Overview
- An 18-year-old, identified as Marquez Williams, allegedly walked up behind a transgender woman on Tuesday, May 26 and pulled down her skirt and underwear on Cedar Point’s crowded midway before fleeing the scene.
- The victim’s friend chased the suspect to the park entrance where security and Sandusky police pursued him into the parking lot and officers used a Taser to subdue him, after which he was treated at a hospital and booked into Erie County Jail.
- Williams was released the night of the arrest after posting 10% of an $8,000 bond, later pleaded not guilty at a June 3 arraignment, and prosecutors formally dismissed the public-indecency count while maintaining disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction charges.
- At the June 3 hearing prosecutors added a first-degree misdemeanor theft charge, a judge ordered the defendant to stay away from the victim, and Six Flags issued a company-wide lifetime ban that the judge made a condition of his bond.
- The victim has reported severe psychological trauma and limited activity since the attack, the case has prompted public concern about safety for transgender guests, and a pretrial conference is scheduled as the legal process continues.