By Shereen Siewert
A 37-year-old Marshfield man will spend 12 months in the Wood County Jail but will avoid prison if he successfully completes 10 years of probation, part of a plea deal negotiated this week in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Corey J. Scheunemann was initially charged with using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, a felony that carries a mandatory five-year minimum sentence in Wisconsin. But on Tuesday, Circuit Court Greg Huber accepted Scheunemann’s guilty plea on a reduced charge of child enticement, resulting in a withheld sentence.
Scheunemann was arrested in September after police accused him of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a teenage girl he met online. Police say he began communicating in July with a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl, but was an undercover police officer. Scheunemann’s family members say he knew the person he was communicating with was not underage.
In withheld sentence, a judge does not impose a prison sentence and instead orders the person to be placed under the supervision of the Dept. of Corrections, which establishes rules and regulations that must be followed.
In addition to the jail term, Judge Huber ordered Scheunemann to undergo treatment, avoid contact with minors and comply with the sex offender registry law. He is prohibited from using the internet except for work purposes, and only while at work.
Scheunemann will serve his jail sentence in Wood County.
