Warrant Issued for Rape Suspect Held in Nebraska

A no-bail arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a comedian--already jailed in Nebraska on suspicion of rape--in connection with the attempted sexual assault of a Pasadena college student.

Vinson Champ, 35, was being held on $1-million bail for a series of rapes on college campuses in the Midwest. The bench warrant was issued by Municipal Judge Gilbert Alston as a precaution to make sure Champ is not released before facing charges on the attempted rape at Pasadena City College.

Champ, a former “Star Search” contestant who makes rounds on the college comedy circuit, was charged May 7 with robbery and attempted rape for the alleged assault on the 29-year-old student, who was attacked as she practiced piano. Two witnesses heard her screams and came to her aid, forcing the attacker to flee, investigators said.

Champ initially was arrested in Pasadena and released. But the case prompted inquiries from police departments in the Midwest, where a rapist had been preying on women in college computer labs and music rooms. Champ was later apprehended in New Jersey and extradited to Nebraska.

He also faces charges of raping a former teacher in a computer lab at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and raping a woman at a university in Iowa.