A Laramie man charged with three counts of first degree sexual assault and one count of kidnapping and confinement plead not guilty to the charges in Albany County District Court Thursday.
Jian Cai, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UW, is accused of possessing digital images depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to court documents, on March 30, agents with the Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children task force served a federal search warrant on the defendant’s home in Laramie.
The victim later alleged in a Facebook post that the attack was racially motivated. Laramie police continue to investigate and have not concluded whether racial bias was involved.