Madison police seek info in recent downtown incident

Two UW–Madison students were impacted by separate incidents of apparent fourth-degree sexual assault in recent days.

In the first incident, which took place in the 120 block of East Gorham Street at 10 a.m. Sept. 29, a student reported a strange man approaching her from behind, grabbing her on the outside of her clothing and making a sexual gesture while hugging her around the chest area. When the victim reacted, the man ran off.

The suspect is described as a male, white, 19-24 years old, short blonde or light brown hair, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, blue or green eyes, acne, wearing a navy blue hooded sweatshirt, shiny blue nylon shorts and white tennis shoes.

In the second incident, which took place at 5:23 p.m. Sept. 27, a student contacted Madison police after a stranger followed her into her apartment building and grabbed her buttocks while she was checking her mailbox.

An officer spotted a man matching the suspect’s description walking in the area. Daniel M. Coffee, 21, of Madison, was arrested and tentatively charged with fourth-degree sexual assault.

If you have information about the first incident, call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014.