Schmidt Convicted of Three Child Sex Crimes

A jury convicted a Laramie man Thursday of all charges brought against him in Albany County District Court.

Bryan Schmidt, 30, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree and sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree. Schmidt now faces a maximum penalty of 47 years in prison and $30,000 in fines.

The jury took roughly an hour to return the three guilty verdicts. Schmidt was remanded to custody after the verdict was read.

Court documents say the child first reported the abuse to school employees Oct. 27 before being taken to Ivinson Memorial Hospital for an exam in which an injury to the child was identified.

The state called witnesses including a school nurse at the victim’s elementary school, an expert with the USDA Food and Drug Administration and a Laramie Police Department detective over the two days of trial.

Prosecutors also presented a video recording of a police interview in which Schmidt denied the abuse, but made contradictory statements according to prosecutor Robert Sanford.

"Bryan Schmidt... used her for a deviant sexual purpose," said Sanford.

The defense called no witnesses to testify. Defense attorney Vaughn Neubauer called into question the credibility of the victim, who Judge Jeffrey Donnell declared incompetent to testify at a Feb. 24 hearing.

"A girl whose own mother says will maintain as true something that is a patent lie," said Neubauer in his closing argument.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled pending completion of the presentence investigation.