A University of Wisconsin student is facing 30 charges related to the sexual assault of four women, and prosecutors say that more charges could be on the way.
Alec Cook, 20, was charged last week with sexually assaulting an acquaintance. The Washington Post reports that on Oct. 12, a female student went to police in Madison, Wis., and filed a complaint against Cook.
She said that she and Cook had met on Facebook and had gotten together four or five times, always in public. After she studied with Cook at a college library and had dinner, he invited her back to his apartment. She declined, and told him that she was not interested in having casual sex. Cook told her that they would not do anything she didn’t want to do.
According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by the Post, within five minutes, Cook started kissing her. When she asked him to stop, he refused and became more aggressive. He pinned her down on his bed and sexually assaulted her for two-and-a-half hours.
According to the Post, at one point as he penetrated her, he choked her, pulled her hair, pushed her face into the pillow and slapped her in the face.
The affidavit says he told her, “You must like that. I always knew you were kinky.”
The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Cook was charged Oct. 19 with multiple sexual assault counts and then was arrested again on Oct. 20 after a second woman—who told police that she felt empowered after seeing news reports about his arrest for assaulting the first woman—came forward and alleged that he had assaulted her in 2015. On Oct. 21 a third woman came forward to make sexual assault allegations against Cook.
Dane County Assistant District Attorney Colette Sampson told the Journal that a fourth woman has come forward, and charges pertaining to her will be included in the complaint against Cook.
Sampson said that two more women have contacted the police, and she expects additional sexual assault charges related to one and stalking charges related to the other to be filed against Cook.
Sampson told the Journal that Cook will be charged with 11 felony sexual assault counts, two counts of false imprisonment, one strangulation count and more than 15 misdemeanor sexual assault counts.
According to the Journal, while executing a search warrant, police found a notebook in Cook’s apartment that contained what is believed to be his grooming and stalking techniques for numerous women. More than 20 such notebooks were found, but investigators have reviewed only one so far.
Sampson said that investigators believe Cook has been sexually assaulting women since 2015. They also believe that his level of aggressiveness has grown over time.
Cook denies the allegations. He is being held in the Dane County Jail without bail and will have a hearing Thursday.
Read more at the Wisconsin State Journal and the Washington Post.