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DETROIT — A retired Detroit Police Department sergeant has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting five young women and girls over a period of about four years, prosecutors announced Thursday, March 19.
During anews conference, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy accused Benjamin Wagner, 68, of leading a "double life as a law enforcement officer and a serial rapist." Wagner faces 14 criminal charges, including eight counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, five counts of kidnapping, and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Wagner allegedly sexually assaulted and kidnapped at gunpoint five victims, ages 15 to 23 years old, from 1999 to 2003, according to Worthy. The attacks took place early in the morning on Detroit's northwest side — all within 5½ miles of Wagner's residence at the time — as the victims were walking to school, home from work, or from a friend's house.
"The evidence found in this case concerning former DPD Sergeant Benjamin Wagner is egregious and disturbing," Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said ina 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."
Wagner was arrested and charged following a multi-year investigation, according to Worthy. He was arrested in Greenville, North Carolina, on Tuesday, March 17, and will be extradited to Michigan, the FBI's Charlotte field office said ina statement.
The first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping charges carry maximum penalties of up to life in prison, according to the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Wagner is scheduled to be arraigned on March 26 in the 36th District Court in Detroit.
Worthy has urged anyone who may have been assaulted by Wagner to contact the Detroit Police Department's sex crimes unit. She noted that the investigation into Wagner remains ongoing.
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Wagner joined the Detroit Police Department in 1989 and received several awards and commendations before retiring in 2017, according to Worthy. During that time, he worked in various assignments, including at the 2nd and 10th precincts, investigative operations, the tactical services unit, criminal investigations, and the commercial auto theft unit.
In 2002, Wagner was suspended from his role as sergeant after he was charged with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the alleged rape of his stepdaughter, reported theDetroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. The girl, who was 15 at the time, said in a note to her mother that Wagner had been assaulting her since she was 7 or 8 years old.
Wagner was found not guilty by a Wayne Circuit Court jury and was later reinstated by the police department. After retiring from the Detroit Police Department, Worthy said he moved to Greenville.
In astatement on social media, the Greenville Police Department said it assisted the FBI with Wagner's arrest. Wagner was arrested at the Pitt-Greenville Airport, where he worked as an airline employee, without incident.
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The Greenville Police Department and the FBI said Wagner was wanted in Michigan for multiple sexual assault investigations dating back to the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"At this time, we have no information to suggest Wagner was involved in any criminal activity in Greenville," the Greenville Police Department said. "He has not been connected to any local cases, and his DNA has not matched any cases in our system."
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Benjamin Wagner linked to sexual assault cases through DNA
Investigators homed in on Wagner after examining previously untested rape kits, according to the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. In 2009, prosecutors discovered 11,341 sexual assault kits during aroutine tour of a Detroit police storage warehouse.
The kits had been collected from 1984 to 2009 and were never submitted for DNA testing, the prosecutor's office said. All the kits have been tested, and as of March 1, 5,684 investigations involving those kits have been completed, 36 are actively being investigated, and one is awaiting investigation.
The kits have also identified 858 suspected serial sexual offenders, according to the prosecutor's office. In the case against Wagner, prosecutors said in 2010, Michigan State Police linked an unknown man to Detroit sexual assaults that occurred from 1999 to 2003.
"The male suspect was unknown to the victims and the suspect's DNA was not contained in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)," the prosecutor's office said in anews release. "In August 2023, the FBI Detroit Field Office received a report identifying an investigative lead to a potential suspect linked to these five sexual assault kits."
The FBI continued to work on the investigative lead, prosecutors said. In March, investigators were able to link Wagner to the five sexual assault cases.
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Prosecutors provides timeline of alleged attacks
The Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney's Office provided a timeline and the circumstances surrounding the alleged attacks:
Nov. 10, 1999: A 17-year-old was heading to a friend's house after work when Wagner allegedly approached, pointed a gun at her, ordered her to another location, and sexually assaulted her. Wagner faces kidnapping and three first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges in connection with this incident.
Jan. 31, 2000: A 23-year-old woman was on her way to a store when Wagner allegedly pointed a gun at her head, kidnapped her, and sexually assaulted her. Wagner faces kidnapping and first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges.
Sept 28, 2000: A 15-year-old girl was walking to school when Wagner allegedly grabbed her arm, put a gun in her face, kidnapped her, and sexually assaulted her. Wagner is charged with one count of kidnapping, one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
November 19, 2000: A 20-year-old woman was on her way from a friend's home when Wagner allegedly put a gun to her back, kidnapped, and sexually assaulted her. Wagner faces one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
April 15, 2003: A 16-year-old girl was walking to catch a bus to take her to school when Wagner allegedly kidnapped her, brandished a gun, and sexually assaulted her. Wagner faces two charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and a kidnapping charge.
"The alleged facts in this case are disturbing, unsettling and infuriating," Worthy said, adding that in each incident, Wagner "threatened their lives if they reported" and did not use a condom.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press:Ex-Detroit sergeant led 'double life' as serial rapist: Prosecutors