The Portage man accused of the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl is being held on an unusually high cash bail amount of $50,000, which is $10,000 more than requested by the district attorney.

Judge James O. Miller ordered Warren J. Henkelman, 42, held on the bail at an initial hearing Monday in Columbia County Circuit Court. Cash bail, as opposed to a signature bond, means that the entire amount in cash must be turned over to the court system before a suspect is released. A signature bond does not require any money to be given to the court.

During Monday's hearing, state Public Defender Mark Gumz, representing Henkelman only for the hearing, requested that Henkelman be evaluated for competency before the judge set any bail, but his requestwas denied.

Miller said Henkelman's lawyer could ask for a competency hearing in the future. Henkelman is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the charges Nov. 12.

Henkelman faces an initial prison sentence of at least 25 years and as many as 128 years on six felonies that include first-degree sexual assault of a child younger than age 12, physical abuse of a child and possession of child pornography.

District Attorney Jane Kohlwey said Henkelman was arrested in 1984 in Milwaukee as a juvenile on a charge of second-degree sexual assault.

Authorities said they think Henkelman is a sex offender convicted of rape in the state of Oregon in the 1990s and was ordered to be a lifetime registrant on the sex offender registry.

He was arrested last week after authorities with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, acting on evidence that Henkelman offered to participate in distributing child pornography, obtained a search warrant on his Henry Drive apartment.

Police are continuing to investigate Henkelman's activities; anyone with any information should contact the Portage Police Department at 742-2171.

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