Defendant is being held on $300,000 cash-only bail.
FRANKLIN -- A township man was arrested Friday on charges he sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl on five occasions since June 2014, authorities said.
Efren Merino-Hernandez (Somerset County Prosecutor's Office)Efren Merino-Hernandez, 23, of the Somerset section of Franklin faces charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
The girl told detectives on Thursday that she was assaulted multiple times, acting Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said.
The assaults occurred in Franklin between June 2014 to February 2016, police said.
Detectives located Merino-Hernandez in the vicinity of Woodbridge Avenue and Meadow Road in Edison on Friday morning and he voluntarily returned to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, where he was arrested, police said.
Merino-Hernandez is being held on $300,000 cash bail.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.