‘Serial rapist’: Ex-Detroit police sergeant accused of sexually assaulting multiple girls, women

Retired Detroit Police Sergeant Benjamin Wagner, 68, has been charged with 15 counts related to the kidnapping and sexual assault of five girls and women aged 15 to 23 between 1999 and 2003 on Detroit’s west side. Prosecutors allege Wagner used a firearm to threaten and move his victims to different locations before assaulting them, though no weapons charges were filed due to the statute of limitations. Wagner, who retired in 2017 and was arrested in North Carolina in March 2026, is set for arraignment in Detroit. Authorities believe there may be additional victims and urge them to contact the Detroit Police Department.