By Dan Colton
for The Beacon

SEMIR MAHMUTAGIC

A Sheboygan man currently in jail for allegedly sexually abusing a child now faces additional, similar charges and a $150,000 bail.

Sheboygan police say Semir Mahmutagic, 19, used the threat of violence to sexually assault multiple underage partners. He was originally charged in October with intentionally causing bodily harm to a child, strangulation and suffocation, and four counts of sexual contact with a child age 15.

Those charges stem from a relationship with a 15-year-old girl. Mahmutagic was 17 when he met her  police said, but turned he 18 shortly afterward.

The 15-year-old alleged victim told police that Mahmutawic was highly jealous and “took control of her life,” according to a criminal complaint. The complaint states that Mahmutagic monitored her social media activity and caused the alleged victim to lose contact with close friends.

During October 2018, court records allege Mahmutagic stabbed the girl’s heel with a pocket knife after she attempted to leave because of an argument. The alleged victim showed police a six-inch scar left by the stabbing, authorities said. The wound didn’t require stitches, according to police, but antibiotics were prescribed to prevent infection.

Within the span of a few weeks, police said Mahmutagic again became violent with the girl after she walked away due to another argument. He followed her into a backyard and clutched her neck for approximately 30 seconds, yelling that “she could not leave and the needed to stay with him,” court documents state.

The alleged victim told police she feared for her life and came close to unconsciousness.

During the course of their relationship, police said Mahmutagic lied to his parents about her age and understood their sexual contact was illegal.

The new charges, filed Nov. 8, include seven counts: Physical abuse of a child, attempted first-degree assault of a child under age 16 by use or threat of force or violence, false imprisonment, causing a child under 13 to listen/view sexual activity, repeated sexual assault of a child, strangulation and suffocation,attempted first-degree sexual assault of a child under age 16 by use or threat of force or violence with the use of a dangerous weapon, and repeated sexual assault of a child.

Police said Mahmutagic dated a 13-year-old girl between June and August 2018. An alleged pattern of abuse and assault resemble previous charges leveled against Mahmutagic, who was 17 at the time he dated the 13-year-old.

During that time, police said the alleged victim was strangled in Mahmutawic’s basement when she tried to leave an argument. She told police she feared for her life, could not breathe, and nearly passed out.

The young woman described another incident from mid-July 2018 wherein she spent the night at Mahmutawic’s house. He was gone when she awoke, and while he was away, she drank from a Pepsi bottle and “began to feel out of it,” according to a criminal complaint.

“Before she passed out, she saw what looked like Xanax at the bottom of the bottle,” the complaint states.

Xanax is a prescription benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It is commonly abused for recreational purposes and can induce feelings of sedation.

Police said the alleged victim proceeded to pass out and awoke when Mahmutagic arrived home. He allegedly attempted to initiate intercourse, but the girl refused. Mahmutagic then produced a pocket knife and held it to her throat, police said.

Court documents indicate a third alleged victim who was 15 when she dated a 16-year-old Mahmutagic during the summer of 2016.

The alleged victim said Mahmutagic attempted to rape her in his bedroom but was dissuaded when she began to scream.

Police said Mahmutagic didn’t want his grandparents to hear the commotion and stopped.

She ran out of the bedroom, pursued by Mahmutagic — described as having a “crazy look on his face” — and was chased into a bathroom. Police said she was able to lock Mahmutagic out, but he pounded and kicked the door and attempted to unlock it with a knife. The confrontation concluded when Mahmutawic’s mother arrived home and he backed away from the door, according to court documents.

During their relationship, the alleged victim said she was also held in a backyard shed against her will. Police said Mahmutagic attempted to force himself on her in that shed.

When he was unable to do that, police said, he made the alleged victim observe as he performed sexual acts on himself. The alleged victim wasn’t allowed to leave until after Mahmutagic was done, she told police.

Mahmutagic faces up to 94.5 years imprisonment and $140,000 in fines for the charges filed in October. The charges filed last week carry a maximum sentence of 21.5 years imprisonment and $75,000 in fines.