By Shereen Siewert
MERRILL — A 51-year-old Merrill man is facing multiple felony charges in Lincoln County Circuit Court after allegedly trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a 10-year-old boy.
James S. Ament appeared Friday in court, where he was ordered held on a $100,000 cash bond. Ament faces charges of attempted first degree sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a sex crime and child enticement.
Police say Ament had been communicating with a person he believed was a 10-year-old boy. But the boy was really an undercover detective who arranged to meet with Ament at Riverside Park in Merrill, where Ament was arrested.
The charges carry a combined penalty of up to 125 years in the Wisconsin Prison System. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 5.
