An unnamed 23-year-old SRJC student reported to campus police that she was sexually assaulted by another student on campus around 9 p.m. on March 15.

Marco DeAnda-Vargas, 30, was interviewed and arrested on March 19 on one count of forcible rape and is being held on $100,000 bail at Sonoma County Jail, according to campus and Santa Rosa police officials.

The two students left their class together on Thursday night and walked to the Quinn Swim Center. According to SRJC District Police, DeAnda-Vargas had keys to enter the locked building where the victim said the encounter became non-consensual.

DeAnda-Vargas is not an employee of SRJC and the nature on how he obtained the keys is still under investigation, according to Sgt. Steven Potter, SRJC District police officer.

The victim reported the assault to campus police the next day. After interviewing the victim, SRJC District Police turned the investigation over to the Santa Rosa Police Department to take the lead, in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding between SRJC and SRPD, said SRPD Sgt. John Snetsinger.

Both the victim and the suspect are residents of Santa Rosa and SRJC students. SRJC District Police and the school officials are working on a process to make sure DeAnda-Vargas is no longer a student and “the suspect will not be a threat to the community,” according to Sgt. Potter.

A second investigation, in conjunction to the original assault is underway on DeAnda-Vargas’ other crimes to district property, a case that is being handled by SRJC District Police.

To protect the victim and the sensitive nature of the case, her identity will remain unnamed.

SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong sent out an email to all students informing them of the event as well as his plans to make the campus safer. Chong is offering free and confidential counseling to all students and faculty who seek support from this incident.

Students, faculty and community members are welcome and encouraged to share ideas on campus safety, Chong wrote.

SRJC District Police plan on giving safety presentations for students and faculty.

SRJC is a safe college with many safety resources, but it is important for the students to be aware of their surrounding. “Students need to be cognitive of the relationships they develop with other students,” SRJC Police Lt. Dave Willat said.

Students can sign up for SRJC Emergency Text Messaging System, ALERTU, which communicates official information via text messages to your cell phone during critical SRJC emergencies. Just over 3,300 of the 30,000 plus students have registered for this free service.

To report a crime on campus call District Police anytime at (707) 527-1000 or “*80” on a campus payphone.

Students can also call (707) 527-1000 for a police escort at any time to get to their cars safely after class.

To register for ALERTU simply:
1. With your cell phone, text the letter SRJC to 253788 (253788 is the text phone number to the ALERTU system).
2. You will receive a ‘welcome’ text message.
3. Reply with the letter “Y” for yes
4. That’s it!
Make sure to save 253788 into your phone’s address book under the ALERTU name to recognize the sender if an emergency alert message is sent.