A Madison man who was originally charged in March with attempting to rob and sexually assault a woman in a restroom at a Far East Side convenience store pleaded guilty Wednesday to two felonies and was sentenced to probation.
Damarcus C. Willingham, 19, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and attempted theft for an incident on March 5 at Kwik Trip, 1625 N. Stoughton Road, for which he was originally charged with attempted armed robbery and attempted first-degree sexual assault.
Dane County Assistant District Attorney Timothy Verhoff said the victim, who was not in court Wednesday, has since said there was no sexual assault attempt, and that police simply “got it wrong.” Verhoff said the woman has also said she does not want Willingham, whom she did not know, to be sent to prison for the incident.
According to a criminal complaint, the woman told police she was in a stall in the women’s restroom around 2:10 a.m. when she heard someone come in and linger near the sink before going into an adjacent stall. That person then started to slide under the divider into her stall, the complaint states, where he put a gun to her chest and demanded money. The complaint alleges he also demanded the woman perform a sex act on him and exposed himself to her.
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Willingham’s attorney, Kara Rolf, said Willingham, who is originally from Tennessee, has been living with his girlfriend and her mother, but after an argument, he ended up outside walking around. At the Kwik Trip, she said, Willingham saw the woman and thought she might have money, so he “really made a very terrible decision.”
Rolf said Willingham, who has no prior criminal record, had gone to school in Tennessee and was part of a basketball program geared toward helping youth from underprivileged backgrounds get into college. Rolf said the victim of the crime has told her she feels empathy for Willingham, adding that’s unusual among her cases.
Circuit Judge Julie Genovese agreed to go along with a mutually recommended sentence for Willingham — seven months in jail for the false imprisonment, deemed served, and four years of probation for the attempted theft — and told Willingham he appears to have the talent to do better and to avoid the “drama” that draws young people into criminal activity.
“It’s a serious crime,” Genovese said, “but I’m persuaded that this makes sense.”
Willingham said he would use his time on probation to improve the circumstances in his life and said he plans to get a job and hopefully go to college.
“I want to say how sincerely sorry I am,” he said.
John Nolen Drive/Lake Monona Waterfront project
An elaborate park on the Lake Monona shore, conceived by John Nolen in 1911, is progressing.
A special city committee on Monday enthusiastically and unanimously approved a draft master plan that dramatically reimagines the Lake Monona waterfront.
"We're shifting from planning the park to building the park," said committee chairman Allen Arntsen, who chaired the Lake Monona Waterfront Ad Hoc Committee.
The City Council's finance committee added about $6.77 million worth of borrowing into next year's budget Tuesday night.
An underpass for bikers and pedestrians in the new plans will likely require raising John Nolen Drive, a change not included in an upcoming reconstruction of the road.
The $30 million reconstruction will include 178 feet of crosswalk and pedestrian islands at the intersection of John Nolen and North Shore Drive.
The Lake Monona Waterfront Ad Hoc Committee recommended Sasaki's proposal for the redesign of the John Nolen Drive lakefront Wednesday night.
The Lake Monona Waterfront Ad Hoc Committee is set to start discussing its preferences at its meeting next week.
Events include a "kick off" on Oct. 3 to engage with three nationally-noted finalists, and later, a check-in on progress, and then presentations on proposed master plans.
In August 2022, Madison selected three finalists in its Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge, aimed at creating a “visionary, inclusive and…
A special Madison committee has picked three finalists who've designed public spaces around the globe to move forward in a design competition to reshape the Lake Monona waterfront between Olin Park and Williamson Street.
Firms that have designed some of the most celebrated public spaces in the world have joined a competition to reimagine the Lake Monona waterfront between Williamson Street and Olin Park.
Madison is moving to transform a two-story building and property on Lake Monona next to Olin Park into community amenity with Parks Division offices, recreational programming, meeting rooms and enhanced public restroom access for park users.