Ex-Cal Player Faces Sex Charges in South Bay Case
Sunday, Mar 28, 2010 | Updated 7:45 PM PDT
A Gilroy man was arraigned in Santa Clara County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon on a felony sodomy charge in connection with the sexual assault of a teenage girl over the weekend, a district attorney's spokeswoman said.
R.J. Xavier Garrett, 22, has been charged with one count of felony sodomy against a person under 18, district attorney's spokeswoman Amy Cornell said. If convicted, Garrett faces three years in prison.
Garrett played for UC Berkeley's football team as a fullback in 2006, according to the school's Web site.
The San Jose Mercury News says Garrett was kicked off the team after being arrested on suspicion of robbery back in 2008.
Gilroy police arrested Garrett on Monday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a girl in her early teens and forcing her to stay at his house for about an hour on Sunday, Gilroy police Sgt. Wes Stanford said.
Police have not released the name and age of the girl, but said the two met for the first time at a fast food restaurant on Saturday and exchanged numbers.
They continued to communicate by phone and text message and the victim eventually agreed to meet Garrett at his home in the 8600 block of Delta Drive on Sunday, where the alleged sexual assault occurred, Stanford said.
Stanford said the victim reported the assault from a friend's house after Garrett allowed her to leave.
He is being held on $500,000 bail and will appear at the South County courthouse in Morgan Hill to enter a plea on March 30, Cornell said.
Gilroy police are asking anyone who may have had a similar experience with Garrett or who has information on the case to call Detective Jason Smith at (408) 846-0333. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call (800) 782-7463.
