By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A 37-year-old Wausau man is accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl on multiple occasions and is now facing criminal charges.
Randall Ivey faces charges filed Wednesday in Marathon County Circuit Court of first degree child sex assault involving sexual contact with a person younger than 13. Ivey faces up to 60 years in the Wisconsin Prison System if he is convicted on the charge.
Police launched an investigation in July when a Wausau woman reported that her daughter had been sexually assaulted. According to the criminal complaint, the girl told police she began talking with Ivy through Snapchat in early January and the two soon began communicating several times each day. Snapchat, which is enormously popular with teens, allows users to capture videos and pictures that self destruct after a few seconds.
About two weeks after the two first communicated, Ivey allegedly sexually assaulted the girl at her home while the girl’s parents were away fishing, police said. A second alleged assault happened months later.
Ivey has a prior criminal history that includes convictions for cocaine trafficking, multiple OWIs, battery and bail jumping, according to online court records.
During an initial appearance Wednesday, a judge ordered Ivey held on a $5,000 cash bond and ordered him to have no contact with children. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 12.
