A Redford man accused of arranging a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl at a public library waived his preliminary exam and was bound over to Macomb County Circuit Court on felony charges.
Ernest Howell, 33, was scheduled for a preliminary exam in the 37th District Court in Warren.
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During the hearing, he waived his right to the proceeding and was ordered bound over for trial, officials said.
Howell is scheduled to be arraigned in Macomb County Circuit Court on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
He is charged with child sexually abusive activity, a 20-year felony; using a computer to commit a crime, a seven-year felony; and accosting a child for immoral purposes, a four-year felony.
Prosecutors said those are the maximum charges available based on the evidence presented at this stage.
Authorities allege that on April 1, 2026, Warren police arrested Howell at the Warren Public Library after receiving a tip that he had come to the location to meet a 13-year-old girl for a sexual encounter.
Investigators said the encounter had been arranged through text messages.