USAC councilmember pleads not guilty to sexual battery charges

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Undergraduate student government officer Omar Arce pleaded not guilty Friday morning to sexual battery and other charges.

Los Angeles City Attorney’s office charged Arce with three counts of sexual battery, one count of battery and one count of false imprisonment, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the L.A. City Attorney’s office.

If he is convicted of all charges, he could face a maximum sentence is four and a half years in prison, Mateljan added.

His bail was set to remain at $50,000, according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Superior Court. The time of his arraignment was changed from 4 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Friday. It is unclear why the court appearance was rescheduled.

Arce, 21, is the Undergraduate Students Association Council community service commissioner and a fourth-year international development studies student.

He was arrested by university police Wednesday after a female student reported an alleged series of sexual batteries involving Arce between October and March.

Arce is currently being held at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. His next court date, a preliminary hearing setting, will be on April 17 at the Los Angeles Superior Court Airport Courthouse.

The case is being investigated by UCPD. Anyone with information about this case can call Det. Richard Davis at (310) 825-9371. To report anonymously, call (310) 794-5824.

Compiled by Sam Hoff, Bruin reporter.

Correction: A sentence was repeated because of an editing error.