UCI student charged with sexual assault

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- The Orange County district attorney on Wednesday

charged a 20-year-old UC Irvine student with sexually assaulting and

torturing a 15-year-old girl.

Prosecutor Ed Flores called the act, which was allegedly committed by

Brian Dance in a deserted parking lot on the UCI campus Thursday,

“brutal.”

Investigators say Dance, a sophomore from Newport Beach, met the

victim in an Internet chat room and arranged to meet her at the Block at

Orange on Dec. 20. Police said from there, he took her to an empty

parking lot on campus, assaulted her with his belt and other objects for

more than two hours.

“All sexual attacks can be brutal,” Flores said.

In this case, especially because of the nature of the crime, Dance

faces additional charges of torture, Flores said.

Dance allegedly covered the victim’s eyes with duct tape, beat her

with his fists, belt and buckle, carved swastikas on her face with a

knife and sexually assaulted her.

Dance was arrested Sunday with the help of the victim and her friend,

who agreed to act as a decoy and led Dance to the Block after finding him

in the same chat room. Investigators arrested him after he was identified

by the victim.

The district attorney has charged Dance with one count of oral

copulation, three counts of penetration by a foreign object and one count

of torture. He also faces a charge of second-degree robbery and making a

criminal threat.

“Basically, he threatened to kill her,” said Tori Richards,

spokeswoman for the district attorney.

Dance also faces additional enhancements that include torture, tying

up a victim, great bodily injury and using a knife.

If convicted of all the charges, which are felonies, Dance faces 94

years to life in prison, officials said.

Flores said a rape charge could not be filed because there was “not

enough evidence.”

Dance was scheduled to be arraigned at Harbor Justice Center on

Wednesday, but it was postponed to Jan. 4. Judge Craig Robison granted

the prosecution’s request for no bail. But a bail hearing will likely

take place Jan. 4.

The judge also issued a protective order barring Dance from being

within 400 yards of the victim, if he were released on bail. Flores said

the protective order is something that is routinely secured to ensure

victims’ safety.

“We think he presents a substantial risk to the community if

released,” he said.

The incident was investigated by the UCI campus police, Newport Beach

Police Department and the Irvine Police Department, which is now the lead

agency on the case.