NEWTON – A Newton man who was taken into custody earlier this year on multiple felony charges related to sex abuse has pleaded guilty in court.

On Tuesday, 22-year-old Ryan Hammen pleaded guilty to two counts of Grooming (class D felony), one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (class D felony), and one count of 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse of a Child Victim by a Person Four or More Years Older (class C felony). The latter charge stemmed from an incident in March in which Newton Police alleged that he had committed sex acts with a female juvenile; the others were related to an online investigation last year in which Hammen communicated in a sexual nature with a Newton Police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl.

Hammen’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 3rd.