A 22-year-old Wisconsin man, identified as Liberto, was charged with attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, and false imprisonment on June 9 after a May 29 date in Milwaukee turned into a gunpoint abduction. According to the criminal complaint obtained by local news outlets, Liberto forced the woman into his car, displayed a Python .357 Magnum revolver and a kill kit, and threatened to drive her to a lake house four hours away. The woman fought back, disarming him briefly before being handcuffed, and later spoke to detectives about the ordeal.

The $200,000 bond and the items in the trunk

Liberto is being held at the Milwaukee County Jail on a $200,000 cash bond, as reported in the complaint. When police searched his car after the arrest, they recovered an alarming assortment of items: the revolver, a knife, handcuffs, duct tape, a hacksaw, erectile dysfunction pills, a tarp, bondage restraints, a hogtie kit, gloves, headlamps, an unopened package of women's underwwear, lubricant, condoms, a 10-foot coil of chain, hydrogen peroxide, a shovel, a 36-inch gooseneck wrecking bar, and an unknown clear odorless liquid. The sheer volume and specificity of these items suggest a level of premeditation that goes well beyond an impulsive act of violence, according to the complaint.

Why a lake house four hours away?

During the drive, Liberto told the woman he was taking her to a lake house four hours away so he could "use her like she used him," per the criminal complaint. The destination has not been publicly identified, and it remains unclear whether the property belongs to Liberto, his family, or someone else. the distance and the woman's statement that she repeatedly tried to call 911 and her family while handcuffed highlight the isolation of the alleged plan — a factor that could have made escape far more difficult if the drive had been completed.

One woman's refusal to hand over her phone

A critical moment came when Liberto demanded the woman's phone at gunpoint.. She refused unless he put down the gun, and then attempted to grab the revolver, managing to get it away from him briefly before he locked the car. That act of defiance, despite the risks, may have bought time and disrupted his control. As the complaint notes, she later continued to resist by asking direct questions about his intentions — including whether he planned to sexually assault her, to which he said yes. The woman's presence of mind under extreme duress is a striking counterpoint to the alleged predator's preparations.

The timeline: from mutual friends in September to a May 29 arrest

The woman told detectives she met Liberto through mutual friends in September 2025 — an unusually precise date that appears in the complaint — and that they went on a few dates before she made clear she wanted only friendship. According to the complaint, Liberto commplained that she would not let him kiss or hold her hand. That rejection appears to have escalated into stalking, with Liberto showing up at her home unannounced at 1 a.m. days before the scheduled date, and later vandalizing her vehicle. The progression from friendship to alleged kidnapping in a matter of months raises open questions about how such transitions are detected — or missed — by those around the individuals involved.

It is not currently known whether Liberto has entered a plea or retained legal counsel, as local outlets reported following his Tuesday court appearance .