SHAWANO — A former Gresham teacher was sentenced this week to a combined eight years in prison in two separate cases involving sexual assault of a student and possessing child pornography.
Timothy J. Schmidt, 71, was convicted in November on charges of sexual assault of a student by school staff, child enticement, and 62 counts of possessing child pornography. An additional 56 counts of possessing child pornography were dismissed but were considered at sentencing.
Schmidt was a choir teacher in the Gresham Community School District before he resigned under pressure in April 2017.
According to the Shawano Leader, an investigation began when the Stockbridge-Munsee Police Department met lwith a parent of a Gresham Community School student reporting suspicious activity between Schmidt and her 16-year-old daughter.
WBAY-TV reports that Schmidt admitted to collecting child pornography since the early days of the internet. He had been an educator for 47 years.
Shawano County Circuit Judge John Rhode also ordered Schmidt to spend 10 years on supervised release following his prison term.
