Three weeks and still no info from police on sexual assault, where woman was grabbed off street in downtown La Crosse

It’s been nearly three weeks since a sexual assault occurred in a UW-La Crosse parking ramp, and still almost no information from authorities.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. Oct. 29.

According to a “UWL Alert” email sent to students — which is the only detailed info to come out about the incident — a woman was grabbed by a man in front of The Library Bar in downtown La Crosse and pulled into a vehicle with four other men. She was then taken to a UW-L parking ramp and sexually assaulted in the stairwell.

WIZM made an open-records request to both the UW-L Police and the City of La Crosse Police Department.

The La Crosse Police responded that the incident was filed with the university’s police and therefore was out of their jurisdiction.

The university police responded to the request via email simply stating that “The UW-La Crosse Police Department does not release records regarding investigations that are still pending.”

On Nov. 4, Lt. Linnea Miller with the city police explained that they were asked to assist with the case but, at that point in time, had no records of the incident.

Miller also stated that she believed there was video footage of the incident but UW-L police had the video and would not be releasing it at the time.

She explained that, because it is an ongoing investigation, they would not be releasing any reports of the assault or the arrest until after the defendant’s initial court appearance.

On Nov. 10, the La Crosse District Attorney’s office responded to an email inquiry saying that the person arrested in connection to the case was an 18 year old. That man, a UW-L student, is scheduled for a court appearance on Friday.

The DA said a copy of the criminal complaint could be released after it was filed.

The man’s charge is listed in the Wisconsin Circuit Court as an underage drinking arrest that occurred on Oct. 30. There was no mention of a sexual assault.

It is unclear the role he had in the assault, or whether any other arrests have been made. Just over a week ago, UW-L students held a rally for sexual assault victims on campus.