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VOLUME 149, ISSUE 14 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2026

Multiple public indecency incidents reported near Olive Drive in early January

Police arrested a suspect they claim is responsible for public masturbation, indecency and solicitation of sexual acts BY KATYA OKS city@theaggie.org On Jan. 2 and Jan. 6, six public indecency incidents were reported to local authorities near Olive Drive, at the edge of Downtown Davis. Olive Drive holds a number of businesses, including InN-Out, Dutch Bros, Blake’s Heating and Air Conditioning, in addition to multiple residential buildings, such as the Ryder and Lexington apartments. John Evans, a lieutenant in the Davis Police Department, shared details on the nature of these incidents. “[Our investigators] believe that the same suspect is responsible for all six cases,” Evans said. “In each case, the suspect has reportedly followed female victims while masturbating, soliciting sexual acts or engaging in a combination of both behaviors.” A description of the suspect was released after the multiple reports were made. In addition, a photo of the believed suspect was posted on the Instagram of the Davis Police Department on Jan. 20. The photo has recently been deleted, with the suspect now identified as a minor. Evans shared a brief description of the suspect. “The suspect is described as a dark-complected male — possibly Spanish or Asian — in his late teens to early 20s,” Evans said. “He was last seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a hood

Davis Police Department in Davis, Calif. (Sacha Chickering / Aggie) pulled up over his head and blue jeans.” Alexandra Mancia, a second-year biological sciences major who resides in one of the residential buildings on Olive Drive, shared her perspective with The California Aggie. “I first heard about these incidents a couple days after the [winter] quarter started, through a message sent by my apartment,” Mancia said. On Jan. 7, Mancia received

a message from the apartment management team providing an update to the community. The message noted that the staff received several reports of public exposure incidents and encouraged residents to contact local law enforcement immediately about any suspicious activity. The message concluded with an assurance that there would be increased security patrols and asked recipients to stay vigilant.

“For your safety, please walk in pairs when possible and avoid engaging with unknown individuals,” the message reads. Evans also shared similar advice in the case of a potential encounter with the suspect. “Our advice to people who might experience this is to get yourself to a place of safety right away, and then to report it,” Evans said. “The sooner that these incidents are reported directly to our office — meaning

our dispatch center — the quicker that we can get officers out into the area to hopefully make contact with the person to at least identify who they are.” Janelle Alberto, a secondyear environmental toxicology major who also resides on Olive Drive, shared her reaction to the incidents. “It definitely changed how I view my living situation,” Alberto said. “Olive Drive has little light, [so] when the sun

goes down it gets extremely dark. You can barely make an idea of who’s coming your way when walking.” Mancia also reiterated the need to be more careful when walking back from classes. “Since the incidents occurred right on the street I used to walk home on, I’ve made sure to either walk with someone or — if I am by myself — to be on high alert and always checking my surroundings,” Mancia said. On Jan. 21, the Davis Police Department posted an update on the investigation on their Facebook profile. The update noted that the suspect had been identified and that an arrest had been made earlier that day. “The suspect was determined to be a juvenile and no additional information will be disclosed,” the message reads. Alber to shared her perspective on the arrest, and the desire for more information from the Davis Police Department. “I feel relieved that the Davis Police [Department] posted a follow-up response,” Alberto said. “We all were feeling unsafe, especially when many front doors [of apartments] are right on the street. [...] I feel that not a lot of information was relayed [by the police to] students and residents, aside from that these incidents were happening. It would [have been easier] to be more aware if a description [or photo] was announced earlier.” For more information, visit the Davis Police Department’s Facebook and X pages.

Carlos Dominguez retrial Equestrian team moved to scheduled for May 2026 club sport status for 2026-27 After the 2025 mistrial of the serial stabber, a retrial is scheduled for three years after the deadly attacks

season, STUNT promoted to NCAA varsity team The Athletics Department cited gender equity, athlete support and overall long-term success as reasons for this decision

