On Christmas Eve evening, an officer made contact with 18-year-old Austin Muenchow and took him into custody on a felony charge of Using a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime.
The arrest stems from an investigation dating back to December 8th, in which Muenchow sent a message on social media to an undercover account used by the Merrill Police Department. An officer carried a conversation with Muenchow on the account, advising Muenchow several times of being a 15-year-old female.
Muenchow later sent images of his genitals and requested nude photos from the 15-year-old “female.” Muenchow also reportedly requested sex. Muenchow reportedly requested to meet on several occasions and a date was set for Christmas Eve evening. Prior to meeting, Muenchow indicated his desire to engage in oral and vaginal sex. At 8:33 p.m., Muenchow arrived at the designated meeting location on Center Avenue and was subsequently taken into custody and identified via driver’s license.