Witness: UW football recruit consumed shots before alleged sex assault

18-year-old Mukwonago football star faces 3rd-degree sexual assault charges

MADISON, Wis. — A University of Wisconsin football player said he witnessed a recruit consume 4-5 shots in the time before he allegedly sexually assaulted a female student at a residence hall last December.

Sophomore linebacker Leon Jacobs was one of the first witnesses called by prosecutors in the third-degree sexual assault trial of 18-year-old Dominic D. Cizauskas. The former Mukwonago High School football star was on his official recruiting visit to the Madison campus on Dec. 13-15 when the alleged assault occurred.

Jacobs told jurors his job as the student host of Cizauskas was to show him a good time.

He said he met the recruit at a residence hall where they both consumed 4-5 shots of spiced rum before walking to a party hosted by members of the track team.

Instead of taking Cizauskas back to Hotel Red where he was staying, Jacobs said he took him to the residence hall where the alleged assault took place. In hindsight, he told jurors he should have taken him back to the hotel.

During opening arguments prosecutors and lawyers for Cizauskas said they would present evidence showing texts between the former Wisconsin high school player of the year and the woman, with whom he had gone to high school.

Defense attorney Timothy Verhoff said the texts show a flirtatious nature and do not indicate the woman did not want Cizauskas to visit her at her dorm room. He said the sex between the two was consensual.

Prosecutors meanwhile said there were numerous efforts by the alleged victim to get Cizauskas to stop.

“He chose to take shots, he chose to party,” Dane County Assistant District Attorney Rachel Sattler said. “Had he chosen to listen, he would have heard (the victim) say no.”

The trial is expected to conclude within the next couple of days.