Dexter man pleads not guilty to sex assault

Published 10:02 am Friday, April 17, 2015

A Dexter man pleaded not guilty Thursday to multiple allegations he sexually assaulted people at a home he lived at, including a girl younger than 13 years old.

William Alexander Witcher, 46, faces one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim under 13 and one count of fifth-degree criminal sexual assault.

Witcher

Witcher

According to court complaints, Witcher allegedly groped the girl over her clothes one day in the summer of 2013 while he was living with several other people in a Dexter home. He allegedly molested her while she was with him in a barn on the property, where he was cleaning out his car.

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The victim’s mother later told police the girl ran inside and said she “hate[d]” Witcher, and initially refused to say what happened but later mentioned Witcher had “hugged her and wouldn’t let go,” according to the report.

Witcher denied touching the girl, according to a complaint.

In another case, Witcher allegedly molested a 20-year-old woman living at the Dexter property where he lived on July 2, 2014. Witcher allegedly walked behind the woman and grabbed her body while telling her he loved her.

The next morning, at about 4 or 5 a.m., Witcher allegedly snuck into the victim’s room, went to her bed, and touched her under the covers. A roommate led Witcher out of the room and locked the door. The roommate later told police Witcher was drunk.

Witcher has also been charged with two misdemeanor counts of domestic assault and disorderly conduct in a seemingly unrelated matter. He was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual assault in 1993 and sentenced to 25 years’ probation, but he was cleared in 2012.