A jury of 12 found Benjamin Paul, of Cameron, WI, Not Guilty of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault in Washburn County Circuit Court on February 8, 2017.
A criminal complaint was filed against Benjamin Paul in December 2015 in Washburn County Circuit Court, charging him with 2nd Degree Sexual Assault.
According to public records obtained and reviewed by DrydenWire.com, Paul was charged with allegedly sexually assaulting an adult female victim on May 6, 2015. This alleged assault was apparently reported to the Washburn County Sheriff's Office on May 7, 2015. According to the female who reported the alleged assault, Paul entered her residence and had sexual contact with her without her consent.
The Washburn County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Benjamin Paul on December 4, 2015. A request for assignment of a specific judge was filed by Paul's defense counsel on December 11, 2015 and Sawyer County Judge Yackel was assigned to preside over this matter.
On December 18, 2015, a preliminary examination hearing was held and both a Deputy and an Investigator from the Washburn County Sheriff's Office provided testimony regarding their investigation into the charges. The Court found that there was probable cause to proceed with the case.
Paul entered a plea of Not Guilty to his charge on December 18, 2015. On April 26, 2016, a jury trial date of October 6, 2016 was scheduled, however, that date was later adjourned.
Another request for assignment of a specific judge was filed on October 10, 2016, and on November 1, 2016, the final jury trial date of February 8, 2017 was scheduled to be presided over by Barron County Judge Boyle.
A jury convened in Washburn County Circuit Court on February 8, 2017 to hear all arguments in the case. Testimony was heard from multiple witnesses, including Paul, who testified on his own behalf.
After less than 3 hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
“The prosecution had problems with their evidence and the jury made the right call”, stated Paul's defense attorney Shirlene Perrin in an email correspondence with DrydenWire.com. “Mr. Paul is grateful that the jury was thoughtful and he is looking forward to putting this chapter behind him. Its an incredibly scary and profound thing for a young man to face such serious charges. Again, he is at this point simply thankful that the process was fair and just.”
In a separate Washburn County Case, also filed on December 4, 2015, Paul was charged with violation of his Felony Bail Bond Conditions. According to public record, that case remains open on the Court docket with a Jury Trial date set for June 23, 2017.
Washburn County District Attorney, Angeline Winton, respectfully declined to comment for this story.
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[Photo provided by Defense Attorney Shirlene Perrin]
Last Update: Feb 09, 2017 12:28 pm CST
