SHERMAN OAKS : Man Pleads Guilty to Raping 2 Women

A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty Wednesday to drugging and raping two women after he picked them up near employment offices in Sherman Oaks under the pretense of offering them domestic work.

Joe Raul Mendoza, 34, pleaded guilty to kidnaping for sexual purposes and rape by the use of drugs.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Gloria Maria Mas said Mendoza will receive a 17-year prison sentence at a June 24 hearing.

The victims, ages 23 and 24, both live in Van Nuys. The attacks occurred in September.

Mendoza told police that he approached both women and offered them work as domestics. After driving around for a short time, Mendoza went to a convenience store and purchased grape juice drinks that he dosed with Valium, according to testimony at an earlier court hearing.

The women awoke eight hours later after being taken to a Highland Park motel, authorities said.

Mendoza worked as an exterminator, and he told police that he stole medicine while applying pest-control materials to various homes.

Mas complimented the work of Los Angeles Police Department Detective George Salazar, who started the case only knowing that he was looking for a man named Joe who worked as an exterminator. Mas said Salazar surveyed various pest control firms in the Valley and came up with a list of 12 men. After obtaining photos from the Department of Motor Vehicles, both victims identified Mendoza from a photo lineup, she said.