Ypsilanti Township child molester convicted on new sexual assault charges

By Art Aisner AnnArbor.com Freelance Journalist

Posted on Fri, Oct 22, 2010 : 12:41 p.m.

A convicted sex offender avoided trial Monday on new sexual assault charges by entering into a plea deal with prosecutors.

James Waxman, 49, pleaded no contest as charged to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, court officials said. Jury selection for his trial in Washtenaw County Circuit Court was to start that morning.

James Waxman

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. Circuit Judge Archie Brown agreed to sentence Waxman to between 15 and 22 years in prison on Nov. 24.

He will not be sentenced as a habitual offender as part of his deal with prosecutors. Waxman served nearly 13 years in prison on convictions for multiple counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct before his release in 2006, prison records show.

Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputies arrested him in May after families of two 13-year-old victims came forward about incidents dating back to February.

Waxman remains in custody at the jail pending sentencing.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. The news desk can be reached at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.