STATE STREET
Sexual Assault
A 28-year-old woman reported a man groped her at a bus stop Saturday night, according to a Madison Police Department report.
The woman identified the man after she fled the scene on the 200
Block of State Street and flagged down an officer who was on patrol in the
area.
MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the man has been arrested on the charge of fourth-degree sexual assault.
STATE STREET
Streetlight Outage
Streetlights from the 200 to 600 Blocks of State Street went out temporarily Saturday night, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
Verveer said Madison Gas & Electric conducted electrical maintenance work near Central Library by the Overture Center and had to stop its work short, which led to a blackout on the street.
“There was concern at busy intersections like Gorham and Johnson with State, because with literally thousands of pedestrians in the area, in addition to bikes and motor vehicle traffic, it was really dangerous,” Verveer said.
He said he believed the power outage might have contributed to the fights and disturbances that occurred on State Street during St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
He first heard about complaints around midnight, and the outage persisted during some of the busiest times at State Street bars.
“I was most concerned about the lack of communication between the city and MG&E, and we want to make sure this never happens again,” Verveer said.
WEST DAYTON
Robbery
A suspect grabbed a 21-year-old woman’s purse on her way home early Saturday morning, a report said.
The woman was walking with her friends around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to the report, when a man snatched her purse from around her wrist and ran.
Although one of the woman’s friends attempted to chase down the suspect, he was unable to catch the thief, DeSpain said.
However, he said University of Wisconsin Police were in the area and were able to identify and take the man, 19, into custody after they saw him running.
It is unclear from the initial report whether or not the woman or the suspect were UW students.
STATE STREET
Battery
A 49-year-old man was knocked unconscious outside a bar on State Street Saturday night in an apparent altercation, according to an MPD report.
After the suspect called him an inflammatory name, the man and a witness stepped outside with the suspect and the suspect punched the man, knocking him unconscious, the report said.
DeSpain said the man was taken to a hospital to be treated and released but did not sustain any serious injuries.
“In the winter months when there aren’t so many people, there seem to be fewer disturbances,” DeSpain said. “I didn’t see anything more from what I usually see on a Monday morning after a warm weekend.”
The suspect has not been arrested, according to the report.
