Man convicted of Water Street pickups, attempted sexual assaults
Oct. 28—EAU CLAIRE — A Menomonie man accused by authorities of picking up two women on Water Street on separate occasions and attempting to sexually assault them will be sentenced Dec. 14.
Larry A. Young, 28, 316 Third Ave. West, pleaded no contest this week in Eau Claire County Court to felony counts of strangulation and suffocation, attempted second-degree sexual assault and false imprisonment, and a misdemeanor count of fourth-degree sexual assault.
A felony count of stalking and a second misdemeanor count of fourth-degree sexual assault were dismissed but will be considered at sentencing.
Judge Sarah Harless ordered a pre-sentence investigation with a sex offender assessment by the state Department of Corrections.
Young could be sentenced to up to 31 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint from the first incident:
A woman told police she was walking from the Water Street area to her residence at UW-Eau Claire around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 6 when a man in a dark-colored vehicle stopped and offered her a ride up the hill at Garfield and Roosevelt avenues.
Once she got in the car, the woman said the man locked the doors and commented on how pretty she was. He then started to touch her hands, thighs and genital area outside her clothing.
The woman said she screamed for him to stop a couple of times but he continued touching her.
When they arrived at her residence hall, the woman said she attempted to get out of the vehicle. But the man then grabbed and groped her.
The woman said she managed to get the door open and got out of the car.
Young was identified as the suspect after he was arrested for similar conduct in March. The woman identified Young as her assailant on March 30 after viewing a photo lineup.
According to the criminal complaint from the second incident:
A woman told police she was out at the bars on Water Street on March 17 and was intoxicated. She was going to stay at an Eau Claire motel that night.
The woman said she was approached by a man in a car who told her that her friends called him to pick her up. After a short conversation, the woman said, she got into the man's vehicle.
At one point, the man began to rub her leg and she pushed his hand away. The man pulled into a storage unit facility near Craig Road and said he needed payment. The woman said her friend would pay him; the man said he didn't want money.
The man then rubbed the woman's thigh and vaginal area over her tights. She pushed his hand away and he began to choke her with his other hand. He also attempted to tear open the woman's tights.
The man told the woman to get out of the car after she poked him in the eye. She got out and ran away.
Police viewed surveillance video of the Water Street area on the night of March 17.
A man driving a dark-colored car parked in front of the woman when she was sitting on the curb outside of The Pickle. He got out, lit a cigarette and appeared to be looking around.
The man got back into the car. He was seen driving by and parking near the woman several times while she was outside the tavern.
The man then picked the woman up and drove away.
Police located the suspect vehicle on Water Street on a later date and found it was registered to Young. Young was alone and did not enter any taverns. He seemed to be watching the crowds and paying attention to women who were alone.
Police deployed female undercover officers to the area the same night. They were eventually contacted by Young multiple times over the course of several hours. He repeatedly tried to coerce them into his vehicle.
Young was arrested without incident.
Young admitted to picking up the woman on March 17, but denied having any sexual contact with her. Young said the woman got out of his car, walked away, and he didn't know why.
