Parents Shocked by Son’s Arrest

The parents of a UC Irvine sophomore accused of raping a 15-year-old girl said Monday that they were stunned that police would accuse their son of such a crime.

“This is too unbelievable even to comprehend,” said the man’s father, Larry Dance. “He’s never had any problems with anybody. He’s never been in a fight. He doesn’t have a temper, doesn’t get upset with anybody.”

His son, Brian Dance, 20, remained at Orange County Jail on suicide watch Monday in lieu of $250,000 bail. Police said he is likely to be charged with rape, torture and robbery--charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Brian Dance is accused of finding the girl in one of Yahoo’s teenage chat rooms, meeting her at a mall Thursday and driving her to a deserted parking lot at UC Irvine.

There, police allege, he covered the girl’s eyes with duct tape, tied her hands behind her back and raped and tortured her, beating her with a belt and cutting her several times on the face with a knife.

Dance lives with his parents in Newport Beach. His father said he has no criminal record and is a model college student who keeps mostly to himself. He has earned a 3.37 grade-point average and works as a parking lot attendant.

During his free time, the younger Dance studied in his bedroom, watched television and worked on his computer. “He doesn’t drink. He doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t swear,” his father said. “He’s basically a homebody.”

In fact, because Dance never stayed out late, his parents said they never asked where he was going when he left their apartment Thursday afternoon. He returned in time to eat dinner and watch professional wrestling on television at 8 p.m., his father said.

About that time, police say, the girl managed to free her bound hands and pull the tape from her eyes. She staggered to a nearby street and flagged down a motorist, who called police.

Police praised the girl and her friend for helping snare Dance on Sunday, using the same Yahoo chat room that the victim had reportedly used to meet her attacker. Detectives said they had hoped to conduct their own sting but failed to contact the suspect online Friday or Saturday.

When police arrested Dance, he was wearing a belt with the same buckle that the rape victim had described to police, authorities said. And in the front seat of his car was a knife matching the one the attacker had used, they added.

Meanwhile, Dance’s father said he had spoken to his son by telephone Sunday night from jail.

“I told him I loved him, told him we support him, told him that we wouldn’t abandon him,” the father said. “I said, ‘You’re going to have to stay there and wait until the truth comes out.’ ”

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Times staff writer Tina Borgatta contributed to this report.