Mayville Man Arraigned On Child Assault Charges

(Mayville) An alleged child molester from Mayville was arraigned Wednesday. Benjamin Marx entered a not guilty plea by reason of mental defect to four felony charges including First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child Under Age 12, Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Possession of Child Pornography. A court ordered evaluation will be completed based on Marx’s plea due to mental defect. Explicit photos dating back to 2016 where allegedly uncovered by a spouse on a shared computer. Marx reportedly attempted to erase the pictures and break his electronic devices after he was found out but a digital forensic analyst with the state Justice Department was able to recover the data. The 30-year-old did not admit his actions to investigators but did concede that the person in the photos “looks like” him. If convicted, Marx faces a combined maximum of up to 165 years in prison.