Sexual assault, shot fired at Milwaukee intermodal station; charges filed
Cephus Johnson
MILWAUKEE - A 31-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of attempting to sexually assault one woman and sexually assaulting a second woman within hours in the downtown area. The accused is Cephus Johnson – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- Attempted second-degree sexual assault
- Second-degree sexual assault (three counts)
Case details
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, a Milwaukee police detective spoke with a woman who indicated on Wednesday, April 8, she was walking on W. Wisconsin Avenue between Vel R. Phillips and N. 5th Street around 11:40 p.m. when a man approached her. She said he was "walking very aggressively," the complaint says. The woman thought the person would walk past her, but "he then stopped and grabbed her skirt," the complaint says. There was a struggle as the man attempted to touch the woman inappropriately. During that struggle, another person came over to the woman and yelled at the subject to stop. The complaint says he "then shoved (the victim) to the ground with enough force to cause her shoe to fly off and injure her wrist." The victim identified the defendant in a photo array.
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A second victim told a Milwaukee police detective she went to the restroom at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station around 6 a.m. on Thursday, April 9. The woman told police that while she was in the restroom, she saw the "defendant's head peeking over the stall wall partition to her right. The defendant then came over the top of the wall partition into (the victim's) stall," the complaint says. The victim indicated to the detective that she was sexually assaulted by the man. She said she was screaming while this happened. The woman stated that "two security guards then came in while she was yelling. One of the security guards fired a gunshot," the complaint says. The defendant was arrested shortly after.
Interview with defendant
What they're saying:
In an interview with police, the defendant said if he was released, "he would kill women," the criminal complaint says.
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Johnson was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Monday, April 13.
Milwaukee Intermodal Station
Reaction
What they're saying:
Milwaukee Alderman Bob Bauman issued the following statement on this case on Monday, April 13:
"For many years, the downtown Milwaukee Intermodal Station has been plagued by a wide variety of security and maintenance issues. Last week’s incident, in which a person was sexually assaulted and then security personnel fired a gunshot to ward off the attacker, is the latest in a long line of proof that the current management and security operations are wholly inadequate.
"As such, I am demanding that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) step in immediately and take over direct management of the Intermodal Station, including the use of State Patrol officers as security.
"The station is owned by the state but operated and maintained by third-party contractors, including those providing security services. It has become painfully obvious that the current status quo is not working.
"This is a state asset, a gateway to Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin, and the recipient of significant public investment. Safety and quality maintenance are paramount.
"Residents and visitors to our city deserve better, and WisDOT should want to do better for them."
Sexual assault, shot fired at Milwaukee Intermodal Station; 1 in custody
Milwaukee police say a man is in custody after a sexual assault at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station on Thursday, April 9, where security fired a shot as commuters waited for a Chicago train.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case, and previous FOX6 News coverage.