Insanity Plea Issued in Sex With Couch Charge

A 47-year-old man who made national headlines after being accused of having sex with a couch in Waukesha pleaded not guilty due to mental disease or defect Monday afternoon.

Gerard P. Streator, of Waukesha, was charged with lewd/lascivious behavior in September. He faces up to nine months in jail and $10,000 in fines.

According to a criminal complaint:

At 11 p.m. Sept. 3, an off-duty Waukesha police officer was out for a jog on North University Drive near Pebble Valley Road when he spotted an abandoned yellow couch on the curb. He observed Streator by the couch and thrusting his hips as if he was having sex with a person.

The officer approached Streator to see what was going on and yelled “what are you doing?” which caused Streator to run away. The officer didn’t see anyone else on the couch, but the officer realized Streator was thrusting it between the couch cushions for sexual gratification.

The officer chased Streator to an apartment complex in the 2600 block of North University, where he went into a locked lobby, walked upstairs to an apartment and entered. The officer contacted the police department about the incident and discovered Streator’s name.