MILWAUKEE — A violent attack on a homeless woman at a Milwaukee park. She went to sleep in a ball-field dugout and woke up to being raped at knife-point. Now, police are looking at the suspect for another case against a child.
The peaceful confines of the Beckum Park's baseball fields turned into a place of horror for a homeless woman in October.
Court records say she was sleeping in the dugout when she woke up to a man "holding a butcher knife" who told her to "take off her pants." He told her "it doesn't matter if you cry, this is still going to happen." That's when the man raped her.
The homeless outreach group Street Angels said they worked with many people living on the streets who have faced violence, so they try not to sleep at night.
"They walk around all night long or ride the bus until shuts down because they are fearful to fall asleep outdoors and be left wide open," said executive co-director Eva Welch.
Police were able to collect DNA from a rape kit and matched it to Quin Hale, 33.
The Milwaukee man has been in custody of the Department of Corrections on a separate charge since December 16th. He was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a child 16 years old or younger. Court records also show he is now a person of interest in an unsolved rape of a 13-year-old child near Indigenous Peoples Park.
Street Angels said this case highlights the dangers homeless people face every day.
"It shows we are in need of more shelter space. More adequate shelter space, leaving people to sleep on the street not only are they likely to fall victim to the elements themselves but they are likely to fall victim to criminal behavior," said Welch.
