Kenechukwu Denzel Ugwueze
Santa Barbara – As reported in these pages, on September 11, 2015, Santa Barbara City College student and member of the school’s “Vaqueros” football team, Kenechukwu Denzel Ugwueze, 19, was arrested pursuant to an accusation of forcible rape against a 19-year-old female student. Since his initial arrest, officials at the college have been remarkably mute about the case, immediately referring to Ugwueze as “a former student.” At the time of the allegations and Ugwueze’s subsequent arrest, SBCC spokeswoman Joan Galvan promptly denied that he was “not currently enrolled,” in what has been characterized as an attempt to distance the school administration from any connection with the circumstances of the case.
With his bail set at $100,000 on those charges, Ugwueze posted bond and was then transported to Riverside Juvenile Hall, close to his home in Corona. On December 1st, Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood released information of the ongoing investigation on the part of SBPD Detective Chad Hunt into a report in the school’s student newspaper referencing “a second alleged victim.” This led Hunt to meet with this additional accuser. The ensuing interview indicated that she had met Ugwueze “over social media and that she had been forcibly raped at his Mesa home on August 28.”
Ugwueze was then contacted by SBPD detectives who had traveled to Riverside, whereupon he was placed under arrest once again and returned to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on a second charge of forcible rape.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail booking
