Warrant Issued for Comedian in Rapes

Police say attacks coincided with his cross-country gigs

By Marcus Errico Jun 10, 1997 9:00 PMTags
The TV cameras were waiting for Vinson Horace Champ in court this morning, but he never showed.

Who?

Champ is a Star Search stand-up turned suspected serial rapist. And he had a good reason for skipping out on the pretrial wranglings in Pasadena, California, Tuesday: He's already in jail in Omaha, Nebraska, facing another rape charge.

The 35-year-old Champ was arrested by Los Angeles police a month ago and charged with robbery, burglary and the attempted rape of a student at Pasadena City College--less than a mile away from today's hearing. A college-circuit comedian, Champ had performed his act at the school shortly before the attack took place.

As authorities began to examine Champ's history, they discovered his stand-up comedy appearances coincided with a string of similar sexual assaults on Midwest college campuses earlier this year. In each of those six cases--all occurring in computer labs or music rooms--the attacker spat on his victims, quizzed them about their sexual preferences, then asked them to pray for him.

By the time police in four states (Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin) were ready to charge Champ--who had performed his comedy routine on Ed McMahon's nationally syndicated Star Search--he was released from Los Angeles County jail on a $75,000 bond.

Champ was nabbed at the Newark, New Jersey, airport and shipped to Omaha, which had first dibs on him.

As a result of today's hearing in Southern California, Champ's $75,000 bail was returned and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. That means as soon as Nebraska's done with him, he'll be turned over to Los Angeles authorities.