UCLA football player charged with assault

UCLA freshman defensive back E.J. Woods has been charged with assaulting two female students off-campus, Los Angeles prosecutors said.

The Los Angeles City Attorney said Woods, 19, faces two charges of sexual battery and four counts of battery, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. If convicted, Woods could be sentenced to up one year in jail for each sexual battery count and six months for each battery count, the newspaper said.

Prosecutors alleged Woods was involved in three separate incidents between October and January. Police developed information that Woods allegedly made several inappropriate sexual contacts with a student, and when a friend of the student asked Woods at a party to leave the female student alone, Woods allegedly shoved the student’s friend around the chin/throat area.

Woods was given a letter requesting his voluntary appearance in court and faces an April 6 arraignment.

Calls to UCLA Football Coach Rick Neuheisel and to Athletic Department officials were not immediately returned, the Times said, but the school released a statement saying officials were aware the City Attorney’s office has filed misdemeanor charges involving E.J. Woods.

We will continue to monitor the legal process, the statement said. Due to federal and state student privacy laws and the fact that this is a legal issue, we are not at liberty to further discuss the situation.