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Officials nab sexual assault suspects
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Also by Lynn Heidmann:
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by Lynn Heidmann
Monday, September 18, 2006
The Madison Police Department charged 21-year-old Marcus Bonner of Madison and 20-year-old Anthony Feda of Waukesha Friday for the Sept. 4 sexual assault of a young woman on the 500 block of University Avenue.
Mike Hanson, MPD's Public Information Officer, said in a press release the men were identified through a combination of "good detective skills" and helpful information from the public.
"I give great credit to the detectives in the case," Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said. "I am tremendously relieved, as all the students probably are, that all these culprits are behind bars where they belong."
Though the original police report said there were four suspects in the case, Lt. David Jugovich of the MPD confirmed all suspects are now in custody. The original report also did not specify the location of the assault on the 500 block, but Verveer said the attack occurred in the alley behind Ian's Pizza and The Vintage and then continued behind the La Ciel apartment complex.
In a letter to The Badger Herald, Ian's Pizza partner Rob Haugen said area restaurants are looking to install better lighting and cameras in the alley behind the establishments to increase safety in the area. The first suspect identified, Mario Amaya, was an Ian's Pizza employee who Haugen confirmed was suspended without pay.
"An incident of this nature does not reflect who we are as a company; neither do the actions of one employee represent our company as a whole," he said in the letter. "We are truly saddened by this incident, and we are doing everything in our power … to ensure that something of this nature will not happen again."
Verveer said he has already begun to see improvement in the number of officers patrolling the dangerous area, which is the private property of the area bars and restaurants.
"I've seen a lot more police on the one-way street behind the businesses since this happened, and hopefully that trend will continue," he added.
In addition to the capture of the suspects in the University Avenue sexual assault, police charged 33-year-old Madison resident Paul Curtis Aud Thursday with attempted second-degree sexual assault and battery.
Aud attacked a young woman on the 100 block of Langdon Street Aug. 23, and MPD officials were able to locate the suspect through an anonymous source of information.
All three suspects are scheduled to make court appearances either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, Verveer reported.
Though MPD made several arrests over the weekend, Verveer still stressed the importance of campus and city safety, especially at night when people are more vulnerable to attack. Though recent incidents are rare and isolated, he added, safety is always going to be an issue.
"It's a tremendous relief, but certainly nobody should let their guard down," he said. "I implore students and others to be extra vigilant when they are walking around at night and take all the necessary precautions."
