Bob CollinsSome Wisconsin lawmakers want to meet with a judge who decided a three-year sentence for an Edina man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting three women was fair.
Alec Cook, 22, a University of Wisconsin Madison student before he was expelled, had been charged with 23 criminal counts involving 11 women before he took a plea deal.
Last week, Dane County Judge Stephen Ehlke sentenced Cook to three years in prison and eight years of supervision and probation.
Prosecutors had sought a nearly 20-year prison term.
In a letter, the lawmakers say they want to meet with Ehlke, Madison.com reports.
“Your lenient sentence amounts to a slap on the wrist for a serial rapist whose violent and sadistic sex crimes will haunt his victims for years to come,” the letter states.
“The message your sentence sends to Mr. Cook’s victims, to the UW campus community, and to our community at large is clear: In just three or fewer years, this predator will be back on the streets because men like Alec Cook, men with privilege, are above the law.”
They say the sentence will discourage other victims of rape and sexual assault from coming forward.
“Plenty of people have no idea that it’s even possible to sentence a serial rapist this lightly,” tweeted Abby Honold, the former University of Minnesota student who was raped by another student and had to fight the system to get justice.
“Survivors are left to feel abandoned by the system that was supposed to restore order, protect their safety, and provide justice,” state Reps. Lisa Subeck, Terese Berceau, Dianne Hesselbein and Sondy Pope wrote.
“When it comes to reporting these crimes, the message you send future sexual assault victims is: Why bother?” they said.
The chief judge in Wisconsin rejected the legislators’ request, telling them it would be unethical and suggesting they look at court transcripts to“gain a first-hand understanding of what actually occurred in the courtroom.”
During sentencing, Ehlke said he struggled with the right thing to do.
Ehlke said he weighed the seriousness of the crimes, protection of the community, Cook’s character and need for rehabilitation, and whether the sentence would severely depreciate the gravity of the offenses, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote.
