A case that started as a misdemeanor assault has turned into a child porn investigation, all because one Milwaukee woman decided to speak up.
TODAY'S TMJ4 usually does not identify victims of sexual assault. This young woman said she wanted her name and face to be shown so that others would know it is important to come forward.
During Anna Nowakowski's recent winter break from college, she slept over at a friend's house. She said in the middle of the night, Jared Weber came in her room and groped her.
"I pretended to 'shift' in my sleep and put my arms over myself. And that's when he finally got up," said Nowakowski.
Anna didn't say anything at first, but finally told a friend.
"It wasn't a secret to keep. I needed all the support I could get," said Nowakowski.
When Anna did speak up it lead someone else to come forward. That person gave her a USB drive that police said contained a picture of a naked woman showering at Milwaukee County's Noyes Pool, where Weber worked. But that wasn't all that was on the drive.
"Then I saw pictures of kids and Jared's exposed bottom half," said Nowakowski.
Anna called the police and Weber was arrested. He is charged with multiple counts of child sexual assault. The victim was just 10 years old at the time.
"You really have to be careful because they can be so good at hiding something so disgusting," said Nowakowski.
Anna Nowakowski's mom says she applauds her daughter for stepping forward before more children were hurt.
"You don't hurt children. It's just really wrong. So we are super proud of her. She's our hero," said Karen Nowakowski, fighting back tears.
Court records show police are still going through computer files taken from Weber. He is currently facing 13 counts including sexual explotation of a child. He made a first court appearance on Wednesday.
