Town of Somers firefighter pleads not guilty to sexual assault

RACINE COUNTY -- Jodin Froeber, a Town of Somers firefighter accused of sexually assaulting a woman in an ambulance pleaded not guilty Wednesday, September 5th.

Prosecutors say Froeber sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman while in an ambulance.

According to the criminal complaint against Froeber, the charges stem from an incident which took place on July 19, 2011. According to the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, at around 11:49 a.m., a call to 911 was made for the woman who had a seizure at the Trefoil Oaks Program Center.

The complaint says Froeber was the only caregiver in the rear of the transporting ambulance with the victim. He was off duty, but responded to the center in his personal vehicle.

The complaint indicates at some point while being transported to a hospital, the victim “felt what she perceived to be a man’s hand under her shirt, tank top and bra. She then felt her clothes lift away from her body.”

The victim told police she “heard two distinct clicking sounds, of what she believed to be the shutter of a camera or possibly a cell phone. His hand then released her clothes.”

The complaint says Froeber also lifted the victim's shorts and touched her genitals.

The victim told police she was “unable to open her eyes because of how tired the seizure and the medications she was given in the ambulance had made her.”

If convicted, Froeber faces up to 40 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.

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