Cal Lutheran Student Held in Sex Assault

An 18-year-old male student at Cal Lutheran University was arrested Thursday on suspicion of sexually assaulting another student on campus last month, authorities said.

Alejandro Castanada was taken into custody on campus about 11 a.m. and booked into jail on $100,000 bail, sheriff’s Sgt. Margaret O’Donnell said.

Castanada, who is from Wilmington, lives on campus and remains enrolled as a student, authorities said.

The alleged victim, a 17-year-old female acquaintance of Castanada’s, was attacked late in the night on Oct. 15, O’Donnell said.

Authorities said the attack was not a case of date rape. A weapon was not used during the attack, O’Donnell said.

Deputies learned of the incident when they were called to Simi Valley Hospital. The alleged victim, who lives in Thousand Oaks, went there after the attack to be treated, authorities said.

Lynda Paige Fulford, a university spokeswoman, said the case may be the first such attack ever reported on the campus of the private university, located on West Olsen Road in Thousand Oaks.

Authorities refused to say where on campus the attack occurred, or to release any further details, except to say that Castanada’s arrest was the result of a two-week investigation by detectives.

“Our biggest thing here is we have a juvenile victim, so we are very limited to what we can release,” O’Donnell said.