responded to the 25600 block of Mendocino Pass Road in Covelo after a woman, identified as 35-year-old Brandy Kay Mathieson, called 911 around 5:30 a.m. March 20 to report that her boyfriend assaulted her and was in her house with a firearm.

While on the phone with Mathieson, the dispatcher reported hearing gunshots, then a short time later the suspect, identified as Johnathan Lee Draughan, 43, of Covelo, reportedly got on the phone with the dispatcher to report that “he had shot his girlfriend and he would await the arrival of deputies.”

After responding from Willits, deputies reportedly took Draughan into custody without incident, then found Mathieson and attempted life-saving measures that were continued by medical responders upon their arrival. Despite their efforts, “Mathieson showed no signs of life and was declared deceased at the scene.”

The MCSO reports that the couple's 2-year-old child “was present and transported to an out-ofcounty hospital for injuries unrelated to the shooting incident.”

Draughan was booked into Mendocino County Jail on a charge of murder and is being held without bail.

The MCSO notes that “criminalists from the California Department of Justice labs in both Eureka and Santa Rosa responded to assist in processing the crime scene for evidence,” and requests that “anyone with information related to this homicide contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office by calling Dispatch at 707-463-4086, or through the tip line at 707234-2100.”