Sexual battery charge filed after arrest by UC Berkeley police
Officers with the University of California Police Department arrested Joshua Van Deventer last week, authorities said.
A man has been charged with sexual battery after grabbing an individual's buttock next to the UC Berkeley campus last week, according to police and court papers.
Few details were immediately available about the incident, which came in via 911 call and took place at about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 2400 block of Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue, UCPD said.
Officers with the University of California Police Department responded to the scene and arrested 41-year-old Joshua Van Deventer, police said. (His city of residence was not available.)
The next day, the Alameda County district attorney's office charged him with misdemeanor sexual battery, court records show.
Van Deventer already had an active criminal case in Alameda County, charged Feb. 23, stemming from allegations of engaging in lewd conduct on Oct. 1, 2025, according to court records.
No details about that incident were available prior to publication.
But it wasn't his only other case in Alameda County in recent years.
In June 2024, Van Deventer was charged with a hate crime and battery, both listed as misdemeanors, resulting in no-contest pleas, a short time in jail and unsupervised probation through January 2026, court records show.
Four months later, in October 2024, he was charged with felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, but the case was reduced to a misdemeanor and later dropped, according to court records.
In 2025, Van Deventer was charged with misdemeanor trespassing, but that case was also dismissed.
As of this week, Van Deventer is no longer in custody and was released on his own recognizance, records show.
He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in May at Wiley Manuel Courthouse.
Read more about crime near UC Berkeley.
Last week, UCPD separately alerted the community to an incident of sexual battery from March 7 in the restroom of a UC Berkeley residence hall — but said no other details were available because it had not been reported directly to police.
UCPD safety tips for the campus community
- Travel with a trusted friend or in a group, take a taxi, or use free night safety services for the campus community, such as BearWalk and the night safety shuttle
- If you need help, dial 911 or use a blue light emergency phone (located throughout the campus and identified by a blue light on the phone box or column)
- Electronic devices are popular robbery targets: Be aware of surroundings and keep devices out of view to help reduce safety risks
- Call law enforcement promptly: UCPD strongly encourages the reporting of criminal or suspicious activity in a timely manner
- Read more safety tips from UC Berkeley
