NBC News
University of Wisconsin student Alec Cook appears in court after being charged in connection with sexually assaulting women.
University of Wisconsin student Alec Cook appears in court after being charged in connection with sexually assaulting women.
University of Wisconsin student Alec Cook appears in court after being charged in connection with sexually assaulting women.
University of Wisconsin student Alec Cook appears in court after being charged in connection with sexually assaulting women.
University of Wisconsin student Alec Cook appears in court after being charged in connection with sexually assaulting women.

University of Wisconsin student is charged with sexually assaulting 5 women

Oct. 28, 2016
After charges were brought in connection with one assault, several other women came forward to accuse he 20-year-old student.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison student has been charged with 15 counts related to the sexual assault of five women.

NBC News reports that Alec Cook, 20, is being held a $200,000 cash bond.

Police arrested Cook last week after a fellow university student accused him of strangling and assaulting her at his apartment earlier this month. More victims began coming forward soon after. A search warrant states that dozens of women have come to the police wanting to speak about their encounters with Cook.

Cook's attorneys have denied all allegations against their client. He has been placed under emergency suspension and banned from campus.

Officials at the university released a statement on the UW website that says they are "shocked and saddened" about the alleged assaults.

"Sexual violence is unacceptable in our campus and community," the statement reads. "We’re committed to transparency and communication, especially in a case as serious as this one."

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Cook, a junior business major from Edina, MInn., had been charged earlier this month with second-degree sexual assault, misdemeanor battery, strangulation and false imprisonment after a woman told police that Cook, who was an acquaintance, battered her, sexually assaulted her and kept her from leaving his apartment.

After word spread about that incident,  “dozens” of women have come forward to accuse Cook of either sexual assault or suspicious contact.

Video from NBC News:

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