Man gets prison for break-ins, sex assault
STEVENS POINT – A man accused of breaking into the houses of several students near the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and sexually assaulting one student was sentenced Tuesday to five years behind bars, followed by five years of extended supervision.
Nelly Makalin, 33, was charged after he was arrested by officers investigating break-ins in a neighborhood near campus. Makalin pleaded guilty June 9 to one count of third-degree sexual assault and two counts of criminal trespass.
Makalin spoke in court before he was sentenced and took the time to acknowledge the impact his actions had on the victims of the crimes.
“I hope they will find a place in their hearts to forgive me for what I’ve done,” Makalin said.
The five-year prison sentence followed by a five-year term of supervision was the maximum sentence Makalin could have received for third-degree sexual assault. Makalin was also sentenced to two concurrent prison terms of a year behind bars, followed by a year of extended supervision on each of the two counts of criminal trespass.
Officers were called Oct. 31, 2014, to the 1900 block of Briggs Street after a woman called about an unknown male inside her residence, according to a criminal complaint. The woman told the officers she came home after a night out with friends and fell asleep, and later woke up when a man entered her room.
The woman then told the officers the man assaulted her before she was able to flee and lock herself in a bathroom, and that her laptop was stolen, according to the complaint. There were two other incidents investigated by police that night on College Avenue and Division Street, where an unknown man entered residences but left after he was confronted.
Makalin was identified by investigators as a possible suspect after a description of the person in the break-ins and assault matched that of a person who had been reported as harassing a bartender in downtown Stevens Point the night before, according to testimony by John Lawrynk, an officer with the Stevens Point Police Department, given during a hearing in December.
Portage County Assistant District Attorney David Knaapen read a letter from the victim of the sexual assault — who did not attend the hearing — that indicated she lost her sense of security and was continuously scared after the incident.
“It all still feels like a terrible dream, one that still keeps coming back,” Knaapen read.
Makalin was ordered to have no contact with any of the victims as a condition of his extended supervision.
Chris Mueller can be reached at 715-345-2251 and christopher.mueller@gannettwisconsin.com. Follow him on Twitter as @AtChrisMueller .