UWM Student Assaulted, Suspect Nabbed

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28728450/

A UW-Milwaukee student was sexually assaulted in her off-campus apartment on Saturday morning, according to Milwaukee police. The accused attacker was arrested within an hour of the assault.

MILWAUKEE - A University of Wisconsin Milwaukee student was sexually assaulted in her off-campus apartment on Saturday morning, according to Milwaukee police. The accused attacker was arrested within an hour of the assault. The alleged attack happened in an off-campus apartment on Oakland Ave. Police may have caught the suspect so quickly because the victim fought back. The attack happened just blocks from the UWM campus, according the police. On Sunday, TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Michael George spoke with young women who go to school at UWM. "I'm not surprised, but by how close it is, actually, I'm very frightened. I was actually just on my way for a walk. But now I'm thinking of going back and doing an inside workout," said UWM sophomore Carly Zietlow.

A 19-year-old student told police she woke up to find a stranger in the bedroom of her apartment. She says he got in through an unlocked door, sexually assaulted her, and fled. Just as disturbing as how the crime happened is when it happened: 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The victim did manage to injure her attacker, and that's how police caught the suspect. A Shorewood police officer spotted an injured man before the report of the assault had even come in. The suspect claimed he'd been in a fight, but when the officer questioned him, he said he didn't want to file a police report.

Fortunately, the officer did ask for his name and address. Minutes later, when the attacker's description went out, the officer realized she had just met him. Police arrested him at his home within an hour of the alleged assault. But many students were still worried about their own safety. "It's scary. Cause, I mean, most of the time you think stuff like that happens at night, and it's broad daylight now. So, you gotta make sure you're protected at all times," said sophomore Vanessa Medina. The suspect is a 28-year-old man with a criminal record. He has not been charged with a crime, but the district attorney's office is expected to look into the case on Monday.