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Franklin man pleads guilty to kidnapping woman who wanted only friendship
Angelo Liberto admitted Wednesday to kidnapping and attempting to sexually assault a woman in May, threatening her with a gun and knife before she managed to call 911 and her mother tracked the vehicle until deputies stopped it.
A Franklin man pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping and attempting to sexually assault a woman who had told him she only wanted to be friends, according to court records.
Angelo Liberto abducted the woman in May, court documents state. During the ordeal, he threatened her with a gun and a knife and forced her to handcuff herself, investigators said.
The woman managed to call 911. Her mother tracked her phone and followed the vehicle until Washington County deputies pulled Liberto over, according to the records.
Inside the vehicle, investigators found duct tape, a hacksaw, a tarp and restraints.
A false imprisonment charge was dismissed as part of the plea, but the judge can still consider that allegation when sentencing Liberto in January.
The case drew attention earlier when a Milwaukee County judge set bond at $2 million. Liberto had been charged after the woman refused a relationship with him, according to earlier reporting on the charges.
The guilty pleas resolve the core allegations while leaving the dismissed false imprisonment count available for the court's consideration at sentencing. A sentencing date in January has been set; Liberto remains in custody pending that hearing.