Transient faces at least 5 years in prison for September incident outside Ashland church

By Stephen Floyd, Ashland.news

A local transient with a history of physically and verbally harassing local residents has been deemed unfit to stand trial in a Measure 11 assault case.

Mathew David Todd, 39, of Medford, was ordered to undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluation and treatment at the Oregon State Hospital (OSH) Nov. 25 by Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Laura Cromwell.

Todd will remain in treatment for up to three years, or until his mental fitness is restored, after which he will be returned to the Jackson County Jail and his case will proceed. A trial date had yet to be set and, if convicted as charged, Todd faces at least 70 months in prison.

Cromwell’s order noted Todd has been committed several times for treatment at OSH, but continues to present with “impaired insight and paranoid, delusional beliefs” and refuses to take medication.

Todd was arrested Sept. 27 following an incident outside Ashland Christian Fellowship during which he allegedly made sexually suggesting remarks to a woman unknown to Todd. The woman’s husband confronted Todd and the suspect allegedly threw multiple folding chairs at the man, causing a deep gash in the husband’s leg.

Todd has been charged with second-degree assault, fourth-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, second-degree disorderly conduct and second-degree trespassing. 

Todd has been arrested numerous times previously in Jackson County for incidents from improper calls to 911 to threatening to kill a stranger with a baseball bat. One month before his Sept. 27 arrest, he was released from the Jackson County Jail after serving 18 months related to charges of menacing, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Email Ashland.news reporter Stephen Floyd at [email protected].