Attempted sexual assault, kidnapping; Franklin man pleads not guilty

FRANKLIN, Wis. - A Franklin man is accused kidnapping and threatening a woman during an episode at the end of May.

Charges filed

In court:

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office charged Angelo Liberto, 22, with attempted second-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment.

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Court records show Liberto is being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $200,000 cash bond. He pleaded not guilty to the three felonies on June 16.

In a separate case, Washington County prosecutors charged Liberto with false imprisonment. He is yet to appear in court on that felony charge.

Reported kidnapping

The backstory:

According to the criminal complaint, a Milwaukee police detective responded around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, to the area of northbound I-41 at mile marker 75 for a reported kidnapping. The victim told police that the defendant, Angelo Liberto, came to her house at 1 a.m. When the victim asked why Liberto was there unannounced, the complaint says he "told her that he had a surprise for her." The woman told the defendant he should leave.

The victim told police she and the defendant planned to go to a bar on the night of Friday, May 29. When the defendant arrived to pick up the victim, the complaint says the woman "reported that she observed lotion and chocolates in the back seat of the vehicle. (The victim) then went to get into the front seat, but the defendant told her there was another surprise and to sit in the back."

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A short time after the two departed, the complaint says the defendant pulled over at an unknown location. The victim "reported that the defendant told her that she should've been scared and pulled out a gun," the complaint says. The defendant also demanded that the victim give him her phone, the court filing says. Eventually, the victim did give the phone to the defendant. When she tried to open the door in the back seat, she was stopped by the child locks, the complaint says.

The criminal complaint says at some point, the defendant was holding a knife aggressively. The victim "reported that there were handcuffs attached to the door and the defendant reached back and was threatening her with the knife to put them on," which she eventually did. At that point, the defendant got onto the freeway and the woman "kept telling the defendant that he was really scaring her," the complaint says.

The court filing says the victim attempted to call 911, but her phone was in airplane mode. After dialing multiple times, the victim was able to call 911 and two other people. During this time, the complaint says the defendant said they were going up north to a lake house. The victim "asked if that meant he was going to rape her and the defendant said yes," the complaint says. At one point, the victim said the defendant stated, "We are at the point of no return," the court filing says.

Dig deeper:

Shortly after 11 p.m., a deputy spotted the defendant's vehicle and a traffic stop was conducted on I-41. The complaint says the deputy "observed in plain sight a handgun, pocket knife, and handcuffs." Law enforcement also searched the vehicle and found several items of evidentiary interest including "a roll of duct tape, a handgun case, handcuffs, a hacksaw" and much more. Police also found multiple identifiers for the defendant.

The officers freed the woman from the vehicle. She later told them she met the defendant in September 2025 through a mutual friend. She indicated she "told him multiple times that she only wanted to be friends," the complaint says.

Crime and Public SafetyFranklinNews