A Perry man is facing a felony charge for sexual assault, and was taken into custody after turning himself in.

According to the Perry Police Department, officers served a warrant on 50-year-old Juan Jose Merlos-Melendez on January 17th, accusing him of second degree sexual assault, a class B felony. They were unable to make contact with him at that time, but on Tuesday of this week he turned himself into the police department. Melendez was held overnight in the Perry jail due to the weather, and was then taken to the Dallas County Jail on Wednesday morning. He had his initial appearance in court Wednesday afternoon, and is currently being held on $100,000 cash-only bond. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for February 4th.

The arrest follows an investigation by the Perry Police Department that began in August of 2018. Melendez allegedly assaulted a 12-year-old girl in Perry on multiple occasions between July 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.