Bail set at $1,000 cash for Colfax man charged with sexual assault at Elk Point
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By LeAnn R.Ralph
MENOMONIE — Bail has been set at $1,000 cash for a 31-year-old Colfax man charged with two felony counts of second and third degree sexual assault for the alleged rape of a woman at Elk Point Resort.
Russell L. Anderson appeared with attorney Shelly Tomtschik in Dunn County Circuit Court April 17 for an initial appearance before Judge James Peterson.
Dunn County Assistant District Attorney Megan Kelly asked that bail be set at $1,000 cash, and Tomtschik asked that bail be set with a signature bond.
Judge Peterson set bail at $1,000 cash and ordered Anderson to have no contact with the alleged victim and also ordered Anderson to not possess or consume any alcohol and not to enter any bars, taverns or liquor stores or any other establishment where the primary purpose is the sale of alcohol, according to online court records.
Tomtschik told the court that Anderson did not qualify for a public defender, and Judge Peterson set the initial appearance for May 30 at 10:25 a.m.
Online court records indicate attorney Matthew Krische was entered into the record as Anderson’s attorney on April 19.
Complaint
According to the criminal complaint, a Dunn County deputy was dispatched to the Elk Point Campground in the Town of Tainter about 9:41 p.m. Saturday, April 15.
The 911 communications center reported that someone had called and said his or her granddaughter had sent a text message: “Come and get me ASAP. Elk Point Campground help. In trailer. Break in. He won’t let me leave. Drive past bar.”
The grandparent asked if the police should be called, and the alleged victim replied, “Yes, hurry.”
The deputy arrived at Elk Point at 9:53 p.m. and located the particular vehicle he had been told to look for. He advised other responding units of the location and approached the camper, according to the complaint.
After listening for a few seconds and not hearing anything, the deputy knocked on the door, heard commotion inside, and then someone opened the door.
The deputy saw a woman with her bodysuit hanging out of her sweatshirt, who was later identified as the alleged victim, and a man, who was later identified as Russell Anderson, standing there completely unclothed, the complaint states.
Frantic
The alleged victim was “very frantic,” was gathering her things quickly and said she “just wanted to leave.” Anderson “stood there dumbfounded,” the complaint states.
The deputy told Anderson to get dressed, and the deputy met the alleged victim at her vehicle.
The alleged victim told the deputy she had been raped.
The woman said she had met Anderson at her place of employment in Colfax and that he had texted her that evening and asked if she wanted to go out for a drink. The woman said she had met Anderson at one of the bars in Colfax. She said she had one mixed drink, and Anderson drank a couple of beers.
Anderson asked if she wanted to go to Elk Point, and she followed in her own vehicle, according to the complaint.
Anderson told the woman to park at his camper because it is usually difficult to find a parking spot near the bar, and they could walk to the tavern.
The woman said she thought nothing of Anderson’s statement about parking.
When they arrived at the camper, Anderson said he wanted to go in and grab some beer and then walk to the tavern. The woman went into the camper with him, and Anderson locked the door, positioned himself in front of the door and removed all of his clothing, according to the complaint.
Two hours
The woman said Anderson had asked how much it would cost for two hours of her time.
The woman told Anderson she was not a prostitute, that she was not ready for this kind of a relationship, and that she wanted to leave, according to the complaint.
Anderson told her she would be free to go after they’d had sex.
The woman said she tried stalling Anderson and that she became “very scared.” She managed to get her phone out so she could send a message. The woman said every time she tried to leave, Anderson would push her or bear hug her and pick her up.
Anderson then pulled the woman’s pants down and sat her on his lap, the complaint states.
When the woman asked if that was Anderson’s plan all along, he said, “Yeah.”
The woman said she tried pulling away but that Anderson became very aggressive with her. She said she was scared and felt sick and asked Anderson for a bottle of water as way to try to get him to stop. The woman said she was shaking, and then Anderson pinned her down on the bed and had sex with her, according to the complaint.
At that point, the woman said she saw the deputy’s car in the roadway.
SANE exam
The deputy asked the woman to wait in his squad.
The deputy spoke with another deputy who had arrived on the scene. The second deputy spoke with Anderson, who the deputy described as being vague with his answers, the complaint states.
The first deputy also talked to Anderson and asked him what had happened that night.
Anderson said they had gone for drinks and then had gone to his camper. When asked if they’d had sex, Anderson said they did. When he was asked about details, Anderson could not provide any details and continued to ask what was going on, He also asked what the alleged victim had told the deputy, according to the complaint.
The deputy decided they had enough probable cause to arrest Anderson and took him into custody.
The deputies talked to the woman, and she agreed to go to the hospital and to surrender some of her clothing as evidence. At the hospital, the woman completed a written statement for the deputy and then spoke with a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and completed a partial exam. The nurse sealed the evidence and then turned it over to the deputy.
The alleged victim was given a victim information sheet, and the deputy transported the evidence to the sheriff’s department, according to the complaint.
