A former UC Davis student facing a third trial on rape charges pleaded no contest Friday to a felony charge of assault likely to produce great bodily injury, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
Lang Her, 26, is expected to be sentenced to five years of probation, during which he must register as a sex offender and undergo sex offender counseling, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven said.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 19 before Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson.
Her originally was charged with raping an intoxicated, unconscious person, charges that stemmed from an incident that occurred at Her’s off-campus apartment on the morning of July 10, 2012, following a party at which the alleged victim, identified as Y.X., became heavily intoxicated after a round of drinking games.
The woman reported falling asleep in an upstairs bedroom, awakening several hours later to discover Her having sexual contact with her.
Her denied the allegations, initially saying no contact occurred with the woman. After his DNA was recovered from a pantyliner and a vaginal swab, however, Her described a consensual encounter in which the pair “made out” while unclothed but did not have sex, blaming the genetic material on pre-ejaculate.
Two previous trials ended in mistrials after the juries failed to reach unanimous verdicts. The first trial in May 2015 resulted in an 8-4 vote for acquittal, followed by a 10-2 vote for guilt after a second trial in February.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
