Racine man charged with sexual assault, false imprisonment and more facing 60 years prison

RACINE — A 28-year-old Racine man faces a 60-year prison term after he was charged earlier this week with felony sexual assault of his girlfriend.

In addition to the felony sexual assault charge, Reginald Turner is charged with felony counts of false imprisonment, strangulation and suffocation, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as a repeat offender, and stalking resulting in bodily harm.

Those additional four charges carry a possible potential maximum prison term of 34 years, six months and a total fine of $70,000.

Turner faces three additional criminal counts that relate to his arrest after the alleged sexual assault. He is charged with felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as a repeat offender and misdemeanor counts of obstructing and possession of drug paraphernalia. The felony count carries a prison term of 10 years and a $25,000 fine.

The criminal complaint: sexual assault, false imprisonment, strangulation, and more

Racine Police were dispatched on April 6 to Ascension Hospital, where they spoke to a female, who reported she had been raped by the defendant. The officer noted markings and bruising on the victim’s neck.

The victim stated that, during the past week, Turner had physically and sexually assaulted her daily. On April 6, she stated the defendant held a gun to her and forced her to perform oral sex, which she did out of fear.

Before the woman went to the hospital for the alleged assault, police were called to the residence earlier that day for a welfare check. She said the person who answered told them she wasn’t there, but at that time, the defendant held her in the bathroom, where he held a gun to her and threatened her with bodily harm if she called out.

The woman stated that Turner strangled her, and she felt she was about to lose consciousness. She was able to escape, ran from the home and used a stranger’s phone to call her mother. She was then taken to the hospital, where hospital staff called police regarding the assault.

Turner also allegedly discharged the firearm, which the woman was able to describe. She stated she was struck on the leg by what she thought was a bullet fragment. The victim also stated to police she did not want to press charges, that she had gone to the hospital for medical attention, and it was the staff who called.

Task force assists in arrest

Criminal court records show that a felony warrant for Turner’s arrest was issued on April 23, and five days later, members of the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and Racine Police responded to a city residence in an attempt to find him.

The person who answered the door stated he had seen Turner at his mother’s house in Racine two days before. At that time, the person stated the defendant had a 9mm handgun and that he sells cocaine.

Based on that information, police developed a second city address they believed that Turner was at, and just as they made contact with someone at the front door, the defendant allegedly attempted to jump from a second-floor window but then retreated back into the residence.

Turner eventually was found hiding on the shower tub floor, where he was taken into custody without additional incident, the complaint states. Police confirmed that, in addition to the warrant in the sexual assault case, Turner also was wanted by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for a parole violation.

During a search of the residence, police found a handgun that was an exact match to the description given by the victim in the sexual assault. They also found a bag that belonged to Turner with two black digital scales and what they believed was cocaine residue.

One live round of ammunition was found underneath a living room couch cushion. Two residents of the home stated to police that Turner had been sleeping on that couch before his arrest.

Court records show that Turner was convicted in 2019 of felony taking/driving a vehicle without consent as a repeat offender, along with three misdemeanor charges that make him a habitual offender. Turner also has a previous misdemeanor drug conviction for possession of a controlled substance in 2016.

Turner, who is due back in Racine County Circuit Court on May 10, for a 9 a.m. preliminary hearing, remains in custody in the Racine County Jail on a total cash bond of $35,000.