Charges Dismissed Against Rape Suspect

Ventura County prosecutors have dismissed charges against a Thousand Oaks man who was accused of raping a female acquaintance at The Oaks shopping center.

Britton Davis White, 19, was arrested Oct. 29 on suspicion of raping an 18-year-old woman whom he met at the Thousand Oaks retail center that morning.

Police said that White and the woman had walked around for a while at the mall. When she stepped into a Robinson’s-May dressing room, White followed her inside and sexually assaulted her, police had reported.

The woman later recounted the incident to her mother, who called police that afternoon. White was arrested at the mall about an hour after the incident.

At the time, White was on probation after serving eight months for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. In that case, he was accused of forcible rape, but the charge was later reduced to statutory rape.

The most recent rape charges were dropped Dec. 15, and White was released from jail that day, after spending nearly seven weeks in custody.

Prosecutors would not comment Thursday on why they decided not to pursue the case further. White had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing this week.