Madison police arrest man suspected in string of sexual assaults
MADISON, Wis. — Madison police say they’ve arrested a man accused in multiple sexual assault incidents, including one on University Avenue this past weekend.
30-year-old Mehrdad Zareh Bannad Kouki was arrested Tuesday after an investigation by Madison police detectives, neighborhood officers and community policing teams. He’s accused of approaching a 20-year-old woman on University Avenue near Mills Street on the UW-Madison campus just before 2 a.m. Sunday and reaching up her dress, touching her private area.
The woman reported screaming and running away before calling police.
Following initial reports of the assault, several other women came forward to the Madison Police Department to report similar incidents, tipping police off to a recent trend.
Kouki was arrested two days later on tentative charges of 4th degree sexual assault, disorderly conduct and lewd and lascivious behavior in the University Ave. assault and also faces charges for two other additional similar assaults, including additional counts of 4th degree sexual assault, disorderly conduct and lewd and lascivious behavior.
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