A Wisconsin judge ruled there is enough evidence for four women to stand trial for their roles in a staged motel tryst that ended with a man tied to a bed, his penis super-glued to his stomach, a lawyer for one of the women said Wednesday.
A Calumet County Circuit Court Judge issued the ruling Tuesday after hearing from the alleged victim, who spent about 90 minutes on the witness stand describing his ordeal, attorney Rob Bellin said. The 37-year-old man, who is in custody on charges in an unrelated case, delivered his testimony wearing an orange jailhouse jumpsuit. “I was telling them they couldn’t do this, that it’s assault. Hello, let me leave,” the alleged victim said, according to CNN affiliate WBAY. The man’s wife and two of his girlfriends hatched a plot to lure him to a Stockbridge motel on July 30 and confront him after learning that he was having “sexual relations” with all of them, a criminal complaint states. Therese Ziemann, Wendy Sewell, Michelle Belliveau and the man’s wife are accused of felony false imprisonment, which carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison. Ziemann, who is also accused of misdemeanor sexual assault and battery, faces arraignment on October 5. Belliveau pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, and the others have motion hearings scheduled in October. CNN does not name victims of alleged sexual assault and will not name the alleged victim’s wife since they use the same last name. Ziemann told investigators that her lover’s wife contacted her the day before the incident and revealed that he was married with children and seeing other women for money. Ziemann said she confirmed the information with Sewell, and the three arranged to confront him “without him knowing,” the complaint says. Belliveau, Ziemann’s sister, was allegedly also present. The man went to the hotel on July 30 to meet Ziemann, who told investigators that she met him on Craigslist and fell in love, paying for their hotel rooms and lending him $3,000, the complaint says. The alleged victim told police that when he arrived, Ziemann told him she wanted to “tie him up and give him a rub down.” She used bed sheets to tie him to the bed, and blindfolded him with a pillowcase before cutting off his underwear with scissors, according to the complaint. She then texted the other women to let them know “he’s tied up.” After they arrived, they peppered him with questions like, “which do you love more” and “who do you want to grow old with” Ziemann told police she slapped her lover and asked “can you handle that” before using Krazy Glue to stick his penis to his stomach. The man told police that the women took his wallet, cell phone and car and left him tied to the bed. He chewed on the bindings to free himself and eventually called police. The man, who has a criminal record in Wisconsin dating back to 1998, is in custody on unrelated charges of child abuse, theft and harassment. His next court appearance in that case is scheduled for Thursday, September 17.
