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Federal court denies Schmitz bail
Schmitz, who was arrested in June, is accused of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old student. She was arrested a second time during the Nov. 23 Leroy High School football game for allegedly having illegal contact with the student. She was charged with tampering with a witness. Federal agents arrested Schmitz following a bond revocation hearing in Washington County District Court Nov. 27. A federal grand jury has indicted her on one count each of enticing a child by computer and enticing a child by cell phone. According to reports, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bert Milling denied bail for Schmitz during Friday's hearing. Special Agent Paul Roche testified that the teacher communicated extensively via the Internet, text messaging and using a cell phone with her alleged victim. She purportedly gave the boy's mother money to pay for the cell phone. Other area media outlets reported that Schmitz's attorney, Don Briskman argued that his client was not a flight risk because of her "strong family ties to the Leroy community." He also pointed to her lack of a criminal record prior to her June 22 arrest on second degree rape and sodomy charges. The alleged affair was discovered by the boy's mother who reportedly found sexually explicit e-mails, allegedly sent by the teacher, on the child's computer. Schmitz is accused of talking with the student at least two weeks prior to the game where the alleged illegal contact took place.
According to Washington County Chief Deputy Terry Beasley, he received a complaint Friday, Nov. 23, that Schmitz had purportedly contacted the student, asking him to meet her behind the elementary school during the football game. Papers filed with the Washington County Circuit Clerk's Office state that the purpose of the meeting was for the student to give Schmitz a folder which supposedly contained information related to the case, which she had instructed him to obtain.
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