The woman indicted in a Sept. 14 alleged rape at the University of Rhode Island has had her case transferred to Family Court, the attorney general’s office said Friday.

Marina Melillo, 18, of North Bellmore, N.Y., was indicted two weeks ago and was scheduled to be arraigned on a first-degree sexual assault charge in Washington County Superior Court on Monday. But Beryl Kenyon, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, said because Melillo was 17 at the time of the incident — her 18th birthday was Oct. 5 — Family Court, which handles most cases involving juveniles, has jurisdiction.

Two other defendants, both male, were arraigned Monday. Yaw Peprah, 20, of 1638 Lonsdale Ave., Lincoln, and Estifanos Gizaw, 20, of Houston, Texas, both pleaded not guilty to lone counts of first-degree sexual assault and were released by Judge Bennett Gallo.

When the indictments were announced May 22, university officials said the alleged incident occurred on the main campus between midnight and 8 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2008. A female student filed a complaint with the campus police that afternoon, university spokesman David Lavallee said at that time.

URI’s police chief, Maj. Stephen Baker, said his department investigated the case and turned it over to the attorney general’s office. Lavallee said that was in late October or early November.

Michael J. Healey, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, has said it was normal procedure for URI police to refer a serious criminal case to the attorney general’s office. The six months to announce the indictments was not unusual, he said, due to factors such as office caseload and witness availability.

jhill@projo.com