NW Wis. officer placed on leave due to sexual assault allegations

A law enforcement officer in northwest Wisconsin was placed on administrative leave while police investigate claims of sexual assault.

The Associated Press reports the Solon Springs town constable is accused of making sexual advances on a 27-year-old woman he picked up on the highway last month while he was on duty.

The 47-year-old suspect is the constable, a sworn law enforcement officer, for both the town and village of Solon Springs, the Superior Telegram says. He also is employed part-time with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Both the county and municipalities placed the officer on leave.

The Superior Police Department is investigating the incident, Northland's NewsCenter reports.

The victim told police she was walking along U.S. Highway 53 in Solon Springs, about 40 miles southeast of Duluth, on June 15 around 10:30 p.m. when the officer in a marked squad car offered her a ride to Superior.

The officer allegedly drove the woman to his nearby home instead. At the suspect's house, the woman said he offered her alcohol and made unwanted sexual contact.

The suspect later dropped the woman off at the St. Croix Inn in Solon Springs just before 2 a.m. the next day.

The case will be forwarded to the district attorney's office for possible charges after the investigation is complete.