Man charged for kidnapping, sexually assaulting Milwaukee woman, Wauwatosa runner at gunpoint

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Updated: 10:25 p.m. September 17, 2018

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Police are reassuring the public after a man was charged in two brutal sexual assaults. 

The attacks happened eight days apart in Milwaukee and Wauwatosa. 

Jovon Bethly was arrested just one day after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman out jogging alone in Wauwatosa. While it was his second attack in a week, police hope it's his last. 

The Wauwatosa Police Department says they have a dangerous criminal off the streets. 

"The fact that less than 36 hours after this terrible crime occurred the suspect was identified and in custody, that's nothing short of outstanding police work," said Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber. 

Bethly is accused of pulling a gun on a couple in Milwaukee on September 1 and demanding money. Police say he then kidnapped the woman and sexually assaulted her. 

Just eight days later, police say Bethly attacked a jogger in Wauwatosa, forcing her into his vehicle and assaulting her. The woman fought back. 

"Our victim is a survivor and in my opinion a hero. She was able to survive this incident after being treated very violently and provided the information we needed to make a strong case," Chief Weber said. 

It was partly that information along with surveillance video that led to Bethly's arrest. 

Meg Wilson walks her dog every day in the area where the jogger was attacked and is happy the suspect is in custody. 

"Yes, but still scary. It makes me think about walking by myself," Wilson said.

"It's probably good if people think about those things ahead of time and think about 'if it should happen to me, what would I do?'"

In the meantime, Chief Weber is happy an accused predator is off the streets. 

Bethly is charged with two counts of kidnapping and sexual assault, as well as possession of a firearm. He's due back in court later in September. 

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Posted: 5:44 a.m. September 17, 2018

Warning: Graphic Details

MILWAUKEE COUNTY (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee man is now charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a Milwaukee woman who was walking with her boyfriend and a Wauwatosa woman who was out for a run with her dog.

Jovon Diante Bethly, 28, is now facing charges of First Degree Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee Police were dispatched to the area of 28th and Kilbourn on September 1st for a report of an abduction. 

The victim told police she was walking home with her boyfriend when they were approached by a man in a van. The man allegedly pointed a gun at the victim's boyfriend and asked him where the money was at. The victim's boyfriend showed the man that he didn't have anything. The man then allegedly pointed the gun at the victim and told her to get into the car.

The victim got into the car with the suspect, later identified as Bethly, because she feared her boyfriend would be shot if she didn't. 

Bethly then allegedly drove a few blocks away where he pulled over and told the the victim to take her clothes off. According to the criminal complaint, he then sexually assaulted the victim and forced her to have sexual intercourse with him. Afterward, Bethly drove the woman to the area of 27th and Kilbourn and let her go.

On September 9, Wauwatosa Police were dispatched to the Wisconsin Athletic Club for a possible kidnapping, sexual assault, and aggravated battery report.

Officers spoke with the victim who said she was running with her dog northbound on 87th Street, just east of the WAC, when a man exited a minivan and displayed a small black handgun. The man allegedly told the victim to leave the dog and get into his car.

The suspect then drove the victim to an open area on the county grounds and sexually assaulted her. He allegedly attempted to have sexual intercourse with the victim twice. When the victim noticed that the suspect did not have the gun in his hand, she tried to fight back and escape.

The suspect then punched the woman before smacking her head into the driver side front window where she suffered a broken tooth. The suspect then allegedly told her that he was going to kill her for getting blood in his car.

The suspect then dropped the victim off in the same spot he kidnapped her from and told her that he would kill her and her family if she told anyone since he has killed people in the past and he would die before he went back to jail.

The victim was able to identify the suspect as Bethly, the same man responsible for the sexual assault in Milwaukee. 

Bethly will have his Preliminary Hearing at 1:30 p.m. on September 24.

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