MONROE - An Evansville man was sentenced Thursday to 30 months of probation after he had sexual contact with an underage Belleville girl in 2015.
Tyler Joseph Schnell, 26, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and a misdemeanor count of intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Schnell was charged after Department of Justice investigators discovered a series of Facebook conversations between him and the victim throughout 2015. In April of 2015, Schnell met the victim at her home for sex, meeting three times in two weeks.
Schnell was initially charged with felony counts of sexual assault of a child and child enticement, but the charges were reduced to misdemeanor counts.
Prosecuting attorney Shelly Rusch said that Schnell's sentence was relatively light because of a number of factors. Schnell's contact with the victim was consensual, and although Schnell had not confessed and had a right to pursue a motion to investigate the victim's mental health history, he chose not to, which Rusch said spoke a lot about his character.
However, Rusch said that she hoped Schnell recognized that his involvement with the victim was not healthy behavior for himself or the victim and that there was little likelihood that Schnell did not recognize that the victim was underage.
Schnell's attorney, Jonas Bednarek, agreed with Rusch's recommendations, saying that following those recommendations would be the right thing to do.
Schnell himself made a brief statement, saying that he had always tried to be a good person before the incident.
"I will do anything and everything I can to follow the rules, and you will never have to see me again," Schnell said to Green County Circuit Judge Thomas Vale.
Vale agreed with the joint recommendation and sentenced Schnell to 30 months of probation. Should Schnell successfully complete his term, his convictions can be expunged from the record.
Tyler Joseph Schnell, 26, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and a misdemeanor count of intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Schnell was charged after Department of Justice investigators discovered a series of Facebook conversations between him and the victim throughout 2015. In April of 2015, Schnell met the victim at her home for sex, meeting three times in two weeks.
Schnell was initially charged with felony counts of sexual assault of a child and child enticement, but the charges were reduced to misdemeanor counts.
Prosecuting attorney Shelly Rusch said that Schnell's sentence was relatively light because of a number of factors. Schnell's contact with the victim was consensual, and although Schnell had not confessed and had a right to pursue a motion to investigate the victim's mental health history, he chose not to, which Rusch said spoke a lot about his character.
However, Rusch said that she hoped Schnell recognized that his involvement with the victim was not healthy behavior for himself or the victim and that there was little likelihood that Schnell did not recognize that the victim was underage.
Schnell's attorney, Jonas Bednarek, agreed with Rusch's recommendations, saying that following those recommendations would be the right thing to do.
Schnell himself made a brief statement, saying that he had always tried to be a good person before the incident.
"I will do anything and everything I can to follow the rules, and you will never have to see me again," Schnell said to Green County Circuit Judge Thomas Vale.
Vale agreed with the joint recommendation and sentenced Schnell to 30 months of probation. Should Schnell successfully complete his term, his convictions can be expunged from the record.