Court Commits Scott R. Schmidt as a Sexually Violent Person After a Jury Trial

ELKHORN - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced today that on September 22, 2010, ScottR.Schmidt, a Walworth County resident was found to be a sexually violent person under Wisconsin's civil commitment law (Chapter 980, Wis. Stats.) following a three-day jury trial in Elkhorn. Walworth County Circuit Court Judge John R. Race presided over the case.

Chapter 980 of the Wisconsin Statutes relates to the control, care and treatment of sexually violent persons. Under Wisconsin law, a person may be subject to a civil commitment when the person has been convicted of a sexually violent offense, has a mental disorder, and is dangerous to others because the mental disorder makes it likely he or she will commit further acts of sexual violence. A civil commitment is defined in Wisconsin law as commitment to the custody and care of the Department of Health Services for control, care, and treatment until the person is no longer considered sexually violent.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice petition, in 1991 Schmidt was convicted in Walworth County of four counts of First Degree Sexual Assault, one count of Burglary, one count of False Imprisonment, and one count of Intimidation of a Witness. He was sentenced to a total of twenty years in prison. Schmidt was scheduled for release from the Department of Corrections on July 7, 2009.

Schmidt has now been committed to the custody of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for care and control and is expected to be placed at the SandRidge Secure Treatment Center in Wisconsin, for the purpose of receiving treatment.

Assistant Attorney General Erik Peterson represented the state in this case.