DETROIT (WWJ) -- A retired Detroit police officer has been bound over for trial in six criminal cases — all of them involving alleged attacks on young women and girls on the city's west side.
Prosecutors said 68-year-old Benjamin Wagner, who retired from the Detroit Police Department and moved to North Carolina, is connected to a half-dozen alleged kidnappings and sexual assaults that occurred between 1999 and 2003 in Detroit.
Investigators said Wagner targeted teen girls and young women who were walking alone near schools, bus stops and workplaces, and that victims were threatened with a gun before being assaulted.
Court records state the victims were between 14 and 23 years old at the time of the attacks.
Speaking about this case when the charges were filed, officials said Wagner was living a double life, as both a criminal and a cop.
“The evidence found in this case concerning former DPD Sergeant, Benjamin Wagner, is egregious and disturbing,” said Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison, in a statement. “It represents a deep betrayal to the oath us officers take as a symbol of public faith, as it violates the trust placed in law enforcement. Mr. Wagner’s actions do not represent the integrity, values or mission held by the officers of the Detroit Police Department.”
Wagoner was bound over on each of his six cases on Monday, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
He remains jailed as he awaits his next court appearance, scheduled for May 26.
