Charges filed against man for breaking in, sexually assaulting woman in dead of night

ANTIGO — Last week Wednesday, a 24-year-old Antigo woman was alone in the home of two of her friends, pet sitting for them while they were on vacation.

Around 1:30 a.m., she was asleep on their couch when suddenly, she woke to a chilling realization: a man was there, groping her from behind.

This is according to a criminal complaint filed by the Antigo Police Department about the incident. It continues on, describing how the woman kicked and punched her attacker, how he put her in a chokehold, and how she bit down hard on his wrist before the man eventually left.

When police arrived and looked through footage from surveillance cameras posted both in and outside the residence, more disturbing details of the break-in emerged.

The man had been in the house for several minutes before approaching the victim. He rifled through her purse. Shepherded the dog into a room and closed the door. Undid his pants zipper and fondled himself.

He had got in, as it turned out, with a hide-a-key that he’d found inside the couple’s mailbox. Most disturbing of all was perhaps why he had seemingly known where to find it: he was the next door neighbor, a man named Vincent Vaughn who the victim and the home owners, according to a source that wished to remain anonymous, knew somewhat well.

Last Thursday at the Langlade County Courthouse, Vaughn was formally charged with burglary, 2nd degree sexual assault of an unconscious victim, strangulation and suffocation, battery, and disorderly conduct. Court Commissioner Fred Kowalski agreed to the $50,000 cash bond District Attorney Kelly Hays recommended Vaughn be held on.

“All three of the victims have requested a high cash bond with no contact and a GPS monitor, because they are scared. They are scared of this defendant at this point in time,” Hays said. “Given the violence here and the nature of the allegations, I believe that not only do these victims themselves need to be protected, but society itself needs to be protected from Mr. Vaughn at this point.”

When confronted by police, Vaughn, perhaps unaware of the video footage, denied having entered the home. Handcuffing him, though, gave police the opportunity to look at his wrists, and one other key piece of evidence the woman herself provided them.

Teeth marks.