Milwaukee man accused of threatening to shoot police officer

article

Preston Ellison

MILWAUKEE -- A 25-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of threatening to shoot a police officer -- and now faces multiple criminal charges. Ellison is charged with the following:

According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched on Tuesday, Sept. 25 to Sandburg Residence Hall on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They were investigating a complaint of a threatening phone message.

The alleged victim told police "he was threatened by a subject on the dating app, Grindr." He told police "he was scared and feared for his safety, so he contacted a housing staff member." The complaint says the victim and Ellison were communicating on the dating app around 8 p.m. that evening -- and Ellison allegedly became upset when the victim "wouldn't engage in sexual activity with the subject without seeing a picture of the subject's face." The complaint indicates Ellison then "threatened to rape and shoot" the victim.

While the victim was sharing this information with officers, the complaint indicates another message came in. It read as follows:

After more officers arrived on the scene, a search for Ellison got underway. They reviewed surveillance video at the residence hall -- and saw Ellison nearby with a phone in his hand. The complaint indicates he "walked past the window where the officers were meeting with (the victim). The defendant then turned around and left."

Officers noted the direction Ellison departed -- and a few minutes later, he was spotted walking on E. Locust St. An officer stopped, ordered Ellison to the ground and took him into custody.

If convicted on the "threat to a law enforcement officer" charge, Ellison faces up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines.