Warning: this article contains graphic content.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed felony sexual assault charges against a second-year UC Santa Barbara student, District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced Friday.
The investigation into the student, pre-biology major Arian Eteghaei, is being jointly conducted by the District Attorney’s office and the UCSB Police Department. Detectives believe that other victims or witnesses may not have been contacted yet, according to Dudley.
“The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office is well aware that survivors of sexual assault and abuse are often reluctant to come forward for a variety of reasons,” Dudley said in a news release.
“With that in mind, we have many resources available through our Victim/Witness Assistance Division where our advocates will endeavor to ensure that the needs of survivors are not overshadowed by our focus on the investigation and prosecution of the accused.”
According to Noozhawk, 19-year-old Eteghaei was charged with two counts of forcible rape, two counts of forcible sexual penetration by foreign object, two counts of forcible oral copulation and false imprisonment by violance along with misdemeanor battery.
The incidents reportedly involved three women and occurred between October 2020 and June 2021, according to the criminal complaint.
Following the news of the charges levied against Eteghaei, Shelly Leachman, UCSB deputy news director, released the following statement to KEYT: “Sexual violence of any kind has no place on a UC campus. It is UC policy and practice to place students who are accused of sexual violence on immediate interim suspension and ban them from campus and campus activities for the duration of an investigation followed by a referral to our student conduct process.”
Three victims were alleged to have been violently sexually assaulted! Yet Arian Eteghaei is out on bail!! Where is he living? Keeping him off campus is one thing, what about sending back home to Dublin, California. How are these young victims suppose to walk around in this community?!