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Local NewsWas Joel Hoffman Released Prematurely after Case Involving Teen Girl?By Charles BensonMILWAUKEE - He's accused of sexually assaulting two women, including a UWM student. Wednesday, Joel Hoffman was in court for the first time. But could the alleged assaults been prevented? Milwaukee Police arrested Joel Hoffman not once but twice last year, and each time he was released without charges. But after the second arrest, Hoffman may have gotten a "get out of jail card" prematurely. When Joel Hoffman showed up in court Wednesday he was charged with child enticement and stalking a 14-year-old girl. "He was yelling at me, 'Get in the car! Get in the car!' several times, and me being the age I am, I was shocked," said the 14-year-old. The eighth grader went to police on September 18. That night's records show Hoffman was arrested for disorderly conduct. He was booked in the county jail and a "hold" order was supposedly placed on him, meaning, don't let him out. But in less than 24 hours, Hoffman had bailed himself out. The news stunned the 14-year-old and her mother. "They were like, 'He got bailed out," (and) me and mom were just shocked," the teenager said. The 14-year-old says she did indentify Hoffman from pictures but apparently, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office claims she wasn't 100 percent sure, so no charges were ever issued. She's still troubled by what happened. "We were ready, we were there ready to press charges, get it over with, he beat us there," the teen said. Why was Hoffman allowed to make bail and why didn't anyone go get him even after he bailed himself out? The DA's office doesn't know why and we are still trying to get answers. |
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