A judge found enough evidence for court proceedings to go forward against a Rhinelander man accused of child sex trafficking.
34-year-old Paul Osterman was in Marathon County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing Wednesday morning. At the hearing, the court found probable cause Osterman had committed a crime and bound him over for arraignment and trial. Osterman then pleaded not guilty to a charge of trafficking of a child.
Osterman was arrested on September 21st following a two-year-long investigation by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Internet Crimes against Children Task Force. The law enforcement agencies received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about messages that were intercepted from a person looking to have sexual contact with a child. An investigation led to Osterman’s arrest.
Osterman is being held on a $50,000 cash bond and will return to court on October 12th.
