Today in Jackson County Circuit Court, the District Attorney charged Paul A. Sylvester, 52, of Black River Falls, with second degree sexual assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent, theft, and disorderly conduct. According to the criminal complaint, on May 25, 2024, Sylvester watched a woman enter her vehicle in a Sparta parking lot, then entered the passenger side of her vehicle and demanded that she drive. When the woman refused and attempted to fend him off, Sylvester used her pepper spray against her, struck her, and took control of her vehicle. He drove to a remote forested area of Jackson County where he sexually assaulted her and left her stranded in the woods in the middle of the night without her phone, glasses, or keys. The woman was discovered the next morning walking along a Jackson County roadway and a passerby stopped to help her.
The court granted the District Attorney’s request to order Sylvester held on a $750,000 cash bond with conditions. An adjourned initial appearance is scheduled for June 10th.
Sylvester retains his presumption of innocence until otherwise adjudicated in a court of law.
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