LAPD investigates Dennis

No charges have been made and the LAPD has not released any further information beyond its orginal statement in an investiagtion into allegations of sexual assault involving one or more members of the football team.

USC starting tailback Hershel Dennis is at the center of the investigation, several news outlets have reported.

Dennis has been indefinitely suspended since Aug. 17 for disciplinary reasons, said Pete Carroll, head football coach.

On the same day, the LAPD released a statement saying that one or more members of the USC football team might be under investigation by the rape special section of the LAPD Robbery Homicide division for allegations of sexual assault.

The LAPD Robbery Homicide division as well as the media relations department would not answer subsequent questions.

Carroll did not have further information either.

"I haven't heard a word, the whole time ... it's still an internal situation ... I don't know," he said.

The alleged assault happened early in the morning on Aug. 16 when several football players were reported to be throwing a party in an apartment at Cardinal Gardens Apartments.

Later that night, one unit in the complex was temporarily closed by the LAPD, said Jeff Urdahl, director of housing services.

Throughout the football team's fall training camp, both freshman and returning football players lived in the Cardinal Gardens complex, he said.

Football players not residing in the complex for the year moved out midday on Monday, he said.

Before noon on Wednesday's move-in day, the Department of Public Safety notified housing that LAPD had released the apartment, Urdahl said.

The four incoming residents of the closed-off apartment were told they were temporarily relocated to Century apartments once they checked in on Wednesday's move-in day, Urdahl said.

But once the apartment was released, they were allowed to move into Cardinal Gardens, he said.

But the new tenants said they were not aware of the nature of the investigation involving the apartment until they found out from the media after they began moving in.

Jeff Urdahl, director of housing services, said the school had no direct first-hand knowledge about the investigation and therefore could not inform the new residents about the situation.

"There's so much innuendo and speculation out there," he said. "LAPD closed down the apartment, and that's all we know."

Missing information

Throughout the process, the new residents were not informed why the room was closed, said Jeanmarie Dumouchel, mother of resident Joe Flynn.

She said she thought the situation was handled poorly.

"For a place like USC to have that kind of attitude to the students and parents, I felt, was horrible," Dumouchel said. "They didn't show us any respect."

Niraj Jiwrajka, a freshman majoring in business, said he was unhappy with how the events unfolded as well.

"I didn't expect this to happen here," he said.

Jiwrajka said they should have been told what happened when given the room.

"We have the right to know," he said.

Abhi Malhotra, a freshman majoring in business and living in the same apartment, agreed.

"If people would have told us earlier, it would have been better," he said.

Urdahl said he thought the new residents would be aware of the situation because of media coverage over the last few days.

"I suspect they know because there was a sign on the door," he said.

The sign said no one could enter without contacting DPS.

Flynn said he thought it was smart that the university did not tell residents and parents right away.

Dumouchel said she thought the university should have called the people living in the apartment the night before and told them the situation.

"(University officials) said they couldn't tell us ... they said to watch the news tonight," Dumouchel said.

Ragesh Malhotra, father of new resident Abhi Malhotra, said he saw the news in the morning regarding a sexual assault investigation involving USC.

When he saw the sign on the door that morning, he said he put two and two together and immediately figured out what had happened.

Dumouchel said she found out by asking news crews that were stationed outside of Cardinal Gardens.

"You would think that some school official would be here right now," she said.

But school officials and DPS did not say anything, she said.

Urdahl said housing was not pleased about the situation either.

"Certainly everyone's disappointed," he said. "It's so much trauma for all parents involved."

Dumouchel said she plans on doing something about what happened.

"I'm going to complain to whoever I need to complain to and tell them what unnecessary stress it put on the day," she said.

Moving forward

Beyond the process of finding out why moving into the apartment was impossible, parents and the new residents said living in the apartment that was previously under LAPD investigation does not bother them.

"Life goes on," said Ragesh Malhotra. "We'll put it behind and move on from there."

Flynn said it did not bother him at all.

"It bothers me just a little bit," said Thiha Thant, a freshman majoring in business.

Dumouchel said she was okay with the living arrangements.

"I don't know how I would have felt if he were actually in that room, but it's actually fine," she said.

In the morning, Dumouchel and the residents pointed out areas of the carpet that had been cut out, as well as chalk circles on the floor and walls of one bedroom.

The holes in the carpet were patched later in the day.

The apartment was cleaned before the new residents moved in, Urdahl said.

Staff writer Patrick Kinmartin contributed to this report.