UW's Quintez Cephus faces 2 charges of sexual assault, to appear in court Thursday
MADISON – Wisconsin wide receiver Quintez Cephus faces two charges of sexual assault and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Dane County Courthouse.
According to Wisconsin Circuit Court records filed Monday, Cephus faces one charge of second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim and one charge of third-degree sexual assault. Both are felonies.
Maximum penalties for the first charge is up to 40 years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine for the second charge.
According to Madison Police:
"Officers from the Midtown District were sent to a local hospital on April 22 to meet with a woman who had come to the emergency room. Officers obtained statements and gathered forensic evidence from the woman who said she was the victim of a sexual assault.
"Detectives were next assigned to the case. The woman provided the name and address of the person she said assaulted her. She said the incident took place inside the man’s apartment prior to her arrival at the hospital.
"The man, Quintez R. Cephus, age 20, Madison, was contacted. Cephus was cooperative and provided a statement. During the early stages of the investigation, detectives learned the identity of a second woman, who had been present inside Cephus’ apartment on April 22nd. She told detectives she was also the victim of a sexual assault by Cephus.
"Additional follow-up was done and the case was referred to the Dane County District Attorney for a charging decision."
According to the criminal complaint filed about the incident, UW wide receiver Danny Davis, who is Cephus' roommate, also was present at the time and took photos of one of the women. She later told Cephus how to delete the photos, according to the complaint.
Davis has not been charged with any crime and has not been suspended by the university. UW officials had no comment Monday evening about Davis' alleged involvement.
After the charges were filed against him, Cephus was suspended Monday by the UW per the university's Student-Athlete Discipline Policy.
Cephus announced Saturday via Twitter he was leaving the team indefinitely because he anticipated being charged.
“I have been wrongfully accused of unlawful conduct,” he wrote, “and I am innocent of any allegations associated with this consensual relationship."
Cephus, who missed the final five games of last season after suffering a broken leg at Indiana, had practiced with the team through Friday.
According to UW's Student-Athlete Discipline Policy, he was allowed to participate in practice because he hadn't been arrested or charged.
“My football family has been supportive to me," Cephus wrote, "and I have too much respect for Coach Chryst, his staff and my teammates to become a distraction in what I know will be an outstanding year for the Badgers.”