A 33-year-old Redford Township man has been charged in connection with allegedly trying to meet a teen for sex, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Warren police arrested Ernest Howell on Wednesday at the Warren Public Library after getting a tip he had come to meet with a 13-year-old girl for a sexual encounter planned through text messages, according to a news release from the prosecutor’s office.
“Crimes against minors represent some of the most serious abuses of power and trust, and they will be met with decisive action,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement.
Online court records did not list an attorney for Howell as of Friday afternoon.
Howell was arraigned Thursday in Warren’s 37th District Court on charges of child sexually abusive activity, using a computer to commit a crime and accosting for immoral activity.
The child sexually abusive activity charge is the most serious of the three felonies he faces, carrying up to 20 years in prison.
Judge Steven Bieda set his bond at $150,000. Howell would have to wear a GPS tether if he posts bond, cannot use the internet and is barred from having contact with anyone 17 years old or younger, according to the prosecutor’s office.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on April 16.
jcardi@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Man accused of trying to meet teen for sex at Warren library charged
Reporting by Julia Cardi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
