Ex-OCC student facing charges over disturbances is arrested again after failing to appear in court

A former Orange Coast College student suspected of vandalism, disturbing the peace and repeatedly violating a protective order that barred him from the Costa Mesa campus is again in custody after he failed to appear in court for an arraignment Thursday.

Prosecutors on Sept. 1 filed additional charges against Robert Bouton McDougal, 21, of Costa Mesa, including a felony count of vandalism with damage of $400 or more and three misdemeanor counts of violating a protective order.

The most recent charges stem from allegations that McDougal returned to the campus Aug. 30 and threw a water bottle at a security vehicle, causing a dent, authorities said.

McDougal was expected to appear Thursday in Orange County Superior Court to be arraigned on the new charges, but he failed to attend the hearing, so a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to court records.

McDougal was arrested in San Diego and was to be transferred to Orange County Jail on Friday, according to jail records and his attorney John Christl.

In June, prosecutors filed a felony count of vandalism with damage of $400 or more, as well as various misdemeanor counts, including five counts of violating a protective order, two counts of resisting and obstructing an officer, one count of disturbing public school and one count of remaining on campus without consent.

McDougal has pleaded not guilty to the June charges. He has not entered a plea on the most recent charges, according to Superior Court records.

According to Orange Coast College officials, McDougal’s issues at the campus began in February when he started incessantly emailing his chemistry instructor asking to retake an exam with the help of a calculator.

He had received a B on the exam without a calculator, a lower grade than he had expected. The instructor, Amy Hellman, declined his request to retake the test, according to transcripts of emails filed in Superior Court in March.

A week after the test, school officials say, McDougal — who had dropped the course — barged into the classroom while other students were present. Security officers escorted McDougal out of the building, but when they weren’t looking, he ran back inside and sprinted in circles around the classroom, according to a Costa Mesa police report.

Prosecutors allege McDougal yelled a racial slur at a campus safety officer, and security officers eventually used pepper spray to subdue him after he kicked them, according to police, who arrested him.

Christl has contended the college should have handled the situation differently. He said McDougal suffers from disabilities, though he declined to elaborate.

College administrators and Hellman were aware of McDougal’s disabilities and failed to provide him adequate resources to take the exam, Christl alleged.

Christl has said McDougal was too embarrassed to ask for a calculator during the test and that when he received his score, he became “fixated” on improving it.

According to Christl, Hellman eventually agreed to allow him to retake the exam after class. However, when McDougal arrived, campus security was waiting for him, Christl said.

A restraining order barring McDougal from entering the campus or contacting Hellman was granted by Superior Court Judge Michael McCartin in March at the behest of college officials.

Christl has said his client is unable to comprehend the significance of a restraining order.

On March 7, McDougal was suspended from all Coast Community College District facilities until March 2019, according to college officials.

He was arrested again March 13 on suspicion of carving a swastika and the “N-word” into the hoods of two OCC security vehicles and slashing the tires. He was booked into Orange County Jail and later posted bail.

Prosecutors allege McDougal returned to the campus several times between April 21 and May 25 in violation of the protective order.

Christl said Friday that he has been working with McDougal’s family to get him help for his disabilities, but it’s been a challenge.

“There’s a huge hole in the medical and legal system that doesn’t provide help for these individuals,” Christl said. “He’s not violent and he doesn’t need jail. He needs assistance.”

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN