A UW-Madison student was arrested for two counts of second-degree sexual assault Monday.
20-year-old Alec R. Cook is accused of strangulation, battery and false imprisonment of a 20-year-old female student.
He was released on a signature bond after a court appearance Wednesday, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Cook was acquainted with the victim before the alleged assault. The incident reportedly occurred Oct. 12 in Cook’s apartment in the 500 block of N. Henry St. around 11:30 p.m.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Cook's lawyer said the interaction with the student was consensual.
She filed a criminal complaint in the Dane County Circuit Court Oct. 16 that said Cook made contact with her after she asked him to stop and would not let her leave.
According to Madison Police Department Public Information Officer Joel Despain, the investigation is ongoing and detectives are in the process of conducting interviews.
“We’re still gathering initial information,” Despain said. “If others have additional information that might pertain to this they should contact the crime stoppers line.”
UW-Madison has confirmed that Cook is a senior real estate and urban land economics major, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
The Wisconsin Involvement Network lists Cook as a member of the UW-Madison chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
A restraining order was filed against Cook through the City of Madison Municipal Court Oct. 17. The temporary order is in effect until Oct. 24, the day on which Cook and the filer will meet in front of a judge to determine whether the restraining order will become permanent.
UPDATE Oct. 19, 2:15 p.m. This story was updated to include information about the investigation and details of the filed restraining order.
UPDATE Oct. 19, 10:09 p.m. This story was updated to include updates about the status of Cook's arrest and details of the complaint.
