Charges expected in UCI rape case

UC Irvine police expect to ask prosecutors to press charges by the end of this week against a UCI student accused of raping another student over the weekend.

Brian Timothy Russell, 21, of Irvine, was arrested Saturday morning at his apartment in the Vista Del Campo apartments in the 62600 block of Arroyo Drive, hours after a female UCI student filed a rape report with the UCI Police Department on campus.

Russell and the victim allegedly met through a mutual acquaintance at a party in one of the Vista Del Campo apartments, not the suspect’s, police said. Alcohol was available at the party, but police have not determined whether it played a part in the case, UCI Police Chief Paul Henisey said Tuesday.

“Recognizing the sensitivity of cases such as this, we are providing a full spectrum of services to assist the victim,” Henisey said.

Campus police took Russell to Orange County Jail where he was booked and later released on bail, authorities said.

Investigators are interviewing additional people, some of whom may have been at the party.

This is the first rape case on UCI’s campus in 2007, police said.

Roughly 3,000 students live in Vista del Campo, which is privately owned and opened in fall 2006, UCI spokesman Allan Taing said.

Campus police offer a Rape Aggression Defense course intended to educate women with self-defense techniques, Henisey said. The course teaches some martial arts, but also emphasizes other ways women can avoid dangerous situations.

“Part of it is providing information [to women] on how to best protect themselves whether it is with an acquaintance or a stranger in sexual situations,” Henisey said.

The program consists of three four-hour training sessions. The program costs $20 for UCI students, and between $30 and $40 for non-students.