By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
A Wausau man who worked at a center for treating opioid addiction pleaded not guilty Thursday to two felony charges during an arraignment hearing in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Aaron Mielke, 52, faces charges of sexual exploitation by a therapist and third-degree sexual assault. Court records show he was employed by the Wausau Comprehensive Treatment Center, which offers medication-assisted treatment for adults and is commonly referred to as the city’s methadone clinic. The clinic “uses a number of medications, including methadone, buprenorphine, Suboxone, and naltrexone, to reduce the effects of withdrawal and eliminate cravings for opioids,” according to the center’s website.
An arraignment hearing was held Dec. 14 with Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobson presiding. The charges carry a combined maximum sentence of more than 22 years in prison upon conviction.
Mielke, who is free on bond, has a pretrial conference Jan. 24.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
