el-cerrito-police-station
EL CERRITO — An East Bay photographer has been charged with raping a woman during a photoshoot here last April, court records show.
Xinyu Chen, of Berkeley, was charged in October with two counts of forcible rape and one count of forcible oral copulation of a woman during an April 9 photoshoot, court records show. The woman allegedly came forward to police in April with allegations that Chen had sexually assaulted her after they met at an El Cerrito residence for a photoshoot.
Police drafted a warrant to arrest Chen in June, but didn’t serve it until October, when officers showed up to Chen’s Berkeley apartment to detain and interview him. In his statement to police, Chen allegedly admitted to sexually assaulting the woman and added that he photographed her before and after the assault, authorities said.
At the end of the interview, police say, he agreed to write the the victim an apology letter before officers took him to jail.
Chen is out of custody after posting $300,000 bail, according to court records. He has pleaded not guilty and is next due in court for a scheduling hearing on Dec. 14.
Originally published at Nate Gartrell