Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Teen in Park to Stand Trial

A Waukesha man accused of will proceed to trial.

Daniel R. Schmidt, 21, waived his preliminary hearing Friday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child.  

Schmidt, who is free on $5,000 bail, went past reporters before and after the hearing without answering questions, but his attorney, Jonathan LaVoy, said he hopes to work out a resolution with prosecutors as the case proceeds.

LaVoy said it has been a difficult time for Schmidt, but he has a very strong family to support him.

“He’s troubled,” LaVoy said. “He’s a young man with some issues.”

According to the criminal complaint, Schmidt met the victim on a website called skout.com, where he posed as a 16-year-old in order to gain access to the younger age group where he met the 13-year-old. The teen sent pictures of his naked genitals to Schmidt and the two eventually arranged to meet.

On Saturday, Schmidt picked the victim up in Muskego then drove to Hales Corners Park where they went to a secluded area and began to perform sexual acts. The two were spotted by a woman walking her dog, who then called police.

Police officers confronted the two about the incident as they were leaving the secluded area of the park.

The case has drawn national media attention and prompted Skout’s CEO to shut down a mobile app to the website and

Schmidt could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. He will appear again in court June 27.