By Shereen Siewert
The 52-year-old Albany man who on Wednesday led police on a nearly hour-long chase through three counties is accused of traveling 200 miles for sex with a 13-year-old girl, according to court records.
Gene B. Schneider is currently being held in the Langlade County Jail on a $200,000 cash bond, court records show. He faces felony charges of child enticement, causing a child younger than 13 to view a sex act, using a computer to facilitate a sex crime and fleeing an officer, according to online court records.
Albany is a small community near Eau Claire.
According to the criminal complaint, Schneider had for weeks been communicating online with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but who was actually a Langlade County deputy posing as “Jodie” on social media. The contact began March 16 and continued, evolving into messages that were increasingly sexual in nature including sending a semi-naked photo of himself, police said.
Schneider suggested getting a motel for sex and made arrangements to meet at an Antigo hotel on April 5, police said. When he arrived at the motel, deputies were waiting, and Schneider allegedly fled. Langlade County deputies called off the chase for safety reasons after Schneider nearly caused a head-on collision, police said.
From Langlade County, Schneider crossed into Lincoln County before Marathon County deputies took up the chase, which ended just after 10 a.m. after Kronenwetter police used a stop maneuver to force Schneider’s vehicle to stop, according to the report.
Charges related to the chase are also expected to be filed in Lincoln and Marathon counties.
Schneider’s criminal history includes 1987 felony convictions for armed robbery and burglary, according to online court records.
If convicted on the Langlade County charges alone, Schneider faces up to 81 years in prison and up to $235,000 in fines. An adjourned initial appearance is set for today in Langlade County Circuit Court. Schneider is not expected to appear.
