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A former Michigan police sergeant, now retired, is facing a new legal battle as he is accused of a sixth sexual assault, allegedly involving a 14-year-old girl in 2002.
Benjamin Wagner, 68, who currently resides in North Carolina, is allegedly connected to a series of abductions and sexual assaults that occurred on Detroit’s west side from 1999 to 2003. These incidents reportedly targeted young women aged between 14 and 23, as reported by Click On Detroit.
The latest charges against Wagner are linked to an event that took place on October 15, 2002. Prosecutors claim Wagner intercepted a 14-year-old girl on her way to a bus stop on Trinity Street, near Outer Drive, as she was heading to school.
Investigators allege that Wagner, wielding a firearm, coerced the girl into a remote location where he committed the assault.
The victim, now 37, sees these charges as the start of a long-awaited journey towards justice.
“She has lived with what happened to her for 23 years,” noted Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, praising the survivor’s courage in choosing to hold her attacker accountable.
Investigators have identified a consistent and predatory “double life” led by Wagner during his time with the Detroit Police Department.
The six cases currently on file reveal many commonalities and were all within a 5.5-mile radius of Wagner’s former residence on Bentler Street.
In this latest case, Wagner faces several high-level felony charges, including Kidnapping, First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (2 counts) and Third-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (2 counts).
While the prosecution builds its case around these decades-old kits and survivor testimonies, Wagner’s defense attorney maintains that his client has no prior criminal record and emphasizes that these remain unproven allegations.
The timeline below of Wagner’s alleged sexual assaults started in 1999:
- November 10, 1999: Wagner reportedly pointed a gun at a 17-year-old woman before he sexually assaulted her. The victim was steered away from the Chalfonte and Mark Twain area as she walked home from work.
- January 31, 2000: A 23-year-old woman had a gun reportedly held to her head by Wagner and was ordered away from the area of the 18400 block of Wyoming, and was then sexually assaulted.
- September 28, 2000: Wagner allegedly pointed a gun at the face of a 15-year-old girl in the 19800 block of Florence. He is said to have grabbed the victim as she walked to a school bus and sexually assaulted her.
- November 19, 2000: A 20-year-old woman was attacked from behind as she walked to a friend’s home in the 8500 block of West McNichols. Wagner is accused of having gun to the victim’s back and sexually assaulting her after forcing her to a different location.
- October 15, 2002: Wagner’s sixth and newest charge emerged for a 14-year-old girl.
- April 15, 2003: A 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted, reportedly by Wagner after he emerged from an alley and kidnapped her in the 19000 block of Ferguson and took her to a different location.
Judge Shawn Jacque is set to preside over a probable cause conference on April 7, followed by subsequent court appearances on April 14, according to Click On Detroit.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo via Chicago PD]