Mission Viejo : Man Held in College Kidnaping and Rape

A 20-year-old San Juan Capistrano man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnaping and raping a 22-year-old Saddleback College student, the Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

Charlie Wesley O’Hearn was detained by campus police about 10 p.m. Tuesday after the student jumped out of her car, which the suspect was driving, and flagged down an officer directing traffic, Lt. Russ Elsner said. O’Hearn, who is not a student at the Mission Viejo campus, was being held at County Jail on $25,000 bail, Elsner said.

About 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the victim was walking to the campus parking lot when she was approached by a man who stuck a gun into her waist and told her to get into her car, Elsner said. The weapon later was determined to be a pellet gun, he said. She told police her assailant then told her to get down on the car floor so she could not see where he was driving, Elsner said.

The victim told police she believed she was taken to Modjeska Canyon, where she was raped.

O’Hearn then allegedly drove back with the victim to the campus parking lot, Elsner said.

As the car slowed down in the parking lot, the victim saw a campus police officer directing traffic, opened the passenger door and jumped out, Elsner said.

Campus police took O’Hearn into custody and turned him over to sheriff’s deputies, Elsner said. The victim was treated at a local hospital and released, he added.