UW ARBORETUM
Sexual Assault
University of Wisconsin police have a suspect in custody in connection to a sexual assault that took place at 2:30 a.m. Sept. 1 at the UW Arboretum, according to a UWPD statement.
Sgt. Aaron Chapin stressed that while the assault took place on campus property, neither the victim nor the suspect were affiliated with the university. The investigation is ongoing.
LANGDON STREET
Arrest in Battery Case
After an alleged battery on two University of Wisconsin students Sept. 1 in front of the Red Gym on Langdon Street, the UW Police Department confirmed they have a suspect in custody.
One of the victims was hit by a brick and had to be treated for lacerations, according to a UWPD statement.
Chapin confirmed in a message to The Badger Herald an arrest was made in connection to the battery. More information will be released later this week as the investigation unfolds, he said.
WILSON STREET
Weapons Violation
The Madison Police Department is currently investigating an incident involving a 24-year-old Madison woman who was allegedly shot in the leg by her tenant, a 57-year-old Madison man.
According to an MPD incident report, the two had been partying the night before the incident, and the woman returned the next day, Aug. 29. She allegedly broke out a window, claiming that she had come back to retrieve her purse.
The man believed he was being burglarized, grabbed his .22-caliber rifle and held the woman at gunpoint as he called the police.
When police arrived on scene, the man said he believed it was an intruder and shot the victim in her leg.
MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said detectives are investigating the incident.
WHEELER ROAD
Arrested Person
On Aug. 27 at 11:30 a.m., police arrested 29-year-old Joseph Cochran of Madison for resisting or obstructing a police officer.
According to an MPD report, police received complaints that Cochran walked into the middle of the road when vehicles would drive near. When an officer confronted Cochran, he said he was dehydrated and disoriented which caused him to misjudge where the roadway was.
Officers offered Cochran medical assistance, but he refused and then fled the scene. He was found underneath the deck of a nearby residence, where he was arrested.
JOHN NOLEN DRIVE
Intoxicated Driver
Two Wisconsin Dells residents were involved in a life-threatening car crash after attempting to return home from a trip to Madison while under the influence of heroin in late August.
Twenty-year-old Elizabeth Elledge and 23-year-old Thor Crapp were arrested for driving while intoxicated and possession of heroin after recklessly driving inbound on John Nolen and crashing into a tree the evening of Aug. 24.
An MPD report said when police arrived on the scene, the two detainees were found unresponsive in the vehicle with “blue faces and extremely pale skin.”
After being resuscitated, Elledge was cooperative and said the two had consumed heroin before she had operated the vehicle.
“This year we’ve seen numerous incidents like this where people have come in from out of town and they want to score quickly, shoot up and try to drive back,” DeSpain said. “Fortunately, none of these people have crashed into a lane of traffic.”
DeSpain said MPD has had numerous news conferences about the heroin epidemic in the past two years. He said the increase in heroin use has also been witnessed across the country.
EAST TOWNE MALL
Fraud
A 19-year-old Madison man, Maurice Porter, and a 32-year-old Madison woman, Sharee Koker, were arrested in connection with a fraud investigation the afternoon of Aug. 24.
An MPD report said an officer noticed something rectangular protruding in the center region of Koker’s buttocks and she would not cooperate when asked to remove the item. The officer retrieved the item, which turned out to be a number of gift cards from Sears and Best Buy.
DeSpain said this fraud investigation had been ongoing. The two were responsible for a combined total of more than $2,200 in stolen merchandise.
HUMMINGBIRD LANE
Exposure
A 51-year-old Madison man was arrested on the charge of disorderly conduct after exposing himself to a number of people residing in the area mid day Aug. 28.
The arrested man, Paul Olson, was standing in the window of his home when he pulled down his pants and exposed his buttocks, placed them on the glass window and “gyrated” for approximately four minutes, an MPD report said.
When police arrived, Olson told the officers he had just finished having sex with his wife and was not “taunting” the complainants as they had reported.
Olson was arrested based on the fact that he had approximately 15 separate neighbor problems reported in 2011 alone.
JOHN NOLEN DRIVE
Arrested Person
After threatening and tormenting a Madison taxi driver, 22-year-old Aaron Gaustad of Monona was arrested on two charges of disorderly conduct Aug. 25.
A Madison taxi picked Gaustad up on State Street, and he allegedly told the driver to take him to the Taco Bell in Monona. The driver began taking John Nolen Drive toward Monona, which allegedly infuriated Gaustad and prompted him to begin screaming at her and punching the back of her seat, according to the report.
The driver pulled over and called the police while watching Gaustad. He then began swinging at the driver and ran away when a second male taxi driver came to the scene.
An officer found Gaustad standing on a railroad track urinating, and he was immediately taken into custody.
BROOKS STREET
Arrested Person
A 44-year-old Madison man, Eric Pittman, was arrested for burglary and probation violation when he broke into a student residence the evening of Aug. 28.
An MPD report said two 19-year-old Madison men left their home briefly to get food, and when they returned, they saw Pittman standing inside their apartment. Pittman slammed the door on the legal residents and then allegedly kicked out a screen to escape.
The residents chased Pittman on foot for several blocks until he fell on the pavement and the two victims pinned him down until police arrived.
Pittman was found in possession of several stolen items. He had been on probation for burglary and drug offenses and denied that he had stolen the items.