Superior Court of Yolo County in Woodland, Calif. (Sacha Chickering / Aggie) BY GIA LOOMIS city@theaggie.org On Jan. 22, Yolo County Superior Court Judge Samuel T. McAdam ordered for the retrial of Carlos Dominguez to be postponed from Jan. 20 to May 18, 2026. The order for the postponement of the trial was not released until the pre-trial hearing on Jan. 22. Dominguez is being tried with two murder charges and one attempted murder charge after his serial stabbing spree in spring 2023. The attacks, which lasted for about a week, left David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm dead and Kimberlee Guillory severely injured. The retrial, originally set to take place this month, was the continuation of the mistrial that took place last June. However, last spring was not Dominguez’s first appearance in court. After the stabbings in late April and early May 2023, Dominguez was ruled unfit for trial and likely schizophrenic in a competency trial in July 2023. This ruling put a large halt on court proceedings. After months of treatment, Dominguez was deemed fit for trial in January 2024. This second trial began on May 5, 2025, where Dominguez pleaded not guilty by reason of

insanity. This trial centered around Dominguez’s intent and state of mind during these deadly attacks. Eventually, the May trial hit another barrier, as the jury could not come to a decision regarding the second-degree murder and attempted murder charges that Dominguez faced. During the trial, Dominguez was also acquitted on the firstdegree murder charge. The jury deadlock lasted for over a week, leading McAdam to declare a mistrial. The prosecution quickly sought a retrial, which was originally set to take place Jan. 20, 2026, but was put on hold until Jan. 22, when McAdam declared a date change. The new trial date will begin with pre-trial motions on May 7, with the official trial starting on May 21. At the pre-trial hearing on Jan. 22, the defense and prosecution brought up trial setting issues given various witness conflicts and delayed subpoenas. Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Matthew DeMoura offered the concerns that led him and Public Defender Dan Hutchinson to request the later trial date. “Hutchinson and I have been conferring, [...] and we sent a follow up email to the court,” DeMoura said. “We’re

actually asking for May 18 [for the new trial date], due to some witness issues that developed. That would be the best date for all the parties, with the court’s permission.” Based on the prosecution and defense’s requests, McAdam approved the trial’s postponement, with respective date changes. “The jury selection would be at 9:30 a.m. [on] Thursday, May 21,” McAdam said. “The trial will basically go from dayto-day thereafter from 9:30 [a.m.] to 4:30 [p.m.] with a normal schedule.” The trial is estimated to take 10 weeks. Hutchinson explained possible extensions of the timeline. “The 10-week estimate includes jury selection, guilt phase, guilt phase deliberations and sanity phase if we reach that,” Hutchinson said. “The 12-week [trial] is based on the possibility of extended guilt phase deliberations and unexpected delays or dark days.” The trial is set to begin the week of May 21, following pre-trial motions with jury selections. With a 10- to 12-week estimate, the trial will likely conclude in August 2026, ending with decisions made on Dominguez’s two murder charges and one attempted murder charge.

The UC Davis equestrian team competes against Delaware State University at the UC Davis Equestrian Center in Davis, Calif. on Jan. 31, 2019. (Aggie File) BY COLINA HARVEY sports@theaggie.org On Jan. 9, UC Davis Athletics published a statement announcing that, effective during the 2026-27 season, the equestrian team would be demoted from a Division 1 (D1) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team to a club team. In the same statement, they also announced that the STUNT team will be promoted from a club sport to an NCAA varsity team. “It is important that we regularly evaluate how we best align our resources to support student-athletes, advance gender equity, and position UC Davis Athletics for long-term success,” the statement, written by UC Davis Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca, reads. “Our studentathletes across the board [...] are dedicated, talented, and driven. They represent UC Davis with tremendous pride and excellence.” The announcement also noted that, before making the change, the school hired a third-party consulting firm to conduct a review analyzing “competitive alignment, student-athlete participation, academic performance, Title IX considerations, and financial sustainability.” The team had little-to-no warning before the statement was released, according to Emma

“Especially for the recruits, it’s really sad that they had their hopes up [...] and it just kind of got taken away from them.” Emma Dillon Equestrian Team Alumna Dillon, a former member of the UC Davis equestrian team and recent graduate with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in animal science. “I was really upset,” Dillon said. “The team has such a special place in my heart. Especially for the recruits that had already signed for next year, it’s really sad that they had their hopes up for starting school in September and starting the team and getting ready to experience this amazing environment that the program has, and it just kind of got taken away from them.” Dillon described being on the receiving end of the news. “They were kind of vague with their reasoning,” Dillon said. “It just didn’t feel very thoughtful or heartfelt for all of the parents and alumni and supporters of the team or the girls that were going to read [the statement].” After this year, the equestrian team will continue to exist as a club sport, but the team’s resources will experience limitations compared to previous

years. Once recognized as a club sport, the equestrian team will be reliant on donations and personal funding to cover team expenses. Additionally, there will be a potential loss in oncampus horse boarding, athletic scholarships and post-graduate opportunities. “I don’t think the [club sport] coaches get paid,” Dillon said. “I think they’re volunteers, so that kind of limits the quality of coaches.