Edwin J. Carcamo, 25, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is accused of having broken the window of a van that was parked on Union Street early Saturday morning, and sexually assaulted a woman who had been sleeping inside.

Athens County assistant prosecutor Robert Driscoll described the crime Tuesday as "a true stranger rape."

People on the scene, including a bouncer from a bar in the area, reportedly interceded in the assault, and restrained Carcamo until police arrived to arrest him.

On Tuesday, Carcamo appeared in Athens County Municipal Court on two counts of rape and two of gross sexual imposition. Prior to his appearance before Judge William Grim, he received some advice in Spanish from attorney Glenn Jones of the Ohio Public Defender's office, who speaks the language.

Jones told the judge that he had given Carcamo the basics of his legal situation. "I've spoken with him this morning he speaks very little English," Jones reported.

He said Carcamo, who is previously from Virginia, has told him he has a brother and an aunt living in this country.

Carcamo himself, Jones said, was employed locally doing painting at the Riverpark Towers apartment complex, which is given as his local address in court documents, and had been in Ohio about three months when he was arrested.

Jones said that because the Athens County Prosecutor's office had quickly obtained an indictment after Carcamo's arrest, he wanted Grim to dismiss the charges on him out of Municipal Court, so he could be promptly arraigned in Common Pleas Court, "instead of him waiting until next Wednesday and repeating the process."

Grim, noted that at that point he had not yet seen an indictment, but would dismiss the charges out of his court once he saw one.

"I wanted to make sure Mr. Carcamo had an attorney, and also a translation as to what's going on," the judge added.

Jones said attorney Herman Carson of the PD's office will handle Carcamo's case, and that the agency has obtained the services of a Venezuelan woman to act as translator.

Grim set bond at $100,000, adding, "if there's been an indictment, that's moot."

Shortly after his Municipal Court appearance, Carcamo was arraigned in Common Pleas, with the alleged rape victim and a handful of her supporters in the courtroom.

Driscoll asked Judge Michael Ward for a $1 million cash bond, noting that he has reason to believe Carcamo is in the United States illegally, and witnesses who will attest to the fact that he is the one who was in the van.

"The I.D. is very solid, as they stopped him at the location of the event," Driscoll said.

He added that "I believe I have his identification," the alleged victim having reportedly found Carcamo's wallet in the van after the alleged assault. However, Driscoll asked that Carcamo also be required to surrender his passport if he has one.

Ward set bond at $1 million, meaning Carcamo will remain for the time being in the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville.