Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced that actor Danny Masterson was formally charged with rape. Now, E! News has reported that Masterson has since been arrested in connection with this case. The former star of The Ranch was arrested at 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday and is currently being held in police custody on $3.3 million bail.
Official documents from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office purport that Masterson was charged with three counts of rape by force or fear and that the case was filed for warrant on Tuesday. Masterson is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman between January and December of 2001. The documents also noted that Masterson had been accused of raping an 18-year-old woman in April 2003. Additionally, he is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman whom he invited to his Hollywood Hills house sometime between October and December of 2003. All of these alleged crimes reportedly occurred at Masterson’s residence, according to Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller of the Sex Crimes Division, who is prosecuting this case.
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Documents also noted that the District Attorney’s office declined to pursue two additional sexual assault charges against Masterson. According to the reports, they did not file those additional charges because one did not have sufficient evidence and the other due to the statute of limitations regarding the alleged crime. If Masterson is convicted in the other three charges that were filed against him, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 45 years to life in prison. An arraignment for this case is scheduled to take place on September 18.
In regards to these charges, Masterson’s attorney released a statement in which they expressed that their client is “innocent.” The statement read, “Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify.” The attorney’s statement continued to express that both Masterson and his wife Bijou Phillips are “in complete shock” over these charges, but they are “confident” that the “truth will come out” in this case. The attorney’s message continued, “Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife [actress Bijou Phillips] are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.”
