Schmidt pretrial date set

A pretrial hearing for Michael Frederick Schmidt has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 24 in Dakota County District Court. Schmidt, 41, Hastings, remains lodged in the Dakota County Jail after being charged last month with one felony count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree involving a nine-month-old girl.

The incident allegedly occurred April 24 at the Schmidt residence on the south side of Hastings.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the Dakota County Attorney’s office, the girl was brought into the emergency room at Regina Medical Center with injuries, which Schmidt said were cause by hangnail when he was changing her diaper. She was later transported by ambulance to St. Paul Children’s Hospital for surgery. Medical personnel at the hospital said the injuries were inconsistent with Schmidt’s statement.

Conviction on a first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and/or a fine of from $12,000 to $40,000.

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