Prosecutors say ex-Detroit officer led 'double life' as serial rapist
USA TODAY
Former Detroit Police Sgt. Benjamin Wagner faces 14 criminal charges, including criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping, prosecutors said.
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DETROIT — A retired Detroit Police Department sergeant has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting five young women and girls over a period of about four years, prosecutors announced Thursday, March 19.
During a news conference, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy accused Benjamin Wagner, 68, of leading a "double life as a law enforcement officer and a serial rapist." Wagner faces 14 criminal charges, including eight counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, five counts of kidnapping, and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Wagner allegedly sexually assaulted and kidnapped at gunpoint five victims, ages 15 to 23 years old, from 1999 to 2003, according to Worthy. The attacks took place early in the morning on Detroit's northwest side — all within 5½ miles of Wagner's residence at the time — as the victims were walking to school, home from work, or from a friend's house.
"The evidence found in this case concerning former DPD Sergeant Benjamin Wagner is egregious and disturbing," Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said in a statement. "It represents a deep betrayal to the oath us officers take as a symbol of public faith, as it violates the trust placed in law enforcement. Mr. Wagner’s actions do not represent the integrity, values or mission held by the officers of the Detroit Police Department."
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