Wisconsin Public Radio

Sexual Assault Charges Against Jacob Blake Dropped

Blake pleads guilty to disorderly conduct, receives two-years probation.

By , Wisconsin Public Radio - Nov 6th, 2020 04:25 pm
A screen shot of Jacob Blake, center, attending a brief virtual pre-trial hearing on Oct. 21, 2020 regarding charges he faces for criminal trespass, third-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct. Corrinne Hess/WPR

A screen shot of Jacob Blake, center, attending a brief virtual pre-trial hearing on Oct. 21, 2020 regarding charges he faces for criminal trespass, third-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct. Corrinne Hess/WPR

The state of Wisconsin dropped sexual assault charges against Jacob Blake on Friday.

Kenosha Police were trying to take Jacob Blake into custody on an outstanding sexual assault warrant when officer Rusten Sheskey shot him seven times in the back Aug. 23. The shooting set off weeks of protests in Kenosha that in turn prompted right-wing backlash, including the shooting of three protesters by 17-year-old Illinois resident Kyle Rittenhouse.

Blake was charged with sexual assault for domestic incidents that happened months before he was shot. After the shooting, he was handcuffed to his hospital bed, as he was in federal custody for the outstanding warrant, though the cuffs were removed and Milwaukee deputies standing guard were dismissed after he posted bail.

He appeared Friday via Zoom Friday and pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct, for which he was sentenced to two years of probation.

Blake is paralyzed following the August shooting and has been undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation center in Illinois since being released from the hospital. He will be allowed to live in Illinois under the terms of his probation.

Listen to the WPR report here.

State Drops Sexual Assault Charges Against Jacob Blake was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us