Man Gets Prison For Assaulting Infant
HASTINGS (WCCO) -- A Hastings, Minn. man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 9-month-old child, which is more than double the recommended sentence.
In September, Michael Frederick Schmidt, 42, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the baby girl while she was under his care. The assault happened in April.
The child sustained injuries so severe, she had to be brought to the emergency room.
"We are pleased to have brought Michael Schmidt to justice for this egregious act of sexual violence against this extremely vulnerable victim," said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom.
At the time of the incident, Schmidt told medical workers he and his wife had been babysitting the girl at their Hastings home. He said he was changing the girl's diaper when she started to roll off of the couch, and she may have been cut by his hangnail when he grabbed her.
Doctors said the injuries the girl sustained were "highly inconsistent" with Schmidt's story.
It took the jury less than an hour to arrive at their guilty verdict. They found that aggravating factors in the case justified an upward departure from standard sentencing guidelines.
